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Talons Find More Local Talent

January 21, 2005 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Tulsa Talons News Release


TULSA, Okla. - The arenafootball2 (af2) league office officially assigned QB, Josh Blankenship, to the Tulsa Talons on Wednesday, January 19, 2005.

Josh Blankenship (6-3, 215 lbs, Rookie) joins the Talons out of Tulsa, Okla. Before joining the Talons, the 24 year-old Blankenship was a free agent for the NFL Miami Dolphins in 2003. At college level, Blankenship played at I-AA Eastern Washington University and NCAA Division I-A University of Tulsa. As a graduate from EWU in 2002, Blankenship was considered a player who started new streaks and record-breaking stats.

Blankenship was a part of ten school records at EWU and was elected as Eastern's offensive captain. In eleven games, Blankenship completed 59.0 percent of his passes for 3,243 yards, 294.8 passing yards per game, 30 touchdown passes and completed 250 of 418 attempted passes. Blankenship earned many honors, which include being a participant in the 2003 NFL Scouting Combine, Big Sky Conference Newcomer of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year, First Team All-Big Sky Conference, Third Team All-American and All-West Region Team (Don Hansen Football Gazette), I-AA Athletic Directors Association Academic All-Star Team, Big Sky Conference All-Academic, Big Sky Conference Player of the Week (2x), Sports Network Offensive Player of the Week, ESPN/USA Today Offensive Player of the Week, Football Gazette National Offensive Player of the Week and I-AA.org/College Sporting News.National I-AA All-Star.

Before transferring to EWU, Blankenship played in 31 games for the University of Tulsa. As a three-year starter for TU, Blankenship recorded 5,273 yards (170.1 per game), 21 touchdown passes and completed 443 of 844 attempted passes (52.5 percent). Prior to college, Blankenship graduated in 1999 from Union High School in Tulsa, Okla. As a Redskin, Blankenship passed for 4,941 yards, 61 touchdown passes and completed 305 of 529 attempted passes (57.7 percent) with only 14 interceptions. In his senior year, the team scored 658 points, which was the third-highest total in the state history. At Union HS, Blankenship earned All-American honors from Student Sports Magazine and was the Oklahoma Player of the Year, which is selected by the Tulsa World, Daily Oklahoman and USA Today. He also earned All-State honors from the Oklahoma Coaches Association and was selected to the Daily Oklahoman "Blue Chip" list.

Blankenship was born and raised in Tulsa, Okla. His family is well-known for their involvement in the sport of football. His father, Bill Blankenship, is the Head Coach for Union High School. Josh was not the only talented one in the family, his brother, Caleb, played tight end alongside him at the University of Tulsa in 2001. Both brothers played for their father at Union High School.

"Josh is a very talented player who we feel will bring a lot of talent to the Talons on and off the field. Not only does Josh look good on paper, but his performance on the field is outstanding. Local talent is something we are always looking for because it is someone our fans are already familiar with and can relate to. We are now going into our 2005 season with two quarterbacks from the Tulsa area...Josh Blankenship and Ben Bowling from Jenks," stated Offensive Coordinator/Player Personnel, Coach Allner.

The Tulsa Talons kick-off their 2005 season on April 1 at the Amarillo Civic Center versus af2's new arrival, the Amarillo Dusters.

TALONS NOTES: TICKETS...Season tickets are now available! To become a Tulsa Talons season ticket holder contact the office and reserve your seats for as low as $40 for the entire season. TRYOUTS...The Talons will be holding an open tryout on Sunday, February 6, 2005 at the Tulsa Convention Center. For details please go to our website or contact Coach Allner. Thank you for supporting your Tulsa Talons!

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