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Utah Blaze to select from 95 talented players in 2006 expansion draft

September 13, 2005 - Arena Football League (1987-2008) (AFL I)
Utah Blaze News Release


NEW YORK - A former Rookie of the Year, two Linemen of the Year, several All-Arena performers and other talented players are among those the Utah Blaze will choose from when the AFL conducts the 2006 Expansion Draft for its newest team on Monday, September 26.

Players available to be drafted by the expansion team include: former Rookie of the Year ADRIAN MC PHERSON of the Nashville Kats; two former Lineman of the Year - CARLOS FOWLER of the Los Angeles Avengers and SAM HERNANDEZ of the San Jose SaberCats; and two former All-Arena starters - OL/DL FRED RAY of the Los Angeles Avengers and FB/LB KEALA KEANAAINA of the San Jose SaberCats.

"We have been looking forward to this day," said Blaze head coach and general manager DANNY WHITE. "The talent in the AFL has improved dramatically from my first years in the league where now teams are deep enough that they can't protect everyone. On top of that, the free-agent market is loaded with players that have solid arena experience. We just held our first open tryout last month and hosted over 200 quality players. This is going to be fun, starting from scratch and building a competitive team."

Utah may choose a player from any current team who is designated as being "unprotected." Each team protected 16 players whose rights they control. All other players whose rights they control are deemed "unprotected" and, hence, eligible to be selected by the Blaze. Once a player is selected from an existing team, that team will be allowed to pull back one player.

The draft, which is conducted via telephone conference, begins at 1 p.m. (ET) on September 26 and consists of maximum of 20 rounds. A maximum of five minutes per selection is allowed in each round. If the time limit expires, the pick is forfeited. Trades between the expansion team and other clubs may be made at any time prior to and during the draft.



Arena Football League (1987-2008) Stories from September 13, 2005


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