Sabercats Name 2007 Team Award Winners
August 2, 2007 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release
SAN JOSE, Calif. (Aug. 2, 2007) - Fresh off their ArenaBowl XXI victory over Columbus last Sunday, the San Jose SaberCats celebrated the players that made the championship season at the team's annual awards banquet Tuesday night.
Quarterback Mark Grieb, who was named MVP of ArenaBowl XXI, earned the same honor from the SaberCats in a vote of his teammates.
"The great thing for me this year was the friendships," Grieb said at his acceptance speech. "It's great to share (the award) with a bunch of good people."
The 10-year AFL vet ended the season by completing and ArenaBowl record 82.8 percent of his passes in San Jose's 55-33 win over Columbus for the team's third AFL title in six seasons. The club ended the year winning its final 13 games.
Clevan Thomas was named the Defensive Player of the Year and Most Inspirational while receiver James Roe was named the Offensive Player of the Year. Troy Reddick and Dan Loney were Linemen of the Year, George Williams was named Ironman of the Year, Steve Watson Rookie of the Year and Chuck Reed was named the Players' Player.
A teary-eyed Roe acknowledged his teammates while accepting his award. "I want to thank Rodney (Wright), J.G. (Jason Geathers), Ben (Nelson) and Cleannord (Saintil) for the respect they've shown me. Those guys can do what I do at the drop of a hat."
Roe started in all 19 games during the season setting regular season franchise records for receptions, receiving yards and touchdown catches. Completing his 8th season with the team, Roe is also the team's career leader in every receiving category and has cracked the top 20 in several league career categories.
San Jose's only first-team all-league pick this year, Thomas placed 3rd in the AFL with nine interceptions and 30 passes defended. "This is the most fun I've had playing football," he said.
A mainstay on the team's offensive line for six seasons and the team's starting center for the past three, Loney earned his second consecutive Lineman of the Year award sharing this year's honor with Reddick, who played in nine regular season games and all three playoff contests.
Watson, a first-team all-af2 pick in 2006, didn't miss a beat in his first AFL season setting a team season record with 33 assisted tackles, 59.5 total tackles and two blocked kicks. "I wanted to be a part of a winner," he said. "I knew this team would make the playoffs and have a good shot at a championship."
Veteran lineman George Williams earned the team's Ironman of the Year award after starting on the defensive line in all 19 games and catching six touchdown passes over the course of the year, including a score in the team's ArenaBowl victory.
A premier franchise in the AFL, the SaberCats have captured three ArenaBowl titles, seven Western Division championships, eight consecutive playoff appearances and own the league's best regular season record this decade.
Deposits on 2008 season tickets are now being accepted. Call a SaberCats' ticket sales executive at (408) 573-5577 to reserve your seats today.
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