Desperados Pettis Named AFL Rookie of the Month for April
May 1, 2003 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Dallas Desperados News Release
The Arena Football League announced today that Dallas Desperados WR/DB Will Pettis has been named league Rookie of the Month for the month of April. In four games during April, Pettis caught 24 passes for 294 yards (12.3 avg.) and six touchdowns, ran the ball six times for seven yards and a touchdown, returned six kickoffs for 101 yards (16.8), returned a missed field goal for 39 yards and totaled 9.5 tackles and an interception in helping the Desperados to a 3-1 record. The honor is the first of its kind for Pettis and the second time a Desperados player has garnered Rookie of the Month honors (Dialleo Burks, May 2002).
Pettis, who is making a push for Rookie of the Year and Ironman of the Year honors, leads the Desperados with an 18.0 average on 25 kickoff returns, a 23.3 average on four missed field goal returns and with three interceptions. He is third on the team with 53 catches for 652 yards and 13 touchdowns and with nine rushing yards and three touchdowns on 10 carries. He is fourth on the squad with 34.5 tackles while recording four pass deflections. He also is tied for the team lead with three two-point conversions.
He kicked off the month of April with four catches for 61 yards and two touchdowns, two carries for three yards and the game-winning touchdown, a tackle and a game-turning, fourth quarter interception against San Jose (4/6). The following week at Indiana (4/13), he tied for the team lead with eight receptions for 84 yards and two touchdowns while recording four stops on the defensive side of the ball.
Pettis stepped up his game at Chicago (4/20), recording 199 all-purpose yards â the second highest combined yardage total in club history (Dialleo Burks â 224 @ San Jose, 5/25/02). To reach that lofty total, Pettis posted 105 receiving yards and two touchdowns on seven catches, one rushing yard on two carries, 54 return yards on three kickoff returns and 39 yards on a missed field goal return. He also posted half a tackle on the defensive side of the ball.
He closed out the month by earning co-Ironman of the Game honors after catching five passes for 44 yards, rushing twice for three yards and a score, returning three kickoffs for 47 yards and converting a two-point conversion late in the game against Los Angeles (4/27). He also tallied four tackles against the Avengers.
Pettis and the rest of the Dallas Desperados host the league leading Tampa Bay Storm this Sunday at 2:00 p.m. Tickets for Sunday's game â and any potential home playoff games â can be purchased by calling 972-785-4900, visiting metroplex TicketMaster locations or by ordering through the Desperados website at www.dallasdesperados.com. Sunday's game against the Storm will be televised by NBC Sports and can be seen locally on NBC 5.
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