AFL Philadelphia Soul

Soul Candidates for 2015 League Awards

Published on August 1, 2015 under Arena Football League (AFL)
Philadelphia Soul News Release


PHILADELPHIA (August 1, 2015) - Every year, the Arena Football League recognizes standout players and staff that have successfully worked hard throughout the season. These Philadelphia Soul staff members and players have shown an immense amount of dedication and enthusiasm in each job they have taken on. Below are the 2015 league awards to watch out for the Philadelphia Soul.

Commissioner's Award (Organization of the Year) Candidate: Philadelphia Soul

Led by the Ownership of Co-Majority owners, Craig Spencer and Ron Jaworski; and members of the ownership group: Pete Ciarrocchi, Cosmo DeNicola, Marty Judge, and Marques Colston, the Philadelphia Soul have become one of the premier franchises in the AFL since coming into the League in 2004. On the field, the team qualified for the postseason for the fourth straight year by clinching the top seed in the American Conference playoffs. Off the field, the Front Office is led by COO John Adams and General Manager Tom Goodhines. The Soul have gone the extra mile to get involved in communities throughout the Philadelphia and South Jersey regions. The Soul franchise hosted the first annual Boardwalk Bowl in Atlantic City, NJ this past May. Before home games this season, the Soul host "Town Takeovers" where the organization and players hold a public walkthrough practice in Philadelphia, surrounding towns, and South Jersey. They are free and open to the public and include a wide variety of fan interaction. The Soul have helped raise awareness for a variety of causes, including: LGBT, the Jason Foundation and the Wounded Warrior Project.

Front Office Staff of the Year Candidate: Philadelphia Soul

The Philadelphia Soul won this prestigious award in 2013. The Soul Front Office, along with the Football Operations/Support Staff, continues to be a League leader. The Soul staff consists of experienced and dedicated members. Off the field, the Front Office is led by COO John Adams and General Manager Tom Goodhines. Adams and Goodhines have combined for over 23 years of AFL experience. Adams, who was named to Philadelphia's "40 Under 40" this year, has the Corporate Sales, Marketing and Ticket Departments near the top in many categories across the League, while Goodhines oversees the Football Operations department that includes: Equipment Management, Athletic Training, Sport Medicine Program, Scouting/Player Personnel and Video, that has helped the team to a 13-3 record on the field so far this season.

Sports Medicine Program of the Year Candidate: Dr. Rubenstein, Dr. Menegos and Jason Kopec

Philadelphia has suffered some injuries throughout the 2015 season, but through the efforts of Team Doctors David Rubenstein, Demetri Menegos and Head Athletic Trainer Jason Kopec, the team has among the fewest players on Injured Reserve. Dr. Rubenstein has been with the Soul since their inception, while Dr. Menegos joined the team in 2012. Dr. Rubenstein serves as the Soul's Head of Sports Medicine Program and is the team's lead Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Consultant. He serves as the Director of Sports Medicine at Lankenau Hospital and Associate Director of the Sports Medicine Fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University. He also serves as the Team Orthopedic Surgeon for the NBA's Philadelphia's 76ers. Dr. Menegos serves as the team's Head Team Physician in charge of the day-to-day needs of the team and has been with the Soul for the past three seasons. Kopec in in his second season with the team and prior to joining the staff, he spent six seasons as the Head Athletic Trainer for the Camden Riversharks, where he was selected to serve as the Athletic Trainer for the 2009 and 2012 Atlantic League All-Star Games.

Executive of the Year Candidate: Tom Goodhines

Goodhines is in his fifth season as General Manager with Philadelphia. In 2015, Goodhines was key in improving the team's housing (Autumn Ridge Apartments), securing the League's best food deals (Rodizio Grill, Burger 21, Panchero's, Phily's Diner, Milanese and Filomena's) and putting the pieces in place for the franchise's on-field successes (retaining Clint Dolezel as head coach, Phil Bogle and Derek Stingley as assistant coaches, re-signing Dan Raudabaugh, Ryan McDaniel and Bryan Robinson, while signing key free agents Marco Thomas, Beau Bell and Shaun Kauleinamoku.) Goodhines serves on both the AFL Hall of Fame Committee and Labor Relations Board. The Soul are 59-36 (.621 winning percentage) during Goodhines' tenure as the team's General Manager. In his 14th season in the AFL, Goodhines oversees all elements of Football Operations and Player Personnel, while directing all Communications, PR efforts and trade partnerships. He also serves as the team color commentator on television and radio broadcasts.

Head Coach of the Year Candidate: Clint Dolezel

2015 marks Dolezel's third year as Head Coach of the Philadelphia Soul where he is 36-20 (.643). So far this season, Dolezel has produced a successful 13-3 record, an East Division Championship and managed to clinch the top seed in the American Conference. Also serving as the team's offensive coordinator, Dolezel's offense leads the AFL in scoring (59.4 points per game), touchdowns (135) and total offense (308.4 yards per game). Key off-season moves included: re-signing Dan Raudabaugh, Ryan McDaniel and Bryan Robinson, while signing free agents Marco Thomas, Beau Bell and Shaun Kauleinamoku. He has led the Soul to the playoffs in all three seasons with the Soul and one trip to ArenaBowl in 2013. During his first season with the team, the fourth-year AFL head coach led the team to an ArenaBowl appearance, a 14-7 record and an American Conference Championship and was the Soul's Offensive Coordinator for the Soul when they made it to the ArenaBowl after a 17-4 season in 2012.

