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Louisville Fire Game Notes

June 3, 2003 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Louisville Fire News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Louisville Fire (3-6) vs. Bakersfield Blitz (3-6)
Date: June 7, 2003
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m.
Site: Freedom Hall (16,154)
Officials: Chick DeSensi (Referee); Conrad Carney (Umpire); Stan Weihe (Head Linesman); Gary Wise (Line Judge); Danny Doyle (Back Judge)
Radio: None
TV: Insight ICN-8 with Kent Taylor and Bob Redman, Tape delayed 11 p.m.
National Anthem: Bridget Bryant
Coin Toss: Felton Spencer
Halftime feature: 7-on-7 passing tournament between St. X High School and Male High School.
Series Record: Bakersfield leads series 1-0.
Coaches: Tommy Johnson (2-5; 0-0 playoffs, first season); James Fuller (12-13; 0-1 playoffs, second season)

THE STAKES: This is the second meeting between the two clubs. The Blitz defeated Louisville 28-23 in Bakersfield on April 20, 2002.

THE IFs:

If Louisville defeats Bakersfield, it would ...
· Give Louisville a 1-1 series record with the Blitz
· Give Louisville a 4-6 overall record in 2003
· Give Louisville a 3-2 home record in 2003
· Give Louisville an all-time record of 15-30
· Give Tommy Johnson a 4-5 record as a head coach
· Keep Louisville tied for second in the Midwest division.
· Give Louisville two more wins than the club posted in the 2002 season.
· Give Louisville its first win since May 10 at Birmingham
· Keep Louisville within a game from the final Wildcard spot in the National Conference

HEAD COACHES: Louisville Fire head coach Tommy Johnson was born in Rome, Ga., and raised in Niceville, Fla. He began his football career as a player at DeFuniak Springs (Fla.) High School. He later transferred to Niceville High School. Johnson then attended the University of Alabama, where he played defensive back. His senior class at U of A was known for having the most wins in a four-year time period (45-5-1). In 1992, he played on the Crimson Tide squad that defeated the University of Miami for the National Championship. Johnson then continued his football career with the Jacksonville Jaguars for a year. He also was given the opportunity to compete in NFL Europe. He started his Arena football career with the Albany Firebirds, and moved on to the Carolina Cobras. Johnson presently holds the record for the longest interception return for a touchdown in AFL history. In 2001, Johnson began his coaching career with Fire as defensive coordinator.

Bakersfield Blitz head coach and director of football operations James Fuller is the team's first head coach. Prior to joining the organization in 2002, he spent two seasons as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator of the Oklahoma Wranglers in the Arena Football League. Prior to that, Fuller spent two years as an assistant defensive coach for the Portland Forest Dragons of the AFL. He played for Portland in 1998, recording 14 tackles. The former Portland State University standout was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in 1992, and also had stints with the Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints.

FIRE IN THE COMMUNITY:

Fire up the grill: On June 8 from noon to 4 p.m., The Louisville Fire players, cheerleaders and office staff will help grill food for Crusade for Children volunteers, as well as for the Home of the Innocents, Center for Women and Children, Salvation Army and the Wayside Christian Mission. Grilling volunteers will help prepare beween three and five tons of meats and other proteins on 20 commercial-sized grills over a 12-hour period. The event will take place across from WHAS-TV in the parking lot at the corner of Chestnut and Armory.

Get fed by the Fire: On June 22, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Fire players and cheerleaders will serve as waiters and waitresses at a special event to benefit Special Olympics. "Get Fed by the Fire," will be held at Max & Erma's, 6501 Timber Ridge Dr. in Prospect. The night will feature live and silent auctions for Fire football memorabilia. Admission is $35 per person, which includes dinner. Reservations can be made by calling the Fire office at 368-0009. The event is co-sponsored by Budweiser and WAVE-TV.

Love that chicken from Popeye's: Each Sunday throughout the season, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., Louisville Fire players and cheerleaders will be at Popeye's Chicken, 3317 Bardstown Road, to sign autographs and greet fans.

Giving back: Twice each month, Louisville Fire players and coaches, including head coach Tommy Johnson and OL/DL Jason Leach visit the St. Denis All-Care center on Cane Run Road. The youth center, located in Southwest Jefferson County, offers outreach programs for children living in the area. Leach grew up in the neighborhood directly behind the center, and takes pleasure in returning to give his time back to the community.

FORWARD MOTION: Next Saturday, the Fire will face Quad City at the Mark of the Quad Cities at 8:30 p.m. EST. The Blitz will be back home to face the Tulsa Talons at 10 p.m. EST.

TEAM NOTES/TRENDS:

En Fuego: DS Arkee Thompson moved one interception closer to setting a new league record for career interceptions. Thompson's 24 interceptions is just one short of the mark set by Richmond Speed's Tyrone Laster from 2000 to 2002. Thompson needs just one interception to tie the Fire record for interceptions in a season (Jabir Walker, 7, 2001). Thompson tied a Fire team record for most interceptions in a single game, when he grabbed three against Tennessee Valley in Week 4.

Making a name for themselves: After being shut out last season, Louisville players earned league honors in each of the first two regular season games. In Week 1, DS Arkee Thompson was named the af2 ADT Defensive Player of the Week. In Week 2, Norman Mason was named the af2 Ironman of the Week.

‘O'pen season: After struggling to break the 30-point plateau in each of the first three games, Louisville scored 40 points or more in four of the last six outings.

Finding the QB: OL/DL Max McCoy tied a team record for sacks by an individual in a game, when he sacked Quad City's Tony Zimmerman twice on May 24.



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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.

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