Strang and Hall Assigned to Riptide
January 12, 2005 - arenafootball2 (af2)
San Diego Riptide News Release
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego Riptide were assigned Vincent Strang (OS) and Brandon Hall (FB/LB) yesterday, reuniting the two with Coach Ponder. Both players started their college football careers with Ponder at Orange Coast College before transferring to the University of California-Berkeley.
Strang, a quick footed wide receiver, caught 47 passes for 860 yards and four touchdowns in his two year stay at Orange Coast College. Prior transferring, he was honored as a 2nd-team all-Mission Conference selection in 2001.
"He's a very fast player," said Ponder. "He's the only person who I've ever been able to clock 4.2 seconds on a 40-yard dash. He will be a perfect fit for the arena game."
As a Cal Bear wide receiver and punt returner, he accounted for over 40 points during his 2003 season, ranked 5th on the team. His longest punt return, a 68-yarder for a touchdown against Illinois, landed him on ESPN Sportcenter's Top 10 Plays of the Week. In his final game, he scampered in to the end zone from 13-yards out in a win over Virginia Tech in the Insight.Com Bowl. He finished his college career with 22 catches for 305 yards and six touchdowns with the Golden Bears. His undeniable talent and speed will make his transformation as a wide receiver in outdoor football into an offensive special in arena football smooth.
A unanimous 1st-team all-Mission Conference 2001 selection tight end, Hall finished his stay at Orange Coast College amassing 27 catches for 305 yards and two scores. The following year, he joined Strang at Cal and played 12 games during the 2002 season and, despite an ankle injury, he caught eight passes for 79 yards. In his final season, he caught 15 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown, averaging 10.1 yards per catch. The peak of Hall's collegiate career was a thrilling triple overtime upset of the University of Southern California in 2003, stumping USC's streak of 11-straight victories at the time.
"He's a gifted athlete and has the ability to play multiple positions. He's also had experience taking on NFL guys like Terrell Suggs. We'll see what he can do on the arena turf."
Strang and Hall fill in spots 12 and 13 on the teams training camp roster. Coach Ponder has always been a "players coach" and since his appointment, he has been assigned seven players who have spent at least some portion of their career under his leadership.
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