Soul ink prize free agent quarterback
Published on October 11, 2004 under Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Philadelphia Soul News Release
PHILADELPHIA â The Philadelphia Soul landed one of the Arena Football League's brightest stars today, signing top-rated free agent quarterback Tony Graziani to a three-year deal. The contract is the largest in the history of the League. With the signing of Graziani, the Soul accomplished its number one goal of the offseason: securing a premier passer for 2005.
Graziani (6-3, 210), who spent each of the last four season with the Los Angeles Avengers, led the AFL with a career-high 99 touchdowns in 2004 and was the League's 2nd-rated passer with a QB rating of 126.9. The 30-year-old is a perennial "Offensive Player of the Year" candidate and his addition brings instant firepower to a Philadelphia offense that ranked 15th in scoring a year ago.
"Tony Graziani was our highest rated free agent available this offseason," Soul Head Coach Michael Trigg said. "Our first priority in upgrading our team for the 2005 season was to address the league's worst turnover ratio at -19 in our inaugural season. Graziani threw 99 touchdowns and only five interceptions with great accuracy and decision-making.
"We feel that signing Graziani shows our commitment to winning here in Philadelphia for our fans and the desire to compete at the highest level of the AFL," Trigg said.
Graziani has thrown 269 touchdown passes and just 30 interceptions over his four-year AFL career. He earned All Arena First Team honors for his 2004 efforts and finished 2nd in Offensive Player of the Year voting in 2003.
The organization expects the team's latest addition will bring instant stability to a position that saw inconsistent play at times last year.
"If you expect to win a championship at any level of football, you must have a stellar quarterback," Soul President Ron Jaworski said. "The foundation is now in place for the Soul to win an ArenaBowl championship."
The Modesto, CA native is noted for his size, strength, scrambling ability and accuracy. He played in 18 games for the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL from 1997-99 and spent part of the 2000 season with the Cleveland Browns. Since joining the AFL, Graziani's name has become a common one in league record books. Currently 15th all-time in passing yards (12,385), he ranks 2nd in QB rating (119.6), 13th in touchdowns (269) and 11th in completion percentage (62.4).
A four-year letterman at the University of Oregon, Graziani was one of the all-time best passers in school history. He completed 362-of-670 for 4,498 yards and 25 touchdowns in his 28-game collegiate career and piloted the Ducks to the Cotton Bowl in his junior season and helped Oregon to a Rose Bowl appearance in his sophomore season.
Season tickets for the Philadelphia Soul's sophomore season are on sale now. For more information on season tickets call 1-888-PHIL-AFL or visit www.philadelphiasoul.com. The Soul led the Arena Football League in attendance averaging over 16,866 fans per home game, including six sellouts.
Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from October 11, 2004
- Soul ink prize free agent quarterback - Philadelphia Soul
- Georgia Force announce player tryouts at Georgia Dome - Georgia Force
- All-Arena WR/LB Lawrence Samuels signs with Tampa Bay - 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.
