SaberCats sign three

November 5, 2007 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
San Jose SaberCats News Release


SAN JOSE, Calif. (Nov. 5, 2007) - The 2007 ArenaBowl champion San Jose SaberCats have added three free agents to their roster after coming to contract terms with 8-year NFL veteran and former San Jose State star FB James Hodgins, WR Ryan Hoag and WR Josh Richey, the club announced today.

"Two of these athletes will be transitioning from the outdoor game where they enjoyed excellent professional careers," expressed SaberCats head coach and general manager Darren Arbet. "Richey comes to us from af2 where he was one of the best players in that league last season."

Richey (6-2, 187, Northeastern State), in his second year at the af2 level, played in all 16 games for the Everett Hawks in 2007 leading the team in every receiving category. His 1,968 receiving yards and 44 touchdowns topped the league while his 148 receptions were the second-most.

"We are excited to get this guy under the wings of James Roe," Arbet stated. "He could really be something special in the AFL in the future."

The Northeastern St. (Okla.) product really impressed in a contest versus Quad City where he lit up the field by grabbing 18 balls for 236 yards and 5 scores. Richey totaled more than 100 yards receiving in 10 of his last 11 games with the Hawks and hauled in at least 4 TDs in 9 of the 16 games. His 270 total points scored was enough for 2nd most in the league.

Hodgins (6-1, 275, San Jose State) spent the last eight seasons as a fullback in the NFL with the St. Louis Rams, Arizona Cardinals and New York Jets. He played in two Super Bowls with the Rams where he blocked for Marshall Faulk and was a teammate of former AFL player Kurt Warner.

"James could be one of the best blocking fullbacks in this league because he has been productive against the best in the world," said Arbet. "With his experience, I doubt he will have many problems adjusting to the speed of this game."

Hodgins returns to his birthplace, San Jose, where he played collegiately as a SJSU Spartan and is also a graduate of Oak Grove High School - Mark Grieb's alma mater. He was signed as an undrafted free agent in 1999 and his most prolific NFL season came in 2003 with the Cardinals where he caught a career-high 14 passes for 58 yards and 2 TDs.

Hoag (6-2, 200, Gustavus Adolphus) has played in the NFL for the past three seasons but spent most of his time on practice squads and has never recorded a regular season statistic. During the final season of NFL Europa in 2007, Hoag was a member of the Berlin Thunder where he caught 8 passes for 131 yards.

Hoag was selected by the Oakland Raiders with the last pick (262nd) of the 2003 NFL Draft. Since then, he has bounced around from team to team including the Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants and most recently the Washington Redskins. In three seasons at Division III Gustavus Adolphus, Hoag totaled 144 receptions for 2,232 yards and 29 TDs.

A premier franchise in the AFL, the San Jose 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.

Season tickets for the 2008 season are now on sale. Contact a SaberCats' account executive at (408) 573-5577 to reserve your seats today. More information is also available on the team's official website www.sanjosesabercats.com.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from November 5, 2007


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