Sports stats



Rampage Strengthen OL, Sign Five Free Agents

November 15, 2007 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Grand Rapids Rampage News Release


GRAND RAPIDS - The Grand Rapids Rampage bulked up their offensive line, signing three 300-plus-pound linemen to their training camp roster. Among the men hoping to protect Rampage passers this season are highly sought-after rookie free agent Tavo Tupola (Kahuku, Hawaii), AFL veteran Fitu Tu'ua (Oceanside, Calif.) and former NFL lineman Nick Steitz (Los Banos, Calif.).

Tupola, who completed his final season at the University of Utah last year, established himself as one of the Mountain West Conference's strongest left tackles from 2003-06. The 6-4, 305-pound 26-year-old started all four years for the Utes and earned All-MWC Second Team honors as a junior in 2005.

Originally an all-state safety at Kahuku (Hawaii) High School, Tupola converted to the offensive line position for college after gaining 100 pounds during a two-year mission endeavor with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This past summer he participated in training camp with the NFL's Houston Texans.

"This kid possesses exceptional athletic ability for a guy his size," said Darrin Kenney, Rampage offensive and defensive line coach. "He's shown great skill at the offensive line position, and is a player with a lot of upside."

A 6-5, 350-pound Fresno State University product, Tu'ua played in six games with the Nashville Kats during his rookie season last year. His Arena Football experience extends beyond that brief span, however, as he was a member of practice squads with both the Georgia Force (2007) and the San Jose SaberCats (2006). Tu'ua also took part in training camp with the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2002) and New Orleans Saints (2001), and played one season (2002) with the NFL Europa's Frankfurt Galaxy.

Steitz spent time with several NFL teams over the last three seasons, earning a spot on the Washington Redskins' active roster in 2006. He also played one full season (2006) at left guard for the NFL Europa's Rhein Fire, helping the team rack up the second most yards (2,035) in the league. The 6-3, 306-pound four-year (2001-04) letterwinner out of the University of Oregon played at three different positions throughout his collegiate career, and earned All-Pacific Ten Honorable Mention honors as a sophomore and a senior.

Also joining the Rampage's training camp roster will be defensive lineman Anthony Herron (Bolingbrook, Ill.) and fullback Michael Shack (Little Rock, Ark.).

Herron has played three seasons (2004, 2006-07) in the AFL, including the last two years with the Nashville Kats. The 6-3, 280-pound defensive lineman's most productive season came in 2006, when he totaled 16 tackles, four sacks and four pass breakups in 14 games. Last year, the University of Iowa product played in four of the Kats' final five games after spending most of the season on the team's injured reserve list.

A versatile athlete who has played both the fullback and linebacker positions throughout his Arena Football career, Shack spent the past two seasons in arenafootball2 with the Tulsa Talons. The 6-2, 290-pound University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff product helped lead the Talons to an ArenaCup championship last season after posting career numbers with 22 carries for 63 yards and four rushing touchdowns over 14 regular-season games.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from November 15, 2007


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.

Other Recent Grand Rapids Rampage Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central