Conquest Secure Quarterback Dan Cole
January 17, 2008 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Albany Firebirds News Release
ALBANY, NY - The Albany Conquest announced today that quarterback Dan Cole has been assigned to the Conquest by the af2 for the 2008 season.
Cole, 25, returns for his second season with the Conquest, after serving as the backup quarterback in 2007. The 6'2", 215 lbs Albany, NY native saw action in ten of Conquest's sixteen regular season games, throwing for 468 yards and thirteen touchdowns, while completing 51.9% of his passes and posting a 104.9 quarterback rating. Cole also ran for four touchdowns last season and averaged 2.5 yards per carry. Cole even served as the team's long snapper after an injury forced their starter out of the lineup.
"During the 2007 season Dan showed us that he's worthy of the opportunity to be our starting quarterback," said Conquest Head Coach Jeff Hoffman. "It is his turn to get behind the wheel and to be an integral part of this year's team. Some of his many qualities are his strong arm, his quick release and his mental strength. He reads defenses very well and makes quick decisions, which is crucial with the speed of the indoor game."
Cole graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY in 2004 with a degree in Electronic Media Arts and Communication. He was the Engineers' starting quarterback for three seasons (2001-2003), where he holds numerous school records and was named the team's Offensive MVP each year. In his college career, Cole threw for 8,902 yards and 87 touchdowns, he rushed for 823 yards and 13 touchdowns, and he completed 56-percent of his passes and averaged almost 280 yards per game passing in 32 career games.
Cole had a fantastic senior season in the fall of 2003, recording 40 passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns, 3,679 passing yards, 276 rushing yards and only eleven interceptions in 13 games. He was named the Liberty League Offensive Performer of the Week four times and was voted the Offensive Player of the Year by both the Liberty League and the ECAC as he led RPI (11-2) to the 2003 NCAA Division III National Semifinals, and a school-record eleven wins. Even though RPI lost in the semifinals to the eventual D-III National Champion Saint John's University (Minnesota), Cole was recognized for his great year, being named a D-III All-American by three different publications in 2003.
In 2004, Cole was invited to a mini camp tryout with the New England Patriots, becoming the first RPI football player invited to a mini camp by a National Football League team. Since graduation he began coaching football at RPI, serving as an Assistant Coach and the Quarterbacks Coach for the last four seasons (2004-present).
The Conquest will begin their 2008 season on the road at the Mahoning Valley Thunder on Saturday, March 29th at 7:05 pm. The Conquest's home opener will be on Sunday, April 13th at 4:00 pm against the Peoria Pirates at the Times Union Center.
Full and partial season ticket packages are now on sale for the 2008 Albany Conquest regular season. For more information please contact the Conquest at (518) 487-2244 or online at www.albanyconquest.com.
• Discuss this story on the arenafootball2 message board...
arenafootball2 Stories from January 17, 2008
- Conquest Secure Quarterback Dan Cole - Albany Firebirds
- Landrum Returns for a Third Season - Tulsa Talons
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
