Philadelphia Signs Emergency Kicker Connor Hughes
Published on March 31, 2012 under Arena Football League (AFL)
Philadelphia Soul News Release
PHILADELPHIA (March 31, 2012) - The Soul have signed kicker Connor Hughes (5'10, 175, Virginia) as an emergency kicker. Hughes will play in place of current kicker Phil Marfuggi (6'0, 200, Clemson), who has an injured left hamstring, during the Soul's home opener tomorrow night against the Cleveland Gladiators.
"Phil (Marfuggi) tried to give it a shot this week after a slight injury, but we felt it was best that he not risk further damage," said Soul head coach Doug Plank. "We decided to reach out to Connor Hughes. He's a guy that's been here before; he's won here. He's performed in pressure situations and has helped bring a championship to this city."
Hughes returns to Philadelphia after helping the team win it all at the end of the 2008 season in ArenaBowl XXII. In the title game alone, Hughes connected on six-of-eight extra point attempts and added a 20-yard field goal to end the first half. He also registered one solo tackle in the game.
In the regular season, Hughes made 123-of-136 attempted extra points for a percentage of 90.4. Hughes finished with a field goal percentage of 35.7 as he made five of 14 field goals. Those numbers saw him earn 138 points in 2008. Hughes also finished the season with five solo tackles and three assisted. 2008 was Hughes' lone season in the AFL.
Marfuggi, the man Hughes will be filling in for, has been enjoying a successful 2012 campaign through Week 3. Marfuggi has kicked for an average of 57.0 yards on 21 kickoffs with opponents averaging 40.6 yards on their returns. Marfuggi is tied for No. 2 overall in the AFL in terms of scoring among kickers. He has completed 19-of-21 extra point attempts for an average of 9.5 points a game. Those numbers also rank him No. 4 for PAT kicking percentage with 90.5. Marfuggi has also registered one fumble recovery.
The Philadelphia Soul (2-0) look to stay perfect in Week 4 of the 2012 season when they face their Eastern Division rivals, the Cleveland Gladiators (1-1) on Sunday, April 1 at 6:05 p.m. at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. The game can be heard on 950 ESPN Radio (check your local listings) and a live stream of the game will be available at www.ustream.tv/philadelphiasoul.
Arena Football League Stories from March 31, 2012
- Philadelphia Signs Emergency Kicker Connor Hughes - Philadelphia Soul
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