Firebirds Sign Free Agent QB Adrian McPherson
January 9, 2004 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Albany/Indiana Firebirds News Release
INDIANAPOLIS - The Indiana Firebirds of the Arena Football League announced today the signing of free-agent QB Adrian McPherson, adding him to their 2004 training camp roster. McPherson will join the Firebirds as the team's third quarterback in camp along with Kevin Daft and Tony Zimmerman. Head Coach Steve DeBerg opens up his first training camp on Monday in Indianapolis.
McPherson played in sixteen games at Florida State University during the 2001 and 2002 college football season, starting in four and going 3-1 as a starter. He completed a total of 98-of-192 pass attempts for 1,215 yards and 14 touchdowns, having since relinquished his remaining NCAA eligibility in order to pursue his professional football career in the AFL.
"I'm just happy that the Firebirds gave me an opportunity to play football", stated McPherson. "I'm really looking forward to being in Indianapolis, becoming part of the team and hopefully help lead them to a championship".
DeBerg, who runs a camp during the off-season for elite quarterbacks in Florida, looks forward to sharing with McPherson some of his knowledge and experiences. This past season, DeBerg worked with current NFL starters Byron Leftwich and Rex Grossman at his camp.
"I was very fortunate to make Adrian's acquaintance down in Florida, and through several conversations he and I had, he expressed his interest in playing for the Firebirds", commented Head Coach Steve DeBerg. "He is a tremendous athletic talent who is still raw with regards to mechanics and fundamentals. My hope is that I can get Adrian to reach a high level of ability and help him become the best quarterback possible".
When asked how much playing for DeBerg factored into his decision, McPherson replied, "That was basically the main reason why I decided to come play here. Coach DeBerg played in the NFL for 18 years as a quarterback and I know that there are things that he can teach me both on and off the field to help me improve my game for the future. Right now, I just want to be the best arena football quarterback I can and help this team win".
A Brandenton, Florida native, McPherson was named Gatorade Player of the Year, Mr. Football and Mr. Basketball for the state of Florida during his senior year at Southeast High School. Over his final two seasons at Southeast he threw for 6,161 yards and 75 touchdowns, including 42 scoring tosses during his senior year. A First-Team class 4A all-state selection, McPherson passed for 3,727 yards on 217 of 355 (61%) passing with 42 touchdowns and rushed for 765 yards and eight rushing touchdowns as a senior.
McPherson also played on the Florida State basketball team for one season, following a stellar career at Southeast that saw him average 35 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists a game, including games of 59, 56, 52, 49, and 46 points during his junior year.
Firebirds' season tickets for the 2004 season are on sale now and can be purchased by calling a Firebirds' ticket representative at 317.472.8080. Firebirds merchandise is also available at Home Court Gift Shop. For merchandise information, please call 317.917.2755.
• Discuss this story on the Arena Football League (1987-2008) message board...
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from January 9, 2004
- SaberCats Open Camp Sunday - San Jose SaberCats
- Rattlers Re-Launch AZRattlers.com - Arizona Rattlers
- Firebirds Sign Free Agent QB Adrian McPherson - Albany/Indiana Firebirds
- Cobras Host Annual Fang Fest on January 24 - Carolina Cobras
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
