Curtis Named To All-af2 First Team
August 10, 2002 - arenafootball2 (af2)
San Diego Riptide News Release
PEORIA â San Diego Riptide WR/LB Rico Curtis has been selected to the 2002 All-af2 First Team. Curtis was the only player from the West Division to be honored with any league-wide post-season recognition.
The rest of the All-af2 squad and the af2's individual post-season awards were also announced.
Curtis, the lone First Team WR/LB, broke the league's single-season tackle mark with 121.0 stops in his first year in the af2 after a four-year career at San Diego State where he still ranks as the school's second all-time tackler. He also forced four fumbles, recovered three more, broke up 13 passes and had two interceptions.
"This is a testament to my fellow teammates and coaches," said Curtis, "without their hard work and dedication I could not have had the season I did.
Curtis is the first Riptide player to earn All-af2 status. This is just another first for him in a Riptide jersey. He was the first player assigned to the team, recorded the first tackle in team history, earned the first Ironman of the Game, first af2 Ironman of the Week and af2 Built Ford Tough Player of the Week.
Curtis by no means just a defensive threat on the field. Offensively, he scored nine touchdowns in the regular season, including the game-winner of Bakersfield (June 8) with just 29 seconds left in the game and a crucial TD on fourth down in the June 22 win over Peoria. In the playoff win over Bakersfield (August 3), he scored twice as the Riptide became the first and only af2 team with a losing regular season record to win a playoff game.
After the regular season, he was selected by his teammates as the Riptide Most Valuable Player and Ironman of the Year. He was also selected as the team's Built-Ford Toughman of the Year after being named as a Built Ford Tough Player in all 16 regular season and both playoff contests.
Tomorrow evening is the third ArenaCup championship game. It pits the Florida Firecats vs. the Peoria Pirates. Kickoff is at 5:30pm PDT and can be seen live nation-wide on The Dish Network's Vision Channel (Ch. 223). For those who cannot get the Vision Channel, Sunshine Network will also carry the game live.
Riptide 2003 season tickets are on sale right now and begin at just $56. To reserve your seats at the Sports Arena for eight games of hard-hitting, high-scoring, non-stop games call 866-RIPTIDE during normal business hours Monday-Friday. Order by October 15, to ensure 2002 prices (eight games for the price of seven) and get a free Riptide T-Shirt.
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arenafootball2 Stories from August 10, 2002
- Playoffs in af2 full of surprises, thrills - OSC Original by Walter L. Johnson II
- Curtis Named To All-af2 First Team - San Diego Riptide
- Riptide Post-Season Ends With 22-12 loss - San Diego Riptide
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