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Trio of Impact Players Mark First Lightning Additions

November 24, 2008 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Stockton Lightning News Release


STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Lightning of the arenafootball2 league STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Lightning of the arenafootball2 league have been assigned WR Troy McBroom, LB Dale Robinson and DL Travis Tofi by the af2 League Office, Lightning head coach Chad Carlson announced today.

The assigned players mark the first roster additions to the Lightning for the 2009 af2 regular season.

"We finished last season strong and we're focusing on building our team around a concept of speed, aggressiveness and physical play," said Carlson. "Travis, Troy and Dale are high-impact players who represent our commitment to take the next step in our goal of playing postseason football in August."

LOCAL PRODUCT TROY McBROOM RETURNS TO RECEIVING CORPS

McBroom, 27, enters his second season of af2 experience after appearing in four games during his rookie campaign with Stockton last year, catching 30 passes which ranked fifth among all team receivers. McBroom added eight touchdown receptions, 296 receiving yards and caught four scoring passes in his pro debut which was also the Lighnting 47-41 overtime upset of the eventual ArenaCup champion Tennessee Valley Vipers.

McBroom split his college football career between McPherson (Kan.) College (NAIA), St. Mary's College (NCAA) and local San Joaquin Delta (Calif.) College. The 6-foot-3, 212-pound receiver was an NAIA All-American as a 2005 senior at McPherson, leading the KCAC Conference in 2005 with 56 pass receptions. McBroom had 659 receiving yards which ranked third in the conference and his six touchdown catches tied for second among KCAC receivers.

As a senior, McBroom's six receiving touchdowns led McPherson, and his 36 points scored tied for third among the Bulldogs. A product of local Manteca (Calif.) High School, McBroom concluded his two-year, McPherson College career with 84 receptions, good for 996 yards and nine touchdowns.

"Troy is, first of all, a top notch character guy," said Carlson "He fits well in our locker room, has a terrific workout regimen, and made vast improvements last year. What I liked most about him is when given a chance to play he took advantage of it with a great attitude and it shows great competitiveness and character."

FORMER PAC-10 DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR JOINS LIGHTNING

Robinson, who spent the 2006 NFL training camp period with the Indianapolis Colts, enters his first season in the af2 after a remarkable four-year college football with Arizona State University (NCAA) and Glendale (Ariz.) Community College. The Queens, N.Y. native was named Pat Tillman Co-Defensive Player of the Year in the Pac-10 Conference as a 2005 senior, when he played in all 11 games for the Sun Devils while leading the program and ranking second in the Pac-10 with 115 tackles.

Robinson's 71 solo tackles as a 2005 senior led the Pac-10. In 2004, Robinson was an All Pac-10 honoree (honorable mention) and started all 12 games for the Sun Devils, recording 93 tackles and finishing second on the team and 10th in the Pac-10 with 7.8 tackles per game. Robinson's 13.0 tackles-for-loss led Ariziona State.

"We haven't seen Dale play at the af2 level but the skill he brought at the Pac-10 level should help make him a high impact player on our defense," said Carlson. "As long as he brings the mindset of achieving his potential the sky is the limit for him."

FORMER USC TROJAN STANDOUT TRAVIS TOFI JOINS DEFENSIVE ATTACK

Tofi enters his third season of af2 experience after serving as a key defensive member of the Boise Burn, where he appeared in 13 games last year for Boise while recording 29.5 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and a Burn single-season record 10.0 sacks. The 6-foot-4 and 265-pound lineman made his mark as the Burn's top defensive player as a 2007 rookie, recording a team high 8 sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss in only seven games played.

Tofi spent all four years (2003-06) of college football career at the national power of University of Southern California (NCAA), appearing in 18 total games while posting 22 tackles and 4.5 tackles for loss. In all four of Tofi's seasons in a Trojan uniform, the program advanced to four Bowl Championship Series champinoship games, won two national championships, and captured the 2006 Rose Bowl title.

"Travis has size, speed and aggressiveness," said Carlson. "He fits our model with putting pressure on quarterback. I'm very excited to have him on board. If Travis plays in the shoes he's been walking in, he could be an all-af2 player."

The Lightning open the 2009 af2 regular season on Sunday, March 29 against the Central Valley Coyotes with a Week 1 road matchup at Selland Arena, starting at 7:00 p.m. Both teams face a Week 4 rematch in the Lightning home opener on Saturday, April 18 at 7:00 p.m. at Stockton Arena.

Group Season tickets for the 2009 Lightning regular season are on sale now. For more information on season tickets, merchandise, or other information, please call the Lightning at (209) 373-1500 or visit www.stocktonlightning.com.

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