Blizzard Trade Quarterback and Sign 3 Others
January 12, 2012 - Indoor Football League (IFL)
Green Bay Blizzard News Release
January 12, 2012- Green Bay, WI: The Green Bay Blizzard have made a trade with the Tri-Cities Fever. Quarterback Jameel Sewell was sent to the Fever and the Blizzard acquired wide receiver Desmond Tardy (Purdue). The big play wideout spent time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL. Green Bay also signed defensive back James Romain (Delaware State), defensive lineman Steven Turner (Memphis) and offensive lineman Chuck Palonis (Kentucky Wesleyan).
Desmond Tardy (6'1", 198 lbs WR) will be reunited with Blizzard Head Coach Robert Fuller. He spent the 2011 season with Coach Fuller in Fairbanks and scored nine touchdowns in eight games. Tardy signed with Tri-Cities for the 2012 season before being traded to Green Bay. The former Purdue Boilermaker was named All-Big Ten Conference Honorable Mention in 2008. During his senior year, Tardy led the Big Ten in kickoff returns (28.8 yard average), third in receiving yards (73.0 per game) and third in receptions (5.6 per game). After college, Tardy was in minicamp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and spent time with the Chicago Rush of the AFL.
Blizzard head Coach Robert Fuller said, "We were very happy to get Desmond in a Blizzard uniform. He has played in some big time football games at Purdue and he made some big time plays last year in Fairbanks. He understands our system and plays smart football. He's a great asset to our program and is a guy we feel should get another look by an NFL team."
James Romain (5'11", 175 lbs DB) can be added to the list of former Fairbanks players to join Green Bay. He helped lead the Grizzlies to a division title in 2011. Romain was named First Team All-IFL Defense with 47 tackles and 10 interceptions. As a senior, he was named Delaware State's Most Valuable Player on defense with 47 tackles and four interceptions.
"Romain is an All-IFL First Team CB and an impact player who we are excited about," stated Coach Fuller. "Romain was one of the best defensive backs in the IFL last year and what is scary is that he is just scratching the surface of his potential. We have very high expectations for James and we feel strongly that he has the potential to be a CFL/NFL guy."
Steven Turner (6'3", 280 lbs DL) was a versatile defensive lineman at Memphis. He started games at both defensive end and defensive tackle. He had a productive career, playing in 45 games and accumulating 70 tackles, 13 for a loss, 3.5 sacks and one interception.
Chuck Palonis (6'4", 305 lbs OL) was a three time All-Conference performer at Kentucky Wesleyan. As a senior in 2010, he was named Honorable Mention All-Great Lakes Conference. In 2009, Palonis was selected 1st Team D2Football.com All-Independent Team and 1st Team All-Great Lakes Conference. He was also named 2nd Team All-Great Lakes Conference in 2008.
Coach Fuller was excited about the two rookies, "Chuck and Steve are exciting rookie prospects that I think can flourish in our system and have the potential to do some very good things for us. Both guys come in with something to prove and we're looking forward to seeing what they've got."
The Green Bay Blizzard are proud members of the Indoor Football League (IFL) and was named the 2011 IFL Franchise of the Year. 2012 Season tickets are on SALE NOW, call 920-405-1264 to reserve your seat in the action! Make sure to follow the Blizzard on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest news and updates on the team.
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Indoor Football League Stories from January 12, 2012
- Edge Sign DL Antonio Ficklin - Bloomington Edge
- Blizzard Trade Quarterback and Sign 3 Others - Green Bay Blizzard
- Express Hold Final Open Tryout - Reading Express
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