Explosive Receivers Damian Harrell And Bobby Sippio Meet In Chicago This Monday Night
May 1, 2007 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I) News Release
NEW YORK - Two of the most exciting players in the AFL - not only currently, but all time - will compete on the same field this Monday night when reigning two-time Offensive Player of the Year DAMIAN HARRELL and the Colorado Crush travel to Chicago to face 2007 AFLWA mid-season Offensive Player of the Year BOBBY SIPPIO and the Rush at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and ESPN360.com.
Some are saying this matchup is the AFL's version of Ali-Frazier or Bird-Magic. Regardless, fans can expect to see two world-class athletes competing at the highest level.
"I know he is having an amazing season and that speaks volumes about the type of player he is," says Harrell about Sippio. "How could you not respect that? For a real fan of Arena Football, the scoring league that it is, he has to be one of the fans' favorite players."
Now, in his first full season with the Rush, Sippio has run away from all defenders, literally, as he leads the AFL in touchdowns with 35, which tied EDDIE BROWN for the most touchdowns ever during the first eight games of a season.
He is on pace to score an unfathomable 70 TDs, which would shatter Harrell's current TD record of 61, which was set last year and thought by many to be unbreakable. The previous record of 51 TDs, set by two of the greatest AFL players of all time -- EDDIE BROWN with Albany in 1996 and BARRY WAGNER with Orlando in 1997 -- stood for almost 10 years.
"I like playing against and watching Damian Harrell," says Sippio. "I like being out there on the field playing with him. Even though he doesn't play defense against me, it is always good being in a game with him because he is just a wonderful athlete."
The matchup is further enhanced because Chicago-Colorado has emerged as one of the league's best rivalries in recent years. In 2005, Harrell captured his first Offensive Player of the Year Award and the Colorado Crush won their first ArenaBowl, defeating Chicago in the conference title game in the infamous "Confetti Game."
Last season, Sippio was a late-season acquisition and immediately changed the landscape in Chicago as they captured their first ArenaBowl title. Despite a 7-9 regular-season record, Sippio led the Rush to wins in three of its final five regular-season games and four straight in the postseason, including a defeat of Colorado in the Divisional round.
Regardless of the outcome of the game on Monday night or who has the better statistics in the box score on Tuesday, the real winner when these two spectacular athletes get together is the AFL fans.
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