Destroyers Schottenheimer, Rhodes Win Top UFL Honors
October 20, 2011 - United Football League (UFL 1)
Virginia Destroyers News Release
VIRGINIA BEACH, VIRGINIA (October 14, 2011) Marty Schottenheimer of the Virginia Destroyers is the 2011 United Football League Coach of the Year, and Destroyers running back Dominic Rhodes is the 2011 UFL Offensive Player of the Year.
Schottenheimer guided the Destroyers to a spot in Friday's UFL Championship Game in his first season as a coach in the league. The Destroyers (3-1) will host the Las Vegas Locomotives (3-1) at 8 pm at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex.
The sixth-winningest head coach in National Football League history, Schottenheimer now has earned Coach of the Year honors in two different leagues. He previously received the honor in 2004 while he was with the San Diego Chargers and by Football Digest in 1997 when Schottenheimer was coach of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Rhodes, the league's all-time leading rusher and all-time touchdown leader, topped the UFL in rushing for a second year in a row in 2011. He gained 410 yards and averaged 5.2 yards per carry in four games this season. Rhodes also paced the league in carries (79), rushing touchdowns (six), overall touchdowns (six), yards from scrimmage (502) and all-purpose yards (502). Rhodes, whose 16 touchdowns is a UFL all-time high, also led the Destroyers with 13 catches.
Omaha Nighthawks safety Stuart Schweigert, one of the UFL's top tacklers and interceptors, is the 2011 UFL Defensive Player of the Year and Sacramento Mountain Lions return specialist Aaron Woods, the UFL's top kickoff returner, is the 2011 UFL Special Teams Player of the Year.
Schweigert tied for second in the league with 31 total tackles (19 solo, 12 assists) in 2011 and was third in the UFL in interceptions with two.
Woods set the UFL record for longest kickoff return (47 yards) this season, and now has the league standard for longest play on a kickoff return and punt return (60 yards). He led the league with his 23.6-yard kickoff-return average. His 459 all-purpose yards were second in the league behind Rhodes.
UFL COACHES OF THE YEAR
2009 - Jim Haslett, Florida Tuskers
2010 - Jim Fassel, Las Vegas Locomotives
2011 - Marty Schottenheimer, Virginia Destroyers
UFL PLAYERS OF THE YEAR
2009 - Brooks Bollinger, QB, Florida Tuskers (league MVP)
2010 - Cory Ross, RB, Sacramento Mountain Lions (offense), Isaiah Trufant, CB, Las Vegas Locomotives (defense) and Nick Novak, K, Florida Tuskers (special teams)
2011 - Dominic Rhodes, RB, Virginia Destroyers (offense), Stuart Schweigert, S, Omaha Nighthawks (defense) and Aaron Woods, RS, Sacramento Mountain Lions (special teams)
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United Football League Stories from October 20, 2011
- UFL Transactions - UFL 1
- Destroyers Schottenheimer, Rhodes Win Top UFL Honors - Virginia Destroyers
- UFL Announces 2011 Award Winners - UFL 1
- UFL Championship Game Ticket Information Released - Virginia Destroyers
- UFL Postseason Injury Report - UFL 1
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