AFL I Arena Football League (1987-2008)

Gruden Returns as Starter Sunday

Published on January 30, 2003 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I) News Release


NEW YORK – Less than 48 hours after helping the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to their first Super Bowl title in San Diego, JAY GRUDEN was back in Orlando on Tuesday morning slinging passes for the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League.

Gruden – the former AFL head coach-turned-quarterback – is expected to start on Sunday when Orlando opens its 2003 season against the Chicago Rush. The game will be televised on NBC at 3 p.m. ET with ELI GOLD and JOHN RIGGINS on the call.

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SHOWIN'EM HOW IT'S DONE: Orlando QB JAY GRUDEN has faced the Chicago Rush three times in his career – twice as a coach and once as a player. Gruden is 0-2 against the Rush as a coach, but is 1-0 as a player.

LET'S GO TWO-OUT-OF-THREE: San Jose will have their hands full with the Arizona Rattlers this Sunday as they attempt to become the first team to repeat since the Tampa Bay Storm won ArenaBowls IX and X in 1995-96. This meeting will mark the fifth time that ArenaBowl participants squared off to kickoff the following season (Detroit Drive and Chicago Bruisers in 1989; Detroit Drive and Pittsburgh Gladiators in 1990; Arizona Rattlers and Iowa Barnstormers in 1998; Orlando Predators and Nashville Kats in 2001.) The defending ArenaBowl champion is 3-1 in the rematch games (Orlando and Nashville split.)

KEEPS ON TICKIN': Georgia WR/LB DARRYL HAMMOND enters his 12th AFL season when the Force play at the expansion Colorado Crush at the Pepsi Center. Hammond is No. 2 all-time in tackles (529.5), No. 3 in touchdown return interception (6), No. 6 in receptions (589) and No. 12 in touchdown receptions (101). To put things further in perspective, San Jose Rookie and Defensive Player of the Year CLEVAN THOMAS was 12 years old when Hammond started in the League.

DYNAMIC DUO: Los Angeles Avengers receivers GREG HOPKINS (202 points) and CHRIS JACKSON (182 points) established themselves as the most dangerous scoring duo in AFL history in 2002. In last season's regular-season finale, the L.A. pair established a new League record for scoring tandems (384 points), surpassing the mark of 370 set by New Jersey's ALVIN ASHLEY and LARRY RAY WILLIS in 1998.

EDDIE BROWN, Indiana. Needs 32 points to join San Jose's Barry Wagner (2,160) as the only players in AFL history to score 2,000 career points. Brown is the only player to score over 250 points in three-or-more seasons (five total). Brown has led the League in scoring six times in his nine-year career, the most by any AFL player.

BARRY WAGNER, San Jose. Needs 11 interceptions for sole possession of all-time lead. Wagner has 40 career, behind only Durwood Roquemore (50). Needs 49.0 tackles to become the first AFL player to surpass 600. He also needs one rushing touchdown to become the first player to reach 90.

GARY COMPTON, Tampa Bay. Needs 26 receiving yards to become the third player in AFL history to 10,000 receiving yards (Eddie Brown, Barry Wagner). Needs 35 TD receptions to join Brown and Wagner as the only players to reach 200 TD receptions. Compton, who currently has 716 receptions, also needs 84 catches to become the third receiver to reach 800 for a career.

SAM HERNANDEZ, San Jose. Needs 1.0 sack to become the first player in AFL history to reach the 50.0 career.

HUNKIE COOPER, Arizona. Needs one kickoff return to become the all-time leader. Cooper is currently tied with future Hall of Famer George LaFrance (460). Also, Cooper currently stands at 10,759 combined return yards (Kickoff and Missed Field Goal returns) and needs 625 to pass LaFrance (11,383) for the top spot on the all-time list.

STEVE PAPIN, New York. Needs three kickoff returns for touchdowns to pass current all-time leader Lamont Cooper (23) and three combined returns for touchdowns would put him ahead of Cooper on the all-time list. Papin also needs 104 points to reach 1,000.

ANDY KELLY, Detroit. Leads the AFL in career passing attempts (3,430), completions (2,111), yards (23,882) and touchdowns (455), but is followed closely by Arizona's SHERDRICK BONNER (1,826-2,980 for 23,094 yards and 446 TDs), and New York's AARON GARCIA (1,737-2,830 for 22,501 yards and 444 TDs) in all categories.

DAMON MASON, Las Vegas. Needs 66.5 total tackles to become only the third player to reach 500. San Jose's Barry Wagner (551.5) and Georgia's Darryl Hammond (529.5) are the other two.

ALVIN ASHLEY, Tampa Bay. Needs 120 points to reach 1,000. He is currently 10th all-time with 880 points.

BO KELLY, Arizona. Needs five rushing attempts to reach 300. Kelly also needs 144 yards to become the third player to reach 1,000. Les Barley (1,382) and Andre Bowden (1,194) are the other two.

ROBERT STEWART, Arizona. Needs 2.5 sacks to become the third player to reach 40. San Jose's Sam Hernandez (49.0) and Sylvester Bembery (43.0) are the other two.

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Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from January 30, 2003


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