L.A. Avengers sign AFL veteran Rick Hamilton
April 11, 2003 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Los Angeles Avengers News Release
LOS ANGELES -- Rick Hamilton, who won a pair of ArenaBowl championships while with the Orlando Predators after a three-year career in the NFL, has signed with the Los Angeles Avengers of the Arena Football League, head coach Ed Hodgkiss announced today.
In another transaction, fullback/linebacker Jermaine Benoit was placed on the injured reserve list with a strained right hamstring.
Hamilton (6-foot-2, 255 pounds) was selected by the Washington Redskins in the third round of the 1993 NFL Draft (71st overall pick) as a linebacker. He played in 16 games for the Redskins in 1993. A year later, Hamilton played in four games for the Kansas City Chiefs. He spent 1995 with the Barcelona Dragons of the World League and then returned to the NFL in 1996 to play in 16 games with the New York Jets.
After his rights were acquired in a 1997 trade with the Arizona Rattlers, Hamilton began his AFL career in 1998. He went on to become Orlando's all-time leading rusher and a mainstay on two ArenaBowl championship teams in 1998 and 2000. Hamilton holds the Predator records for rushing yards in a game (63), season (248) and career (728). He played in five games for Orlando this season before asking for and being granted his release on March 18.
Hamilton was especially effective for Orlando in the playoffs. In 10 postseason games, he scored five touchdowns, recorded two sacks and made seven tackles for loss. As a rookie in 1998, Hamilton was selected as the "MVP" of ArenaBowl XII, rushing for a championship game record 82 yards and three touchdowns.
After graduating from Citrus High School in Inverness, Fla., Hamilton played four seasons (1988-92) at the University of Central Florida in Orlando, Fla., where he left as the school's all-time leading tackler with 472 stops.
The league-leading Avengers (8-2) host the Arizona Rattlers (5-5) on Sunday, April 13, at STAPLES Center. The game kicks off at noon (Pacific) and will be televised on NBC.
Tickets are going fast, but are still available at all Ticketmaster outlets and the STAPLES Center box office. Tickets also may be purchased by calling Ticketmaster at (213) 480-3232 or logging onto its official website at www.ticketmaster.com. For more information, please call 1-888-AVENGERS.
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