Assistant Coach of the Year Candidates: Phil Bogle and Derek Stingley

With the help of these two, the Soul won the Eastern Conference and look to make a strong playoff run. During Bogle's time as a coach, the Soul have been to the post season four times and won two Conference Championships. Bogle, the team's Assistant Head Coach, has also had one of the best offensive lines in the AFL having allowed the fewest sacks in the AFL in each of the last three seasons, including second fewest this season. Stingley joined the Soul coaching staff this season as the Defensive Coordinator and the team is currently No. 3 in the League in scoring defense (47.6 points per game) and total defense (256.8 yards per game). Both coaches have player experience in the AFL and NFL.

Equipment Manager of the Year Candidate: Tyler Newhart

This is Tyler's second season with the Soul and first season as Equipment Manager. Newhart was previously with the team for a season (2014) as an equipment/video intern. Previous to the Soul, Tyler graduated in 2009 from Cherokee High School in Marlton, NJ. After high school, he spent time studying Film at the University of North Carolina Wilmington and Rowan University. Tyler graduated from Rowan University with a Bachelor's Degree in Radio/Television/Film in December of 2013.

AFL MVP Candidate, Offensive Player of the Year Candidate and All-Arena: QB Dan Raudabaugh

The Soul's season-long success is due in large part to their quarterback, Dan Raudabaugh. He most recently recorded his 500th career touchdown pass in Week 17. He has led the League all season in passing with 4,596 yards, 108 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, 66.4 completion percentage and a quarterback rating of 122.3. He has contributed to the Soul's winning outcomes since 2012 and has broken many records along the way. He has won Riddell Offensive Player of the Game every home game so far and is catching the eye of NFL Scouts.

Offensive Player of the Year Candidate, Receiver of the Year and All-Arena Candidate: WR Marco Thomas

Soul WR Marco Thomas has been Raudabaugh's No. 1 target all year. Thomas has caught 141 passes for 1,662 yards and 35 touchdowns. In his first year with the Soul, he was the top receiver all season. He is currently No. 3 in the League in receiving yards and a player that defensive coordinators scheme against.

Receiver of the Year and All-Arena Candidate: WR Ryan McDaniel

Ryan McDaniel returned this season with a vengeance after suffering an Achilles tear that cut his 2014 season short and amazingly was ready for the start of the 2015 season. McDaniel's outstanding catches landed him on SportsCenter Top 10 plays twice this season. He has caught 107 passes for 1,199 yards and 27 touchdowns, putting McDaniel second on the team for receivers. Without question, McDaniel is the "Comeback" story of the League in 2015.

Defensive Player of the Year Candidate, All-Arena Candidate: DB James Romain

Romain has put up impressive numbers throughout the 2015 season. He is currently ranked second on the team for total tackles (62.0) and No. 1 for interceptions (9). He is overall No. 3 in the League for interceptions and has been a standout leader during his third year with the team and a defensive back that offensive coordinators have to scheme away from each week.

Offensive Linemen of the Year and Rookies of the Year: OL Adam Smith, Shannon Breen and Neal Tivis

This season, the trio has allowed only eight sacks, the second best in league. Their protection for Raudabaugh has been exceptional, allowing the Soul's total offense to be ranked No. 1 in the league with 4,626 yards. Smith has set a single-season League-record with 8 touchdown receptions this year. Breen was named Second-Team All-Arena in 2014, while Tivis is one of the top lockdown Guards in the AFL.

All-Arena: DB LaRico Stevenson

Veteran DB LaRico Stevenson has led the team all season in total tackles, currently with 77.0. He is ranked No. 6 overall in the League in total tackles. Stevenson has been with the Soul for four seasons and was with the team for their back-to-back ArenaBowl appearances.

All-Arena: DB Kent Richardson

Soul DB Kent Richardson is ranked fourth amongst his teammates defensively. He currently has 53.0 total tackles, one tackle for a loss of four yards, five interceptions for 56 yards, 10 pass breakups and four fumble recoveries on the 2015 season. Richardson was awarded Defensive Back of the Year in 2012.

All-Arena: LB Joe Goosby

LB Joe Goosby has put a solid season together in the 16 games that he played. The hard-nosed hitter recorded 60.0 tackles, two interceptions, four pass break-ups, five forced fumbles and one blocked kick. Goosby received two AFL Awards in Week 9 after his outstanding performance that included three rushing touchdowns filling in at fullback. This was the first time this season a player has won two weekly League awards in the same week.

Kicker of the Year, All-Arena: Tommy Frevert

After Carlos Martinez was injured in the first game of the season, the Soul signed Tommy Frevert as a replacement. He was noticed during an open tryout last season and had previous experience in the CPIFL. This season, Frevert made 111-of-121 PATs and 4-of-8 field goals. With Frevert on the team, the Soul have been able to execute the onsides kick with a high success rate in 2015.

All-Arena: DE Teddy Jennings

DE Teddy Jennings returned to the Soul in Week 13 and has played a crucial role for the defense since. In his late second year start, he has a total of 5.0 sacks. He earned First-Team All-Arena honors in 2014 after tallying 26.0 tackles and tying the single-season franchise record for sacks with 11.0 in 15 games as a rookie with the Philadelphia Soul.

All-Arena: DE Bryan Robinson

DE Bryan Robinson has been a defensive leader all season and earned the AFL Player of the Week in Week 14 for his standout performance. He has recorded 24.5 total tackles, 10.5 tackles for a loss of 53 yards and two fumble recoveries. He also is No. 6 in the League with 8.0 sacks and is the only member of the Soul defense to record a safety for the 2015 season.

The League Awards will be announced following the regular season. The Soul will host the New Orleans VooDoo on Sunday, August 2 at 4 p.m. in the Wells Fargo Center for their last regular home game of the season.

Check out the Philadelphia Soul Statistics



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