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Frank West: From coach to player for Extreme

April 30, 2008 - United Indoor Football Association (UIF)
Bloomington Extreme News Release


Bloomington Extreme coach Kenton Carr announced Wednesday that defensive coordinator Frank West is exchanging head sets for shoulder pads and has been added to the team's 30-man roster as a defensive back.

"Frank toyed with the idea of returning to the game as a player at the beginning of the season and we discussed it," said Carr, whose team returns to action Saturday with a 7:05 p.m. United Indoor Football game against Eastern Conference rival RiverCity at U.S. Cellular Coliseum.

"He finally decided against it, but I guess the itch to play got too unbearable," added Carr. "Frank was an outstanding player during his earlier playing career. He adds a ton of experience and depth to our team."

West's switch from coach to player had to approved by a vote of league owners. That approval came Wednesday.

The 5-foot-10, 200-pound West has seven years of professional playing experience. He is a graduate of Illinois State where he ranks fourth on the school's all-time career interceptions list with 12.

Following his playing career at ISU, the 35-year-old West played professionally for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League and was a member of the 1999 CFL Grey Cup team.

He also was a member of arena2 Peoria team that won an indoor championship in 2002.

He played for the CFL Grey Cup championship Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1999 and was on the title-winning arena team in Peoria in 2002. He retired as a player in 2003 and became the defensive backs coach for the Peoria Pirates.

West, who will wear No. 25 for the Extreme, served as defensive backs coach for the Extreme for two seasons before being promoted to defensive coordinator this year.

Because West will wear No. 25, wide receiver Derin Graham's jersey number has been switched to No. 6.

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