Pioneers Assigned Veteran QB Ryan Vena
March 23, 2007 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers News Release
(Wilkes-Barre, PA) The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pioneers welcome af2 veteran QB Ryan Vena to their 2007 roster! Vena joins the Pioneers fresh off of a record-setting 2006 season for the Albany Conquest, in which he broke the af2 record for passing yards in a season with 4,520. Vena also rushed the ball 79 times for 237 yards and accumulated 25 touchdowns during the season.
Aside from being a team motivator, Vena also holds the reputation of being a consistent record setter. Beginning in 2003, he was named First-Team All-af2, setting the af2 single season passing record with 4,460 yards in 16 games. He was the league leader in yards, total offense (4,634) and completions (345), and ranked second in completion percentage (67.3); touchdown passes (85) and attempts (513).
In 2004, his final rushing numbers were all single-season franchise records; his 229 yards on the ground made him the Columbus Destroyers' (AFL) all-time leading rusher. In addition, he finished the season with 3,076 yards passing and 57 touchdowns in 14 games played. Rejoining the Columbus Destroyers in 2005, Vena continued to exert his admirable talent by completing 88 passes for 1,060 yards with 16 TD's in five games.
Vena was a three-time Patriot League Player of the Year, and concluded his collegiate career as the all-time leader in total offense for Colgate and the Patriot League with 9,435 yards. He was the first Patriot League quarterback to pass for over 7,000 and rush for over 2,000 yards. In his college career, he completed 482-of-819 passes for 7,427 yards and 61 touchdowns and also rushed for 2,008 yards and 33 scores. During his junior year at Colgate, Vena was a Walter Payton Award finalist and the Football Gazette named him Second-Team All-American.
"We are extremely excited about having Ryan as our Q.B.," remarked Coach Rich Ingold. "He is a proven winner that brings leadership and a competitiveness that is unmatched in our league."
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