Force Sign All-Arena DL Ernest Allen, QB Chris Greisen and Six Others
October 5, 2006 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Georgia Force News Release
FLOWERY BRANCH, GA - The Georgia Force have announced that they have agreed to terms with DL Ernest Allen, QB Chris Greisen, DB Hamin Milligan, WR Matthew Thomas, DB Dave Crocker, QB Ryan Vena, QB James MacPherson and FB Doug Harding.
"These signings reflect our commitment to building a championship football team here in Georgia," Director of Football Operations Jim Kubiak said. "We have signed players that possess the leadership, passion, and accountability necessary to accomplish our goals. Earnest Allen, Chris Greisen, Hamin Milligan, and Matt Thomas top the list of players that we believe will guide this franchise into the future."
Allen, 6-4, 300 pounds, is an 11-year AFL veteran that brings a dominant pass rusher to the middle of the Force defensive line. Allen spent the 2006 season with the Philadelphia Soul, where he tallied 17 tackles and 2.5 sacks. For his career, he has recorded 170.5 tackles, 31 sacks, nine passes defensed, four safeties, six blocked kicks, five forced fumbles and six fumble recoveries. Allen has been named second-team All-Arena five times.
Greisen, 6-3, 220 pounds, enters his third year in the AFL after spending the previous two seasons with the Dallas Desperados. Last year in limited action, Greisen completed 73.3% of his passes, connecting on 11 of 15 passes for 142 yards and three touchdowns. In 2004, Greisen played for the Green Bay Blizzard of the af2. In 10 games, he finished second in the league with 2,718 passing yards in addition to 61 touchdowns and 10 interceptions on 183 of 311 passing.
Milligan, 6-2, 195 pounds, brings four years of experience with him and provides leadership to a young Force secondary. Milligan will reunite with his former defensive coordinator and current head coach Doug Plank, having played for Plank from 2003-04. In 2006 with the Desperados, Milligan collared 60 tackles, seven passes defensed, one interception and one fumble recovery. In his four-year career, he has registered 190.5 tackles, 32 passes defensed, nine interceptions, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in 42 games. He has played in six playoff games totaling 25.5 tackles, nine passes defensed and two interceptions.
Thomas, 6-1, 185 pounds, is coming off his rookie campaign with the New York Dragons in which he hauled in two catches for 77 yards and one touchdown and added 10 tackles and a pass defensed. Thomas made an impact on special teams in his first season as well, recording 112 yards and one touchdown on five kickoff returns. Before playing his college ball at South Carolina, Thomas played at Akinson County (GA) High School, where he tallied 28 career interceptions.
Crocker, 5-11, 205 pounds, joins the Force after spending the previous two seasons with the Green Bay Blizzard. Last year, he finished sixth in the league in tackles with 92, in addition to posting one interception and was named second-team All-AF2 for his efforts. His leadership on defense is what propelled the Blizzard to the fourth ranked defense in the league in 2006.
Vena, 6-1, 225 pounds, comes to Georgia from the Albany Conquest of the af2. Vena finished with 4,520 passing yards on 362 of 578 passing for 72 touchdowns through the air, in addition to 237 yards on 79 carries for 25 touchdowns. In 2006, he led the af2 in passing yards (4,520), rushing touchdowns (25) and total offense with 4,757 total yards. From 2004-05, Vena spent time with the Columbus Destroyers of the AFL.
MacPherson, 6-0, 195 pounds, enters his first season in the AFL after playing with the Blizzard in 2006. Last year, MacPherson played in 11 games and completed 163 of 243 attempts for 2,241 yards with 36 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
Harding, 6-2, 255 pounds, joins the Force after spending the 2006 season with the WB Scranton Pioneers of the af2. Last year, Harding recorded one rush for four yards and one touchdown on offense. He added 29.5 tackles, 6.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles, one blocked kick and two safeties on defense.
"Allen is a legendary pass rusher in the AFL," Force head coach Doug Plank stated. "His skills and abilities are well known around the league and he provides additional leadership to our defense. Greisen brings a strong leadership presence and knowledge of the game to the Force. The combination of Greisen and our receiving corps should allow for a prolific season from our offense in 2007. Hamin Milligan is a player that I have known since my days in Arizona. He is a very talented individual that will make plays in the secondary. Matthew Thomas has the speed and athleticism to be a star in this league. Crocker, Vena, MacPherson and Harding have had great careers in the af2 and will be looking to breakout this season in the AFL."
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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from October 5, 2006
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