NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, CFL stats



arenafootball2

Furutani first Japanese player to win weekly award

May 11, 2004 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release


CHICAGO - Bossier-Shreveport offensive specialist BO SMITH, Louisville wide receiver/defensive back TAKUYA FURUTANI and Birmingham wide receiver/defensive back ANTHONY JORDAN have been named the Baby Ruth Real Deal Offensive Player, U.S. Army Ironman and ADT Defensive Player of the Week, respectively, for Week 6 of the 2004 season.

BABY RUTH REAL DEAL OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Smith (6-1, 200), in his second season, tried to lead a furious second half comeback for the Battle Wings in their game against Tulsa but came up six points short in a 65-59 loss. Despite losing the game, Smith's efforts helped the Battle Wings rally for 40 second-half points turning a potential Tulsa blowout into a thrilling nail-biter of a contest. Totaling seven touchdowns on the night, Smith scored six of those in the second half including four in the fourth quarter alone. He registered six catches for 114 yards with five scores and he took back three kickoffs for 138 yards, including two runbacks for touchdowns. Smith's 42-point outburst is a 2004 season high and ties him with four other players for the second most points scored in a game all-time. This is Smith's first weekly accolade and he is the first Battle Wings player to be honored this season.

U.S. ARMY IRONMAN OF THE WEEK

Furutani (5-9, 185, Kansai (Japan)), a rookie, made the most of his af2 debut by helping the Louisville Fire to their fourth win of the season, a 70-63 decision over Memphis. The 10th overall pick in the 2004 International Player Draft, Furutani caught two passes for 18 yards and two touchdowns against the Xplorers. He also rushed three times for 10 yards and returned a kickoff for 32 yards, which set up one of his receiving touchdowns three plays later. Defensively, Furutani registered 2.5 tackles (2UA-1AT), one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one pass defended. His forced fumble led to another Louisville score. This is the first weekly award for Furutani, and he is the first international player to win a weekly honor in af2 history. For the season, Furutani is the third Fire player to win a player of the week accolade. Justin Thomas and Demetrius Forney both won ADT Defensive Player of the Week for Weeks 3 and 4, respectively.

ADT DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Jordan (5-11, 195, Samford), playing in his fifth season, helped first place Birmingham extend their winning streak to four games with a solid defensive performance as the Steeldogs stopped Macon 55-27 Saturday night. Registering three solo stops and one assisted tackle, Jordan became the first player this season to tally three interceptions in a single game, setting a Steeldogs team record. He picked off rookie QB Cecil Lester three times, with two of those picks leading to touchdown drives for the Steeldogs. This is the first ADT Defensive Player of the Week honor for Jordan in his af2 career. He has won Ironman of the Week two times, once during the 2001 season and for Week 10 of last season. Jordan is the second Steeldogs player to win a weekly award this season as teammate Jerry Turner won the ADT honor back in Week 2.

Baby Ruth Real Deal Offensive Player of the Week candidates included: Quad City's Ronnie Gordon, Albany's D Bryant, Manchester's George Williams, Florida's Ken Mastrole, Tennessee Valley's Josh Kellett, Birmingham's Detronn Harris, Oklahoma City's Craig Strickland, Tulsa's Mitch Allner, Hawaii's Darnell Arceneaux, Memphis' Kevin Prentiss, Green Bay's Chris Greisen, Louisville's Matt Sauk and James Scott.

U.S. Army Ironman of the Week candidates included: Quad City's Tim Dodge, Albany's Jamie Ware, Manchester's Reggie Robinson, Florida's Brent Burnside, Birmingham's Larry Huntington, Oklahoma City's Timon Marhsall, Wichita's Brian Livingston, Tulsa's Corky Martin, San Diego's Jesus Reyes, Green Bay's Joe Rivard.

ADT Defensive Player of the Week candidates included: Quad City's Jerry Montgomery, Albany's Travis Coleman, Manchester's Allistair Sebastian, Florida's Quincy Sorrell, Arkansas' Norman Mason, Oklahoma City's Chris Archie, Bossier-Shreveport's Jawal Dill, Hawaii's Desmond Maul, Louisville's Justin Thomas, Central Valley's VonKeith Spencer

• Discuss this story on the arenafootball2 message board...

arenafootball2 Stories from May 11, 2004


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.


Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central