T.J. Cottrell of the Minnesota Ripknees Inks Deal with San Diego Chargers

February 27, 2007 - American Basketball Association (ABA)
Minnesota Ripknees News Release


St. Paul, Minn. - Minnesota Ripknees power forward T.J. Cottrell has signed with the San Diego Chargers of the National Football League, Ripknees head coach and general manager Larry McKenzie announced on Tuesday. Cottrell, a 6-4, 255 pound reserve with the Ripknees, has prior NFL experience as a tight end for the Minnesota Vikings.

The multi-sport star athlete from Buffalo, N.Y. will reunite with his father, Ted Cottrell, who was recently hired as the Chargers' defensive coordinator under new head coach Norv Turner. The father/son duo will be in their second stint in the NFL together. T.J. was a member of the Vikings while Ted served as their defensive coordinator under former head coach Mike Tice. Cottrell joins a Charger squad that finished 14-2 in 2006, winning the AFC West and earning the top seed in the playoffs.

Prior to joining the Chargers, T.J. Cottrell will suit up for the defending World Bowl champion Frankfurt Galaxy of NFL Europe.

Cottrell is averaging 3.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game for the Ripknees with season-highs of 11 points on two occasions. Cottrell has one double-double to his credit, scoring 11 points with a season-high 20 rebounds against the WSBL All-Stars of Duluth, Minn.

The Minnesota Ripknees, an expansion franchise in the American Basketball Association, are currently 14-7 and in second place in their division and ranked 8th in the ABA Power Rankings. The Ripknees play their home games at the Gangelhoff Center on the campus of Concordia University-St. Paul. They return to action this Thursday, Mar. 1 when they host the Sauk Valley Rollers at 7:05 p.m.

For more information on the Minnesota Ripknees, visit www.ripknees.com or www.abalive.com.

Note: OurSports Central no longer actively covers the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a professional league due in part to its inability to publish and play a schedule and the transitory nature of many of its teams. For information on professional minor leagues, please see OSC's basketball section.



American Basketball Association Stories from February 27, 2007


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.

OurSports Central