Nighthawks Hold Open Player Tryouts Near Dallas
Published on March 24, 2011 under United Football League (UFL 1)
Omaha Nighthawks News Release
OMAHA, NE ¬" Thursday, March 24 ¬" The path to earning a United Football League roster spot starts here for football prospects in and around Dallas, TX. The Omaha Nighthawks are laying down the challenge to athletes who believe they have what it takes to make an impact in professional football.
Led by head coach JOE MOGLIA, the Nighthawks will hold open player tryouts at the Buddy Echols Field in Coppell, near Dallas, TX, on Saturday, March 26. Athletes will be timed in the 40-yard dash and will participate in a series of individual and team drills. The tryouts are for all positions, including kickers and punters and will be held in three stages.
¬ÅTexas has a produced some of the greatest players ever to play the game, so we are excited at the prospect of coming to Dallas, ¬Â said Moglia. ¬ÅRosters of all last season ¬â¢s UFL teams included players who came through the open tryouts, so we anticipate discovering talented athletes who will contribute for the Nighthawks this season. ¬Â
Moglia is a unique story in the football world. He will assume his first professional head coaching position 27 years after he left the Defensive Coordinator role at Dartmouth, having won two Ivy League championships, to pursue a successful career in business. He was Executive Advisor to the head football coach Bo Pelini at the University of Nebraska for the past two years. He is Chairman of the Board of TD Ameritrade having been CEO for seven years.
Omaha Nighthawks Coppell, TX, tryouts
Position Registration Tryout
OL / DL 8am ¬" 9am 9am ¬" 11am
All other positions 11am ¬" Noon 12pm ¬" 2pm
Kickers, punters 1.30pm ¬" 2pm 2pm ¬" 4pm
Players must register at http://www.ufl-football.com/tryouts/nighthawks and can also contact Nighthawks player personnel staff Matt.Boockmeier@UFL-Football.com and Greg.Mohns@UFL-Football.com. The cost to tryout is $60 payable in cash on March 26.
All are welcome and those who truly possess the qualities the Nighthawks staff are looking for in ¬Ëwalk on ¬â¢ players will have a genuine shot at making the Nighthawks roster for the 2011 season, which kicks off in mid-August. In 2010, among the highlights of players who came through the tryout process were Hartford Colonials running back Andre Dixon and the ultimate success story in 2010 UFL Championship Game MVP quarterback Chase Clement of the Las Vegas Locos.
The Nighthawks conducted their first open player tryouts last Saturday at Skinner Barco Stadium at The Boiles School in Jacksonville, Florida as more than 100 players attended and will also hold tryouts closer to home at Bellevue West High School in Bellevue, NE on Saturday, April 9.
The full Coppell workout schedule for March 26 is as follows:
Offensive linemen and defensive linemen: Registration 8-9 a.m., welcome from Coach Moglia at 9:05 a.m., 40-yard dashes 9:15-10 a.m., position drills 10-10:30 a.m., 1-on-1 pass rush 10:30-10:45 a.m., break 10:45 a.m., session complete 11 a.m.
Skilled (all other positions): Registration 11 a.m.-noon, welcome from Coach Moglia 12:05 p.m., 40-yard dashes 12:15-1 p.m., position drills 1-1:30 p.m., 1-on-1s 1:30-1:45 p.m., break 1:45 p.m., session complete 2 p.m.
Specialists (kickers, punters, long snappers and return specialists): Registration 1:30-2 p.m., workout 2-4 p.m.
¬ÅWe were pleased with the number of participants and the overall shape the athletes were in, ¬Â said Nighthawks General Manager RICK MUELLER of the Nighthawks ¬â¢ Jacksonville tryouts. ¬ÅThere was perfect weather and a good turnout in Jacksonville. A number of former college and pro standouts came and impressed. I was really pleased with the amount of speed that showed up. ¬Â
Some of the more recognizable names at Saturday's tryouts were cornerback AHMAD CARROLL, a first-round draft choice of the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League seven years ago; wide receiver J.R. RUSSELL, a former Tampa Bay Buccaneers draft pick and ex-Atlanta Falcons wide receiver AARON KELLY, a record-breaking pass-catcher at Clemson who caught 155 passes in his final two seasons with the Tigers.
United Football League Stories from March 24, 2011
- Nighthawks Hold Open Player Tryouts Near Dallas - Omaha Nighthawks
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