Quarterback Has Big Shoes To Fill
February 2, 2006 - National Indoor Football League (NIFL)
Tri-Cities Fever News Release
Kennewick, WA - 02/02/06 - Being the next Tri-Cities Fever quarterback will be no easy task. Replacing Arena and Indoor veteran Doug Coleman is a daunting thought. After all, he only led the Fever to the Indoor Bowl V National Championship in their inaugural season. After joining the team in the fourth game of the season, Coleman immediately took the league by storm. In his first game he threw for over 200 yards and seven touchdowns just three days after landing in the Tri-Cities. Coleman finished with 2,115 yards and 50 touchdowns in 10 games. He averaged a league second best of 211.5 yard per game passing and finished with a pass rating of 105.2, 6th in the league. He also completed 61.3 percent of his passes, which tied for 5th in the League.
Coleman left such a mark on the franchise first year that there is even talk of the Fever retiring his number 8. "He was that important to us," said Fever Head Coach Dan Whitsett. "Doug Coleman was not only a good football player, but he was a good human being and a great leader. He was what this team stood for, we had an entire team of good people that loved to go compete together."
With the 2006 season just around the corner, the big question around Fever camp is who will be the guy to replace number 8? "Right now we have two quarterback signed and we are looking to bring in a third," says Whitsett. "I would like to have three in camp and find out who is going to be the one that is going to lead this team." One of those quarterbacks already signed is Lemuel Adams. Adams brings a wealth of confidence and a room full of hardware to the Tri-Cities.
"I want to pick up right where Coleman left off and then elevate it even higher," says Adams. "I have tasted success at a lot of levels and I want to get another taste in Tri-Cities. I hope to bring what Coleman had and maybe even a little more. Anything short of another Championship for this organization would be disappointing. I am excited about such an opportunity with a quality organization like the Fever."
Adams has been very successful at every level of football he has played. As an All-State quarterback at Oak Grove High School in Northern California, Adams led his team to back to back State Title game births, winning the Championship his senior year with a 12-0 record.
He then moved on to Junior College at West Valley in Saratoga, California where he continued his successful ways. After his sophomore season he was named a Junior College All-American and Team MVP. He threw for over 2,800 yards and 27 touchdowns.
He was recruited and offered a scholarship by Washington State University, among other Pac-10 programs. He selected Florida A&M and for the next two seasons he shared starting duties with current NFL signal caller Quinn Gray who is the third-string QB for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Following his college career, Adams was signed by Kenny Stabler's AF2 team in Mobile, Alabama where he was able to get in on the last four games of the season (after signing late). In those four games he averaged 250 yards passing a game and threw 10 touchdowns.
He was most recently in a tryout camp with the Chicago Rush and was recommended to the Fever by Mike Ditka himself after watching him workout. He trained in the off-season in Arizona with current AFL players from the Arizona Rattlers and the Utah Blaze.
• Discuss this story on the National Indoor Football League message board...
National Indoor Football League Stories from February 2, 2006
- Quarterback Has Big Shoes To Fill - Tri-Cities Fever
- ThunderBolts 2006 NIFL Schedule Announced - Lakeland ThunderBolts
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.
