Vipers re-sign Iowa State's Richardson
December 7, 2006 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Alabama Vipers News Release
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. - Tennessee Valley Vipers coach Milt Theodosatos liked the way his offensive and defensive line developed late in 2006 and a pair of his top anchors up front will return after being assigned for the 2007 campaign by arenafootball2.
Former Iowa State standout Shaheed Richardson and ex-Georgia Southern All-American Chad Motte - an Arab native - have Theodosatos gleaming as he continues to rebuild the Vipers for '07.
Motte (6-foot-3, 325 pounds) provided consistency late on the offensive line, while Richardson (6-4, 300) provided flexibility on both sides of the ball that was an impressive down the stretch.
"Shaheed is a big man that can move,'' Theodosatos said. "He was able to play tight end and guard on offense and some fullback after we brought him in last season. He can also play defense in different areas and will be very valuable to us.
"Motte has shown me that he can block - there's no question. He's an excellent offensive center and he should be an excellent person for us at that position."
Richardson had 3.5 tackles, a pass breakup and one quarterback hurry in seven games last season. He attended training camp with the Grand Rapids Rampage of the Arena Football League in 2005 after playing two years at Iowa State, where he transferred after being a two-time junior college All-American selection at Chaffey Community College in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.
Motte played in the final five games of '06 for Tennessee Valley and played in 45 games at center during his Georgia Southern career. He was an Associated Press First Team All-American in 2005 after being named to the second team in 2004 and was a First Team SoCon selection in '05. Motte, who prepped at Arab High School, started in all 12 games his senior season and was given positive grades on 200 blocks and had 75 knockdowns.
Vipers Tryout Camp set for Sunday: Tennessee Valley will hold an open tryout Sunday in the Von Braun Center's South Hall. There will be a 1 p.m. registration and a 2 p.m. start with an early registration charge of $35 and a $40 fee the day of the event. For more information contact Theodosatos at 256-551-2387.
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