Former Louisville standout Will Rabatin voted league's top offensive lineman
March 5, 2009 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Spokane Shock News Release
CHICAGO - The arenafootball2 league (af2) announced today that OL WILL RABATIN has been named the league's top offensive lineman of all-time, as selected by a group of af2 head coaches past and present, members of the media and fans throughout the country. In 2006, his only season of af2 play, Rabatin's strong blocking ability at the center position was a key reason behind QB Brett Dietz's stellar rookie season. Together, the pair helped propel the Fire to a 9-7 record and a berth in the playoffs. Overall, Rabatin's pass protection prowess led Louisville's offense which ranked in the top five in completion percentage (1st - 70.6), passer rating (1st - 125.2), scoring (3rd - 57.8 ppg), offensive touchdowns (3rd - 124) and touchdown passes (5th - 94).
"Will was an outstanding af2 player and is very deserving of this honor," said af2 President Jerry Kurz. "It's great to see linemen receive recognition like this because they very often get overlooked. His efforts were a big reason behind Louisville's success in 2006."
TOP 10 af2 OFFENSIVE LINEMEN OF ALL-TIME
1. Will Rabatin
2. Ed Ta'amu
3. Rico Ochoa
4. Beau Elliott
5. Robert Boss
6. Greg Krause
7. James Landers
8. Chris Jahnke
9. Stephenol Santos
T10. Barry Giles/Gene Frederic
Will Rabatin at a glance
Rabatin helped protect the pocket for the Louisville Fire during the 2006 season, starting 11-of-12 games. Although his name doesn't appear directly in the af2 record books, those who saw Rabatin play knew what an important role he played in Louisville's success in 2006. Rabatin and the offensive line helped the Fire score 924 points that season, the third-highest total in the af2 and the ninth-highest single-season total in league history. Louisville also boasted the third-highest scoring offense (57.8 ppg) in the af2, recording 124 touchdowns (3rd in af2). With Rabatin as the anchor, the Fire offensive line allowed only 14 sacks (6th fewest in af2). QB Brett Dietz enjoyed an amazing first season as an af2 signal caller thanks to Rabatin and company. Dietz, who earned the league's Rookie of the Year Award in 2006, led the af2 in pass efficiency (126.74) and completion percentage (71.2) and ranked among the league's top passers in total offense (4th - 4,260 yards), touchdown passes (4th - 90) and passing yards (4th - 4,217). After garnering All-af2 Second Team honors in 2006, Rabatin earned an AFL contract with the Columbus Destroyers. He quickly showed he belonged by being named to the AFL All-Rookie Team in 2007 while the Destroyers made an improbable run to the ArenaBowl before falling in the final to San Jose. He did one better in 2008 by being named to the AFL's All-Arena First Team.
Remaining af2 Top 10 Announcements
Monday, March 9
Top 10 defensive linemen release
Tuesday, March 10
Top 10 defensive backs release
Wednesday, March 11
Top 10 wide receivers release
Thursday, March 12
Top 10 quarterbacks release
About af2
With its 10th anniversary season set to kick off on March 20, af2 serves as a vehicle to bring Arena Football to small-to-midsize cities and as a developmental league with an unmatched history of sending players, coaches and officials to major professional football leagues each year. Log on to www.af2.com for more information.
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arenafootball2 Stories from March 5, 2009
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