Shock Continue to Add Depth with Four Additions
December 12, 2008 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Spokane Shock News Release
December 12, 2008: Spokane, WA - The Spokane Shock added four players to their 2009 roster: OL Bobby Byrd, OL John Booker, OL Chris McDuffie and LB Misi (Me-say) Tupe today.
After redshirting his freshman year, Byrd (6-7, 308) went on to start 42 games at Washington State University (2003 - 2008). His senior season, he received WSU's Mike Utley Award as the Offensive Lineman of the Year and helped anchor an offensive line that led the conference in passing offense (319.7 yards per game) and ranked second in total offense (435.6 yards per game).
Booker, 6-4 300, started 35 games during his collegiate career at San Jose State. His career as a Spartan caught the attention of the San Francisco 49ers who signed him to a free agent contract this past season.
Booker spent his time at several different positions on the offensive line (left guard, right guard, left tackle and right tackle) as a Spartan. He became the first true freshman in Spartan history to start at Offensive Guard (two months before his 18th birthday) in a nationally televised game against Boise State. In his senior season, Booker earned all-Conference (WAC) honors and was named a team captain.
"Bobby Byrd and John Booker both have a great combination of size and athleticism," Shackelford explained. "During their collegiate careers, they both showed that they can be successful nearly anywhere you put them on the offensive line. With the size of our roster, their versatility is particularly appealing."
McDuffie, 6-5 330, spent his collegiate career at Clemson University where he was an All-American his senior season. In 16 starts for the Tigers, he compiled an 82.59 percent grade for blocking consistency, registering 127 knockdown blocks on 958 snaps. During the 2008 NFL combine, McDuffie, who was the college roommate of former Shock DB Sergio Gilliam, registered one of the top performances in the bench press of all offensive linemen in the draft class.
Tupe, 5-11 255, spent the final two years of his collegiate career at Texas A & M and tallied 151 tackles - including three sacks - with one interception. In addition to being named the Big-12 Conference's Newcomer of the Year (2006) he was also named to the All-Big 12 team both seasons. Prior to Texas A &M, Tupe was named a Junior College All-American and was the Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore at Dixie State College.
"We have had players come through here from both A &M and Clemson and they helped us recruit Tupe and McDuffie. When you get to the point where your players are your best recruiters, it means that you are doing the right things," Shackelford said.
The Shock's roster now stands at 26 players for the 2009 season.
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