Lions Sign Harlon Hill Candidate
Published on October 9, 2007 under American Indoor Football Association (AIFA)
Columbus Lions News Release
On Monday, the Columbus Lions Indoor Football team announced the signing of NFL prospect and former Harlon Hill candidate, Anthony Merritt. Signing with the Lions will once again allow this Division II All-American to play in front of his hometown of Columbus.
After going undrafted in 2007 NFL Draft, Merritt signed a free agent contract with the New Orleans Saints. After being signed, Merritt sustained an injury and would later be given his outright release from the Saints. Formally a graduate of Shaw High School in 2003, Merritt helped lead the Raiders onto a state football championship in 2002. After being named all-city player of the year and selected for the all-state team in 2003, Merritt moved on to play college football for the University of North Alabama (UNA) Lions where he compiled some impressive Division II numbers. His career at UNA concluded with 19 school records, 7 Gulf Coast Conference Records, and four NCAA Division II records at single-game, single season and career levels. Most notably, in 2005 Merritt finished sixth in the voting for the Harlon Hill Trophy as the NCAA Division II College Football Player of the Year. The Harlon Hill Trophy is the highest individual award in Division II, much like the highly acclaimed Heisman Trophy. This first team All-American helped lead North Alabama to an 11-1 record last season that concluded with a trip to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division II playoffs in 2006.
The Columbus Lions are extremely excited about the playmaking skills that Merritt can bring to the club, none more so than Head Coach Jason Gibson. "Anytime you can bring an NFL-caliber type player such as Merritt to your team, it is a huge upgrade." "Merritt has played at a championship level for what seems like most of his career, we feel that bringing a player of his caliber can make a huge impact on this team and community."
Fans should look forward to the Columbus Lions continuing their success from last season that saw them finish with the leagues best record, which helped them earn an appearance in the World Indoor Bowl.
American Indoor Football Association Stories from October 9, 2007
- Lions Sign Harlon Hill Candidate - Columbus Lions
- Keaton Is The New Man In Huntington - Huntington Heroes
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.
