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Folmar Appointed Director of Football Operations

February 5, 2004 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Bakersfield Blitz News Release


Bakersfield, Calif. – The Bakersfield Blitz of the af2 have introduced Steven G. Folmar as the team's director of football operations. Folmar joins Head Coach Rick Van Horne and line coach Brett Clark as a part of the new team's coaching staff.

Folmar, 30, has three years of arena football experience. The Meadville, PA native served as the team's fullback and linebacker coach in each of the last two Bakersfield Blitz seasons. Prior to that, Folmar coached defensive backs with Iowa Wesleyan College in the National Interscholastic Athletic Association. He also spent one season as the LB/FB coach as well as working in football operations with the Buffalo Destroyers in the AFL in 2000.

Folmar will handle player personnel and all team transactions as well as overseeing the Blitz linebackers and fullbacks. He attended Lock Haven University in Pennsylvania, earning a bachelor's degree in health and physical education, with an emphasis in sports administration. While at Lock Haven, he played middle linebacker for a season. Locally, he is a substitute teacher in the Arvin Union School District.

"I'm thankful for the opportunity to take the next step in my coaching career," said Folmar. "It's great to be able to remain in Bakersfield and continue to work with Coach Van Horne and all the local ties I've been able to establish."

Blitz Select Pair in International Draft

The Bakersfield Blitz participated in the af2 International Draft held today via conference call involving Japanese players. This was the second draft of its kind in the last two seasons, as the af2 expands its boundaries to the Pacific Rim.

The first selection by the Blitz, second overall in the draft, was linebacker/fullback Jun Nobuhara (june NO-boo-HARE-uh). The hulking youngster stands at 6'2" tall and weighs 256 pounds. At just 24 years old, he has already gained notoriety in his homeland and raked in numerous awards as an offensive lineman from the college and pro level. He made his professional debut last season in the "X-League," the "league of superior class" in Japan, and was named the best lineman in the nation. At Ritsumeikan University, Nobuhara was a starter as a freshman on a University Champion team, and won a top award in each season of his college career.

The speedy Daisuke Ueki (DYE-ah-SOO-kay oo-AH-kee) was the second player selected in the draft by Bakersfield. Ueki was a kick returner and defensive back in the X-League in 2003, his first professional season. A starter from his freshman season with Osaka Industry University, he led his league in interceptions as a sophomore and was an all-star DB his junior and senior seasons.

International players do not count against the team's 35-man training camp roster, and each team is allowed to have two.

Extra Points: Get geared up for the 2004 Blitz season. The Bakersfield Blitz Team Store is the official retail outlet, and has marked down all Blitz gear in stock while supplies last. All caps and short-sleeved shirts are just $10, with long sleeve shirts and sweatshirts marked down to just $12. All kids Blitz gear is marked down to $8 and $5. The Blitz Team Store is open Monday through Friday from 11:00am – 5:30pm, and on Saturdays 11:00am – 5:00pm. It is located at 1022 Truxtun Avenue, across the street from Centennial Garden, and the phone number is 324-NETT (6388).



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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.

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