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For Tuskers, The Price Is Right

August 27, 2010 - United Football League (UFL 1)
Florida Tuskers News Release


ORLANDO, FL - FRIDAY, AUGUST 27, 2010- The training camp roster of the Florida Tuskers features highly talented depth at many of positions, including wide receiver. One area that lacks depth, at least from marketing prospective, is home-grown talent.

One exception to that is wide receiver Maurice Price who prepped at Olympia high school just a 20 minute drive from the Florida Citrus Bowl.

While at Olympia, Price was a teammate of Chris Johnson; who is now a Pro Bowler with the Tennessee Titans in the National Football League. Price earned first-team all county when he and Johnson teamed up to take Olympia from a 1-9 team to a 7-4 squad with a playoff berth.

"That was all of our first time meeting each other in a brand new school," Price said. "It was a little rough our first couple of years, but it was cool being able to turn it around and make the playoffs."

Like most kids that grow up in Orlando, Price grew up coming to the bowl games played in the Citrus Bowl where the Tuskers now call home.

When Price takes the field with the team on September 30 to face the Las Vegas Locomotives he will be living out a childhood dream.

"I've always wanted to play in the Citrus Bowl because I have never played here before," he said inside the stadium's locker room. "It's a dream come true and it's awesome that it will come as a professional player it really doesn't get any better than that."

Price played his collegiate football at Charleston Southern where he started all 26 games in which he appeared. He finished up a brilliant career with 202 receptions for 2,429 yards and his 19 touchdown receptions rank him second all-time in Big South Conference history.

When he entered the NFL in 2007 with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent, he became the first player in Charleston Southern history to make an NFL roster. From there, he made the New England Patriots 53-man roster in 2008. He also has off-season experience with the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens before coming home to the Tuskers.

Tuskers head coach Jay Gruden, who has already graduated his son J.J. from Olympia and his son Joey is currently the quarterback of the junior varsity football team at the school, speaks highly of Price.

"Maurice has a skill set is unparalleled, he has got unbelievable skill," Gruden said. "He is a little rough around the edges, but luckily we have a great wide receivers coach [Ike Hilliard] who has been there and done that. We expect huge things from him as he picks up the system and gets better. Obviously we have a lot of depth at that position so we want to see more consistency from him, but no doubt he has the full package."

In the last two weeks the Tuskers have had visits from former NFL quarterbacks Joe Theismann and Doug Flutie. Both of those guys got a chance to address the Tuskers after practice during their visits and according to Price their message really reached the team.

"To have those two great players come out here and talk to us was great," said Price. "Both of them delivered similar messages about how this is a great opportunity for all of us. For them to take time out of their schedule it meant a lot to me, I mean if that's not encouraging to a player then I don't know what is."

Price is confident in his team's ability to bring a championship back to Orlando as he had a bold statement for the rest of the league. "I'm going to claim it right now that the championship is coming home to Orlando with the Florida Tuskers."

FLORIDA TUSKERS THURSDAY CAMP NOTES: The Tuskers went through a brief but intense practice on Friday, that included six live plays on goal line...the Tusker defense stopped the offense on four of five plays from the three...Running back AVEION CASON scored on a three-yard run and MAURICE HICKS scored from one...offensive lineman PHIL BOGLE went down late in practice with an ankle sprain...OH DADDY: Offensive lineman SETH WAND returned to practice on Friday after missing four days when his wife Beth gave birth to his third child...son IAN WAND was born on Monday, mother and child was doing fine...offensive lineman JON BRADLEY left Tuskers camp Thursday night when his wife went into labor... The Tuskers will hold a Fan Day on Saturday, August 28 from 9 a.m. to 12 noon at Thunder Field, adjacent to the Florida Citrus Bowl....The event is free to the public and fans will have an opportunity to watch a live scrimmage (10:45 a.m.) and can participate in a "Meet and Greet" with the players afterwards...Central Florida Blood Centers and the Big Red Bus will be on hand with free tickets to the home opener to any fan who registers to donate at the event.



United Football League Stories from August 27, 2010


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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