Current And Former Storm Members Appear In Disney Movie

Published on September 24, 2007 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Tampa Bay Storm News Release


Tampa - Linemen Marcus "Snowball" Owen, Geir Gudmundsen and Nyle Wiren along with former Storm players Bill Gramatica, Ricky Hall and Jonathan Ordaway will appear in the upcoming Disney movie The Game Plan which opens nationwide on Friday, September 28. The movie, a fictional story about a professional football player who suddenly realizes he has an eight-year-old daughter when she shows up on his doorstep, stars Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Kyra Sedgwick and Disney Channel star Madison Pettis.

"One of the benefits of being in The Game Plan was getting to work with the Arena Football League players," said Johnson. "They brought a special dedication and energy to the film, but more importantly, they brought a great reality to our movie. All of the AFL guys in the movie are great players in their league. They are the top guys at what they do."

For many of the players involved in The Game Plan, including other AFL players, this was not their first experience participating in a Hollywood blockbuster. Owen and Wiren each appeared in The Longest Yard while others appeared in such hits as Invincible, The Water Boy, Any Given Sunday and We are Marshall.

"I have nothing but glowing things to say about my experience in working with these guys," continued Johnson. "I especially enjoyed working with my center, Marcus "Snowball" Owen who plays for Tampa Bay...he was great."

The football scenes were shot over 10 days last October at the College of Holy Cross and Gillette Stadium. The film makers, Mark Ciardi and Gordon Gray, reached out to The Sports Studio to help recruit the players and to choreograph the football scenes.

"When we filmed, it was just two months after I had ruptured my Achilles, and I will be forever grateful to the AFL guys who were so patient in dealing with the football limitations that my injury caused," added Johnson. "All of the AFL players really worked their butts off every single day, and Mark Ellis and Pat O'Hara were fantastic in coordinating the football scenes and working with our Arena League players."

Storm offensive coordinator Pat O'Hara, who devotes his off-seasons working for The Sports Studio as a consultant, actively recruits AFL players to fill roles in many football related movies. He has placed many AFL and Storm players in football related movies including Any Given Sunday, The Longest Yard, Invincible, and We Are Marshall.

A complete list of AFL players who'll be seen on the silver screen is below:

Boston Rebels Offense Player 2007 AFL Team

Dwayne Johnson Double Leon Murray* Dallas/New York

Brian White Double Kevin Ingram* Los Angeles

Left Guard Steve Mascorro Arizona

Center Marcus Owen Tampa Bay

Right Guard Kelvin Ingram Nashville/Arizona

Right Tackle Geir Gudmundsen Tampa Bay

Tight End Chris Anthony New York

New York Dukes Defense Player 2007 AFL Team

Middle Linebacker Idris Price* Philadelphia

Strongside Linebacker Silas Demary* Los Angeles

Cornerback Talib Wise New Orleans

Strong Safety Terrance Joseph* Los Angeles/Arizona/Utah

Free Safety Jonathon Ordway Chicago

Defensive End Duke Pettijohn Dallas

Defensive End Nyle Wiren* Tampa Bay

Defensive Tackle Ricky Hall* New York

Kicker Bill Gramatica* Tampa Bay

Boston/Denver/New York Utility Player 2007 AFL Team

Running Back Willis Marshall* Dallas

Wide Receiver Mike Brown Philadelphia

Left Guard Ernest Grant* Utah

Center Charlie Morris* Nashville

Right Guard Ben Nowland Grand Rapids

Defensive Line Gillis Wilson* Grand Rapids

Defensive Line Doug Miller* Orlando

* Denotes current free agent

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from September 24, 2007


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