Two Defensive Indoor All-Stars Sign with Raiders
February 27, 2008 - Continental Indoor Football League (CIFL)
Rochester Raiders News Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y. (February 27, 2008)- The Rochester Raiders are pleased to announce the signings of defensive lineman Eddie Bynes as well as linebacker Shawn Hackett, both of which played for the Port Huron Pirates in each of the previous two years. Bynes recorded a league high 22.5 sacks last season on his way to becoming the CIFL Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive year and third MVP award in the past five years. He was also named as the Great Lakes Bowl MVP in 2006 in a victory over the Raiders. Both Hackett and Bynes were also selected as CIFL First Team All-Pro members following their play in the 2007 season and have a tremendous amount of football experience in both the indoor and outdoor game. Shawn Hackett played at the college level for West Virginia where he excelled playing the safety position.
"Eddie and Shawn are both incredible players and we are thrilled and excited to welcome them to our team," commented Raiders co-owner Bob Bartosiewicz, "We already have an extremely deep and talented team, with the addition of these two guys it is going to make it hard for offenses to get in the endzone. We lost some guys from the defensive line this year that were on the team last year, a player with Eddie's experience and ability is going to make us extremely tough. They are both smart, they're both big, they're both fast, they have a lot of things you look for in players."
Hackett and Bynes will join an already strong defense with the likes of Jason Coley, J.J. Gibson, Chris Shaw, Darius Smith, and Kwynn Walton to name a few and will give the Raiders arguably the best and deepest defense in the CIFL or any other indoor league in the country.
The Raiders have a preseason game scheduled for March 3 against the Rock River Raptors in Rockford, IL. The Raptors will be entering their first year in the CIFL previously having been a member of the United Indoor Football League (UIF). The Raiders will kick off their 2008 season March 21 when they visit the Chesapeake Tide and will have their home opener at the Blue Cross Arena the following week March 29 against the Lehigh Valley Outlawz at 2:00pm. Season Tickets are currently on sale at the Blue Cross Arena and through Ticketmaster at a cost of $60 for the entire season, individual tickets will not be available until February and will be $15 for adults and $10 for kids 12 and under. For more information please visit www.rochesterraiders.com.
Continental Indoor Football League Stories from February 27, 2008
- Two Defensive Indoor All-Stars Sign with Raiders - Rochester Raiders
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.
