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Two Former af2 Officials to Serve on Super Bowl XLIII Crew

January 30, 2009 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release


CHICAGO - As the arenafootball2 (af2) league's 10th anniversary season gets set to kick off in just seven weeks, a number of interesting stories around the league have come to light in recent days. Headlines being made around the af2 are shown in detail below:

Officials with af2 roots to serve on Super Bowl XLIII crew

Two officials with af2 roots, Roy Ellison and Derrick Bowers, will have the honor of being a part of the seven-man officiating crew for the biggest football game on the planet this Sunday - Super Bowl XLIII. Ellison, who was an umpire in the af2 in 2000, will also serve as the umpire for the Super Bowl. Bowers, who began as an af2 referee in 2002, will serve as the head linesman on Sunday.

Former Blizzard standouts sign with CFL

Joe Sykes and Odell Willis, two defensive standouts for Green Bay in 2008, recently earned contracts with the Canadian Football League. Sykes, last year's af2 Defensive Player of the Year and Lineman of the Year, signed a multi-year deal with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Sykes, who joins the three-time Grey Cup Champion Roughriders, anchored a Blizzard defense that ranked first in total defense (200.1 ypg), defensive pass efficiency (69.7), pass defense (178.7 ypg), sacks by (55) and second in scoring defense (38.1 ppg) and red zone defense (68.6%) in 2008. Individually he also led the af2 in sacks (19.5), tackles for loss (22) and forced fumbles (8). Willis signed a multi-year deal with the 2008 Grey Cup Champion Calgary Stampeders. After starting the year with the Peoria Pirates, Willis joined the Blizzard midway through last season. In just five games (including playoffs) with the Blizzard, Willis recorded 11.0 tackles, 9.0 sacks, five forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. His best performance came in a 33-20 Blizzard home win against the Louisville Fire on July 18. Willis was named the ADT Defensive Player of the Game for his effort which included six tackles, five sacks, two safeties, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

Tennessee Valley Vipers receive 2008 ArenaCup Championship rings

The Tennessee Valley Vipers recently received some well-deserved hardware for an outstanding 2008 season with the arrival of their 2008 ArenaCup Championship rings, designed and manufactured by J. Lewis Small Company (JLS). JLS, which became a proud league supporter last year, is the official manufacturer of af2 watches and ArenaCup championship rings. JLS, which will continue its league partnership in 2009, also sponsored both the weekly and annual league Ironman awards last season. The Vipers' 2008 campaign was capped off with a dramatic 55-54 overtime victory over the host Spokane Shock. The sellout crowd of 10,662 fans (ArenaCup record) in attendance at Spokane Arena (Spokane, Wash.) was treated to the most exciting title game in league history.

wolves general MANAGER NAMED TO UNION LEADER'S "40 UNDER FORTY"

Stephanie Bike, the 32-year-old general manager of the Manchester Wolves, was recently named as part of the eighth class of "40 Under Forty," an honors program that recognizes New Hampshire's emerging leaders, started by the Union Leader newspaper in 2002. Bike runs and administers the only arenafootball2 league franchise in New England and is one of only a handful of women running a pro sports franchise in the country.

teams to hold open tryouts through february

A number of af2 teams are still in search of talent and will be hosting open tryouts throughout the month of February in preparation for the 2009 season which begins in March. The following is a schedule of team tryouts and locations. Further information on each event can be obtained by contacting the teams individually or by clicking on the "Tryout Info" link on af2.com.

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2009

Tulsa Talons - Houston, Texas

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2009

Mahoning Valley Thunder - Niles, Ohio

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2009

Amarillo Dusters - Amarillo, Texas

Manchester Wolves - Milford, N.H.

Tulsa Talons - Dallas, Texas

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 28, 2009

Quad City Steamwheelers - Davenport, Iowa

Tennessee Valley Vipers - Chattanooga, Tenn.

Tulsa Talons - New Orleans, La.



arenafootball2 Stories from January 30, 2009


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