SaberCats Announce 2014 Team Awards
August 13, 2014 - Arena Football League (AFL)
San Jose SaberCats News Release
SAN JOSE, Calif. - The San Jose SaberCats announced today the winners of the 2014 Team Awards. All awards were presented earlier in the week at the Annual Postseason SaberCats Banquet. Quarterback Nathan Stanley, wide receiver Reggie Gray, defensive lineman Jason Stewart, offensive lineman Rich Ranglin, wide receiver Dominique Curry and defensive back Clevan Thomas all earned team honors for their efforts during the 2014 season, which saw the SaberCats take home the Pacific Division Title, the ninth division championship in team history. Stewart, Thomas, Ranglin and Gray were also named the 2014 team captains, and all played a crucial role in the SaberCats success both on and off the field this season.
Stanley (6-5, 220, Southeastern Louisiana) earned the Co-Offensive Most Valuable Player award for his outstanding play during his rookie Arena Football League Season. Twice thrown into the starting role after veteran quarterback Russ Michna went down with injuries, the rookie quarterback thrived at the head of the SaberCats potent attack. As a starter, he led San Jose to 7-2 regular season record while completing 201-of-335 pass attempts for 2,436 yards with 50 touchdowns to just 13 interceptions. Stanley also contributed to the rushing attack, picking up four scores on the ground in 15 total games played. In addition, Stanley should be a leading candidate for AFL's NET10 Wireless Rookie of the Year.
Gray (5-10, 185, Western Illinois) also earned Co-Offensive MVP honors from the team. While injuries limited him to 14 games in his first season with San Jose, he showed why he was the 2013 Playmaker of the Year every time he hit the turf. Gray led the SaberCats with 1,054 yards receiving on 86 catches, while making a team-high 30 touchdown grabs. He also paced the team with 1,635 all-purpose yards, and his 116.8 all-purpose yards per game was good for seventh most in the AFL.
Stewart (6-0, 315, Fresno State) earned both the Defensive Most Valuable Player and Defensive Lineman of the Year awards for San Jose. As the most dominant nose tackle in the AFL, Stewart racked up 12.5 sacks, tied for second most, and 13.5 tackles for loss, good for third most in the league. Appearing in all 18 regular season games, he also forced two fumbles, recovered three fumbles and broke up four passes. In addition to picking up double digit sacks by himself, he was integral to the defensive front that racked up 39 sacks, second most in the league, creating opportunities for teammates and creating mayhem for opposing quarterbacks. Recently named First-Team All Arena by the AFL, Stewart is also up for consideration for the league's Riddell Defensive Player of the Year, Krossover Defensive Lineman of the Year, and AFL MVP of the Year awards.
Ranglin (6-3, 315, Central Connecticut) was presented with the Offensive Lineman of the Year award from the team. He was a steady fixture along an offensive line group that suffered injury setbacks during the course of the season, and yet, only allowed 20 sacks, the fifth least in the league. Ranglin also added a new dimension to the San Jose vertical attack, picking up 16 catches for 284 yards and three touchdowns. His 17.8 yards per catch led the SaberCats receivers. Ranglin is also up for consideration for the league's Spalding Offensive Lineman of the Year award.
Curry (6-3, 230, California University of Pennsylvania) took home the Ironman of the Year award. Playing in all three facets of the game (offense, defense and special teams), Curry shined in every situation. As a wide receiver, Curry hauled in 25 touchdowns on 50 catches and added 588 yards through the air. Regularly used in the red zone rushing attack, he also picked up five scores on 17 attempts on the ground. Defensively, Curry picked up 29.0 tackles with six pass breakups, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. On special teams, Curry recovered two SaberCats onside kick attempts, and was often the first player down the field on kickoff coverage. Although the AFL removed the Ironman of the Year Award, Curry, along with Stanley, is a top candidate for league's NET10 Wireless Rookie of the Year award and should be in the running for J. Lewis Small Playmaker of the Year.
Thomas (5-10, 195, Florida State) was voted Most Inspiration by his teammates and coaches. Coming off a 2013 season where he was named the Riddell Defensive Player of the Year and AFL Defensive Back of the Year, Thomas did not disappoint on the field. Appearing in all 18 games, Thomas finished second on the team with 70.5 tackles, and paced the SaberCats defense with eight interceptions. He was voted most inspirational for not only is excellence on the field, but for his devotion to his teammates off the field. Teammates described Thomas as "Ëthe guy you can talk about to about anything at any time, and you know he will always have your back.'
• Discuss this story on the Arena Football League message board...
Arena Football League Stories from August 13, 2014
- SaberCats Announce 2014 Team Awards - San Jose SaberCats
- SaberCats Stewart, Maka Earn All-Arena Defensive Honors - San Jose SaberCats
- Reynolds Nominated AFL Small Playmaker of the Year - Iowa Barnstormers
- Beavers and McGlenn Earn 2014 Second Team All-Arena Defense Honors - New Orleans VooDoo
- Thunder Duo Named to All-Arena Defensive Squad - Portland Thunder
- Jennings, Kizer Named to All-Arena Team - Philadelphia Soul
- Lewis Selected Second Team All-Arena Defense - Iowa Barnstormers
- AFL Announces All-Arena Defensive Teams - AFL
- Hills Headed to the Canadian Football League - Tampa Bay Storm
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.
