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Rocky Perez – A Second Chance

May 14, 2004 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Laredo Law News Release


LAREDO, Texas – When Law QB Rocky Perez finished his career at the University of Texas-El Paso, he had several offers to continue playing football at the professional level; but he turned them down. So, what is he doing in the Gateway City with the expansion Laredo Law of arenafootball2?

"After college I decided to finish school and pursue a coaching career," said Perez. "I spent the last few years working at UTEP, and was around the game in a coaching capacity. When Mike Price came in at UTEP, he brought a new staff. Suddenly I was looking for something to do, and this opportunity with the Law came up."

Perez, who is married and has a four-month old son, got his first professional start this past weekend against the Okalahoma City Yard Dawgz. He fired five touchdown passes. This Saturday night he will start when the Law hosts the defending ArenaCup champion Tulsa Talons.

"I always regretted not playing after college," said Perez. "It has been fun and exciting to be out here with the Law. With coaching I was around the game, but it wasn't the same. I didn't know how much I missed playing."

Playing the game is what Perez does best. The 6'0", 210-pound QB set a UTEP school record with 26 touchdown passes during the Miners' 2000 WAC championship season. He ended his career rated third on the UTEP passing charts in the following: completions (400), attempts (716), yardage (5,108), completion percentage (.559), touchdowns (33) and total offense (5,394 yards).

In fact, Perez passed many of the records set by current Law QB coach Sam Garza who also played at UTEP. Perez is now learning from Garza how to make the transition to the indoor game.

"It has been different because of the size of the field," said Perez. "That's the biggest difference between indoor and outdoor football. The reads are very quick. When you drop back the ball had better be gone on your third step or you'd better be ready to run."

Perez currently ranks 6th in af2 with 17.2 rushing yards per game, as he displays an ability to use his feet as an additional weapon. Ranking among the leaders is nothing new for the San Antonio native. He earned first team All-WAC honors in 2000, when he ranked eighth in the nation in passing efficiency (147.1). Perez attended Oliver Wendell Holmes High School in San Antonio, earning All-City and All-District recognition on the gridiron.

Perez isn't just attracting attention from the media and awards committees. Opposing players around the league have noticed him as well. "Rocky is a guy who has a knack for making plays," said Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz QB Craig Strickland. Strickland was the MVP of last year's ArenaCup championship game. "He and I were at UTEP together, and Rocky has an ability to make things happen when things breakdown."

Just in case thing don't work out on the field, Perez has already developed a solid ‘audible'. He completed his bachelor's degree in kinesiology at UTEP in 2001 and is 12 hours shy of completing his Masters degree. After the arenafootball2 season, he will teach Physical Education and coach football at Ysleta High School in El Paso, Texas.

"I am going to give this my best shot," said Perez. "Who knows what might happen? I am just grateful for the chance to play."

LAW ON THE RADIO

Catch the Law all season long on 94.9 The New Qure FM. The games will also be video streamed over the internet through www.af2tv.com.

LAW WEEKLY

Law Weekly with head coach Scot Maynard airs every Thursday night at 6 p.m. on Laredo News Talk AM 1490 KLNT.

LAW IN THE COMMUNITY

To schedule the Law for a player appearance contact Nicole Thompson at (956-523-6586) or nthompson@laredobucks.com.

ABOUT THE af2

In four short seasons the af2 has nearly doubled in size from 15 teams to 25. arenafootball2 promotes a fan friendly attitude with autograph sessions on the field for the home team after each game. The af2 and the AFL strictly adhere to a Fans Bill of Rights which is unique to any major sport. The Fans Bill of Rights includes: every fan is entitled to a wholesome environment for guests and family members, free of violence, profane gestures and language or rude and invasive behavior that could in any way interfere with a first-class entertainment experience; every fan demands that we maintain absolute respect for the game of Arena Football and maintain the integrity of the finest of fair competition at all times; every Fan deserves our very best effort on a consistent basis, on every play on the field, every action in the stands, every call to our office, and every involvement in our community.

For ticket information contact the Laredo Law at (956) 726-GAME (4263) or visit www.laredolaw.com.

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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.

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