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AFL I Arizona Rattlers

Rattlers sign Ricky Ross

November 3, 2005 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Arizona Rattlers News Release


PHOENIX - The Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League have signed wide receiver/linebacker Ricky Ross to a one-year contract, general manager/head coach Gene Nudo announced today. The team also announced the signing of fullback/linebacker Cosmo DeMatteo and offensive/defensive lineman Norman Heuer.

"Ross has proved he is an explosive player on both sides of the ball," Nudo said. "He was one of the free agents we really targeted in the offseason."

Ross (5-foot-11, 187 pounds), who enters his sixth AFL season, will be a wide receiver/linebacker for the Rattlers. The multi-talent has also played offensive specialist and wide receiver/defensive back in his career.

While playing for three different teams (Grand Rapids, Philadelphia and Las Vegas) in his five seasons, he has caught 204 passes for 2,232 yards and 39 touchdowns and returned 108 kicks for 2,358 yards and four touchdowns. Defensively, he has recorded 61 and a half tackles.

In his first AFL season with Grand Rapids, Ross caught 63 passes for 633 yards with 13 touchdowns while winning an ArenaBowl championship. He also returned 30 kicks for 696 yards with two touchdowns. After his three years in Grand Rapids, Ross still ranks among the Rampage's all-time leaders in kick and missed field goal returns.

Last season, he played in six games for the Las Vegas Gladiators, finishing with 24 catches for 26 yards and five touchdowns. Defensively, he recorded six and a half tackles.

Born on September 16, 1976, Ross was a Junior College All-American at Dixie State College (Utah). He later transferred to the University of Missouri where he led the Tigers in kickoff returns with six for 159 yards in 1997.

DeMatteo (6-1, 205), a free-agent pickup from Nashville, will be entering his third AFL season. In 2004, he caught 27 passes for 362 yards and six touchdowns while recording 29 tackles for the New York Dragons.

Heuer (6-5, 288), a native of Peoria, Ariz., will enter his first AFL season. He was a four-year letterman at the University of Michigan as a defensive tackle before signing with the Washington Redskins (2004) and Philadelphia Eagles (2005). The lineman won the NFL Europe's World Bowl XII championship with the Amsterdam Admirals last season.

The Rattler roster now includes 30 players. Teams are allowed to bring 37 players to training camp in January.

The Rattlers will kick off their 15th season in the 20-year-old Arena Football League in January of 2006. Rattler season tickets, which include all eight games played at America West Arena, can be purchased by calling 602-514-8300.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from November 3, 2005


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