Swamp Foxes Land Six More Former NFL Players
January 30, 2003 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Charleston Swamp Foxes News Release
NORTH CHARLESTON, SC â With preseason training camp rapidly approaching, the Charleston Swamp Foxes and first-year head coach Rik Richards are busy filling out the roster. The Foxes today received six assignments from the af2 league office, each of which has experience with NFL teams.
Kickers Todd France and Jeff Crowell, former Fox receiver/defensive back James Brayboy, fullback/linebacker Norman Clement, and linemen Mpumi Masimini, and Robert Mackey have been assigned to Charleston for 2003.
France, a 6-3, 185-pound kicker, became the first Swamp Fox player in 2003 to be called up to the NFL and seventh over the past two years. He was in the Minnesota Vikings training camp in 2002. A month after inking the contract with Charleston, France has since inked a two-year deal with the Vikings to play in the Twin Cities. However, the Swamp Foxes do retain his rights if the NFL squad cuts him.
France played collegiate football at the University of Toledo. He is the all-time leading scorer in the Mid-American Conference with 320 points and was a three-time Lou Groza Award nominee, an award given to the nation's best place kicker. He connected on 152-of-154 extra points during his four-year career and nailed a career-long 55-yard field goal versus Western Michigan. His career field goal percentage was .691 (56 of 81).
Rik Richards said, "To get Todd signed with the Swamp Foxes was a big coup. His stats and leg strength in college were unbelievable and he would be a great fit for us. To have already lost him to the NFL obviously hurts, but it also shows the kind of young men that will be playing for us. He is the first to make the jump for the Foxes and will definitely not be the last."
Crowell is a 6-2, 195-pound kicker who has been assigned to the Swamp Foxes roster. He has spent time with the New York Giants and San Francisco Forty-Niners of the NFL, signed to play in the XFL, and most recently tried out for the San Jose SabreCats of the AFL.
Crowell attended Gavilan Junior College, where he earned All-Coast Conference honors his first season and then All-American, All-State, and all-conference accolades his sophomore year. He was a perfect 85-for-85 on PATs and 22-for-25 on field goals (.880 FG percentage), including a career-long 51-yarder. While at Portland State, Crowell was six-for-ten in field goals and 40-for-46 on PATs. Also in college, he booted a 92-yard punt, which gives testament to his leg strength.
"With Todd France receiving a NFL contract, we needed to find a kicker and Crowell fit the bill. He has a tremendous leg and will be a vital part of putting points on the board for us and for pinning opponents deep in their own zone," said Richards.
Brayboy, a 6-1, 192-pound wide receiver/defensive back, played college football at South Carolina State University in Orangeburg, SC. He spent the 2001 season with the Swamp Foxes where he saw action in seven games before being called up to the New Jersey Gladiators of the Arena Football League. He tallied 26 total tackles, including 20 unassisted and one for loss, picked off two passes, and forced and recovered a fumble. In 2000, Brayboy split time with the NFL's San Francisco Forty-Niners and Dallas Cowboys.
"After spending the last year-plus with the AFL Gladiators, James should be a huge asset for us," said Richards. "He ran sub-4.3 in the 40-yard dash for the NFL and with his experience and speed he will be able to find the right angles to get to the ball and make big plays for us. I look forward to getting James an opportunity at a higher level once again."
Clement, a 5-10, 260-pound fullback/linebacker, played collegiate football at Hampton University in Virginia. Primarily used as a blocking back, Clement helped teammate Montrel Cooley lead Division I-AA in scoring in 2000. He started out his career as a linebacker before moving to offense prior to his junior season. In 1999, as a third-string fullback, Clement rushed for 10 touchdowns. During his senior year, he bulled his way for 730 yards on 75 carries (9.7 yards per carry) and seven scores. After his senior season he signed as a free agent with the Washington Redskins in 2001.
"This young man posses exactly what I am looking for in a fullback size wise," said Richards. "He's young, experienced, and he has tasted the NFL and knows what he must do to get back there. I look for big things from him in the upcoming season."
Masimini, a 6-4, 310-pound offensive/defensive lineman, has spent the past three years between the Washington Redskins and AFL's Grand Rapids Rampage camps. Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2000, Masimini spent training camp with the âSkins before being released. He then moved on to Grand Rapids, where he played limited time during the 2001 and 2002 seasons due to a knee injury.
Masimini started at left offensive tackle as a true freshman for East Carolina before transferring to Howard University in 1997. He started three-consecutive seasons at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference institution, earning All-MEAC and All-American honors in 1999 and 2000. He was named as the MEAC's Offensive Lineman of the Year during his senior campaign in 2000.
"Mpumi is another All-American, another tremendous young man both on and off the football field. His experience in the AFL and NFL will help us tremendously up front, and the 2003 push will start up front with the âHammer Heads'," Richards stated.
Mackey is a 6-3, 265-pound offensive/defensive lineman who went to Winston-Salem State University. With the Rams, Mackey tallied 31 total sacks and 50 tackles for loss for 264 yards during his four-year career. He finished with 116.5 total tackles, including 82 unassisted stops and forced four fumbles. Following his graduation, the Fort Mill, SC native signed as a free agent with the expansion Houston Texans.
Richards said, "Mackey will have the ability to play up or down as the need arises. With his speed off the edge, I look for him to wreak havoc on opposing quarterbacks. He is a tremendous pick up for us."
Season tickets for the Swamp Foxes' 2003 season, which kicks off on April 5, are now on sale. For more information, please contact the Swamp Foxes office at (843) 554-4321.
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