Tulsa Talons Game Notes

Published on August 4, 2003 under Arena Football League (AFL)
Tulsa Talons News Release


QUICK FACTS:
Tulsa Talons (13-3) Vs. Hawaii Islanders (11-6)
Date: Saturday, August 9, 2003
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. (CDT)
Site: Tulsa Convention Center (7,098)
Officials: Joe Pester (Referee), Major Williams (Umpire), Chad Bowers (Head Linesman), Richard Brown (Line Judge), Scott Gasaway (Back Judge).
Radio: KTBZ-AM1430 "The Buzz" (Mark Wedel, PxP).
Series Record: Tulsa leads, 3-0.
Last Meeting (7/12/03 at Tulsa): Tulsa won, 48-47.
Streaks: Tulsa has won all three meetings with Hawaii.

COACHES: Tulsa: Skip Foster (41-10 overall, third season. 40-8 regular season, 1-2 playoffs, 3-0 vs. Hawaii)

Hawaii: Cal Lee (11-6 overall, first season. 10-6 regular season, 1-0 playoffs, 0-1 vs. Tulsa)

THE STAKES: The winner advances to the National Conference championship game for the first time in franchise history. The season ends for the loser of this game.

THE SERIES: Tulsa leads, 3-0. (See "Series Summary")

Tulsa Talons Coach Skip Foster is 41-10 overall (40-8 in regular season, 1-2 in playoffs) in three seasons as an af2 head coach. Foster has taken the Talons to the ArenaCup playoffs in all three years, including winning the National Conference's Central Division championship the past two years. Foster's regular season winning percentage of 83.3% is the best among active af2 coaches. He's also one of the most successful coaches in af2 history, ranking second in regular season wins (40, trailing 41 by Macon's Kevin Porter), overall wins (41, trailing 42 by Porter) and overall winning percentage (80.4%, trailing 97.4% by Quad City's Frank Haege in 2000-01, based on at least two af2 seasons. Coming to Tulsa from Coffeyville (KS) Community College, Foster is the only af2 coach to go unbeaten at home over three consecutive regular seasons (24-0). Besides having the best regular season winning percentage among active af2 coaches.

Hawaiian Islanders Coach Cal Lee is 11-6 in his first af2 season (10-6 regular season, 1-0 playoffs). Lee is the winningest coach in Hawaii high school history, posting a 241-32-5 record in 21 years at Honolulu's St. Louis High School. The Crusaders won 14 Oahu Prep Bowl titles, had a 55-game winning streak in 1985-90 and he was The Sporting News' 1995 National High School Coach of the Year. Lee was named in June as linebacker coach for the University of Hawaii Rainbows, who will visit Tulsa on October 4th to play the University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane.

TULSA'S ARENACUP PL.AYOFF HISTORY:

2000: First-round loss at Tennessee Valley Vipers, 49-28.

2001: First-round home loss to Carolina Rhinos, 69-35.

2002: First-round home win over Arkansas Twisters, 34-32. Lost at home in National Conference Semifinals to the Birmingham Steeldogs, 53-34.

TALONS-ISLANDERS SERIES HISTORY (TALONS LEAD, 3-0):

7/12/03 in Tulsa: Talons 48, Islanders 47: Mitch Allner caught two TD passes, including a 35-yard bomb from Craig Strickland with 0:36 left in the game. Larry Hollinquest then preserved the win by intercepting a Darrell Arceneaux pass at the four-yard line with 0:25 to play.

5/18/02 in Tulsa: Talons 73, Islanders 48: Keonta Golson caught a career-high four TD passes and Mitch Allner was the game's MVP with 207 all-purpose yards. Larry Hollinquest was the ADT Defensive Player of the Game, scoring on a 45-yard TD interception return.

5/4/02 in Honolulu: Talons 70, Islanders 42: Mitch Allner was the af2 Offensive Player of the Week, catching three TD passes, scoring on kickoff returns of 56 and 57 yards and had 281 all-purpose yards. Tony Dodson's 63-yard FG would later be revised to 56 yards due to Hawaii's 54-yard field.

COUNTING ON CRAIG: Craig Strickland finished the 2003 season as one of the premier passers in af2 history. He is second in career TD passes (212, one behind Arkansas' Ricky Hebert), tied for second in completions (829) and fourth in passing yards (10,509). The former Texas-El Paso QB has won the af2 Offensive Player of the Week award twice this year and a league-record five times in his career. Strickland finished the 2003 af2 season ranked among the top 10 QBs in seven categories. Most notably, he was third in passing TDs (83, a new Talons single season record), fewest interceptions (11) and total offense yards (3,805). He had his best game in nearly a month in the season finale at Bossier City, going 23-of-37 with no interceptions for 226 yards with six TDs and scored on a one-yard run.

SING ALONG WITH MITCH: Mitch Allner finished 2003 as the af2 career scoring leader (642 points). He also stands second in af2 career TD receptions (91) and third in career receptions (285) and receiving yards (3,740). After winning the 2002 af2 Offensive Player of the Year award, Mitch Allner proved his versatility by winning Ironman of the Game honors six times this year. He led the Talons with four interceptions and was their second leading receiver (67 catches, 941 yards, 24 TDs), second leading scorer (26 TDs, 164 points) and averaged 23.1 yards per kickoff return.

FABULOUS FONTAINE: OS Tacoma Fontaine emerged as a strong candidate for 2003 af2 Offensive Player of the Year, ranking among the league's top ten players in seven categories. Most notably, Fontaine led af2 in missed field goal return average (22.6, 1 TD) and was second in kickoff return average (26.9, 2 TDs). He ranked sixth in the league in scoring (202 points) and TD receptions (33). In just 15 games, Fontaine became the Talons' fifth-leading career scorer. Those 202 points was the third-best single-season total in franchise history. Fontaine's 2,456 all-purpose yards was second only to Mitch Allner's team season record of 2,695 set last year. A teammate at Southwest Missouri State with FB/LB Corky Martin, Fontaine also set four Talons individual game records in 2003.

THRILL OF THE HUNT: WR/LB Al Hunt was Tulsa's Ironman of the Game three times in 2003. He finished third on the team in tackles (41 total, 33 unassisted), tied for second in interceptions (3) and tackles for loss (2.5), and was Tulsa's third-leading receiver (65 catches, 634 yards, 16 TDs). He caught two TD passes in the season finale at Bossier City and finished with five receptions for 38 yards along with two tackles.

TONY THE TOE: Tony Dodson is the af2's career leader in kick scoring with 310 points in his three-year Talons career. Dodson has kicked five field goals of 50-plus yards this season, including a 51-yarder just before halftime in the season finale at Bossier City. He's also made three of the longest field goals in af2 history: 56 yards vs. Louisville (2001) and at Hawaii (2002) and a 55-yarder versus Wichita on April 12th. Dodson finished 2003 ranked third in the league in PATs made (83), PATs attempted (103) and seventh in PAT accuracy (80.6%).

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