What's Going On With The Wolves

October 18, 2006 - arenafootball2 (af2)
Manchester Wolves News Release


Wolves Day At The University of New Hampshire

The Manchester Wolves will be having their own day at the University of New Hampshire on Oct. 28th when the Wildcats football team take on Hofstra at Noon.

The Manchester Wolves Lady Wolf Pack will be performing at Halftime, so don't miss out!

Everyone favorite mascot, Blitz, will also be on hand to pose for pictures and sign autographs!

Join us for a day of fun in Durham, N.H.

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HUNGRY LIKE A WOLF; BENNETT EYES CHAMPIONSHIP FOR 2007

Bennett Decides To Stay In Manchester For Third Season

The Manchester Wolves are proud to announce that Ben Bennett, the most successful coach in Wolves franchise history, will return as their head coach for the 2007 season. Bennett made the move official by signing a one-year contract with the team.

"I'm happy to be back in Manchester," Bennett said. "I have the same goal for this year as I did when I signed two seasons ago; I want to bring the ownership and the city of Manchester a championship."

Bennett became one of the most popular figures in Manchester after transforming the Wolves from a 5-11 squad in 2004 into an East Division champion in just one season. In 2005, Bennett guided the Wolves to a franchise-best 12-win season, finishing 12-5 overall. The team's Cinderella season also included a 10-game win streak and a trip to the second round of the af2 playoffs. In 2006, Bennett once again guided his Wolves into the playoffs with a 9-7 record. Manchester won their first-ever home playoff game on August 4 against rival Wilkes-Barre Scranton Pioneers, 55-47, before falling to Bennett's old team the Florida Firecats, 39-40, in the second round.

"This is great news for our fans and for our franchise," said Wolves General Manager Angelo Mazzella. "Ben has not only become a great asset to our team, but also a welcome addition to the community. We're very fortunate to have him back and we're already looking forward to next year."

Bennett, simply put, is a winner. His vast background in the Arena Football business includes five ArenaBowl appearances as a quarterback, one ArenaCup appearance as a head coach, and numerous awards and league records garnered throughout his career. Before coming to Manchester, he spent the 2003 and 2004 seasons building the Florida Firecats into a league powerhouse - where he won the ArenaCup title in 2004.

In four seasons as a head coach in the af2, Bennett has compiled an impressive overall record of 46-26 (including playoffs). His win total is the highest among active coaches and fifth best all-time. Bennett's coaching resume also includes stints with the Florida Bobcats (AFL, 2001), the Greensboro (NC) Prowlers (af2, 2000), and the Milwaukee (WI) Mustangs (AFL, 1998).

Ben Bennett, the player, was a perennial Arena Football League MVP who was inducted into the AFL Hall of Fame in 2000. He found the most success playing Arena Football after brief stints in the NFL, USFL, and WLAF. Bennett was the first and some argue the best quarterback to run the "Fun & Gun" offense designed by Steve Spurrier, who was then the offensive coordinator at Duke University. He racked up seven NCAA, 15 ACC, and 42 school records at Duke. Bennett left the school in 1984 as the NCAA All-Time Leader in three passing categories. His statistics surpassed the totals of NFL quarterbacks and future Hall of Famers Dan Marino, John Elway, and Jim McMahon.

Since Bennett has been a coach in Manchester he has helped to advance the careers of seven of his players to the ranks of either the AFL, CFL, NFL or NFL Europe and the total keeps on climbing. As of October four more players, the first from the Wolves' 2006 team, can be included as Steve "Speedy" Gonzalez and Brian Mance both signed AFL contracts with Jon Bon Jovi's Philadelphia Soul while Steve Bellisari signed with the New Orleans VooDoo of the AFL and Wendall Williams signed with the Nashville Kats of the AFL.

"I'm proud of all our guys and I am going to try and get as many as I can into camps because they deserve the chance," added Bennett. "I expect to see anywhere from four-to-seven players from last year's team advance to a higher level, so far we have four."

The Wolves won back Bennett's services after he was courted for coordinator positions by several AFL teams. Now officially back in the mix for 2007, Bennett will spend the upcoming months scouting, conducting camps, and being the team's top spokesman at numerous community events and charity functions.

Bennett's first action of business will be scouting the New England area for talent by announcing the Wolves' first tryout camp for the 2007 season. The open camp will be conducted at Bedford's Rising Stars Sportscenter in Bedford, N.H. on Saturday November 11 from 9:00am-1:00pm. Interested participants can pre-registration ($50.00) today by calling the Wolves office (603.627.WOLF) or pay the day of the camp ($60.00), however space is limited and pre-registration is encouraged. The tryout is open to all positional players except kickers.

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WOLVES TO HOLD OPEN TRYOUT ON SATURDAY, NOV. 11TH

Arena Football Team Looking For Talent For 2007 Season The Manchester Wolves, New Hampshire's arenafootball2 team, announced that their first open tryout for prospective players for the 2007 season will be held Saturday, Nov. 11. The one-day event will take place at the team's practice facility - Rising Stars Sportcenter (68 Technology Drive) in Bedford, N.H.

Registration will begin promptly at 8 a.m. on the day of the camp. The tryout will run from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

All position players are welcome to attend with the exception of kickers. Space for the camp is limited so it is "HIGHLY RECOMMENDED" that campers pre-register before Friday, Nov. 10. To pre-register for the tryout, please call the Wolves office at 603.627.9653 or by contacting Wolves Head Coach Ben Bennett by email at arenaqb@aol.com. "We're just looking for guys who are good football players, plain and simple," Bennett said. "It doesn't matter if you have college experience, pro experience, or anything in between, if you can play the game, then we'll take notice. You never know what kind of talent might be out there."

So far the Wolves have found three players that have gone from the tryout field at the Rising Stars Complex to Brady Sullivan Field at the Verizon Wireless Arena. The first, Ron Smalls, was signed after the Wolves first open tryout leading up to their 2005 season. Smalls (5'9",175), a defensive specialist from Morehouse, would play in all 17 games in 2005 and 10 games in 2006, collecting a total of 98.5 total tackles, two interceptions, and three forced fumbles - one for touchdown. The second, David Bailey, was signed after the Wolves second open tryout in 2005. Bailey (5'8", 170), a wide receiver/defensive back, joined the Wolves in late June after he graduated from the University of New Hampshire and played in five games in 2005 and 10 games in 2006, catching 75 balls for 816 yards and 10 touchdowns on offense while tallying 26.5 total tackles and one interception on defense. The third, Mike Abate, was signed after the Wolves first open tryout in 2005 leading up to the 2006 season. Abate (6'3", 240), a quarterback from Southern Connecticut State, made it through training camp and the first two 2006 regular season games last season before being released.

A $50 non-refundable fee is required for all pre-registered participants. Athletes who come to the event without prior notice will be charged $60. Participants should be prepared to complete any drills that are done at professional football combines or tryouts including but not limited to Short Shuttle, 40-Yard Dash, Broad Jump, One-on-One Drills and Position Drills. The tryout will be held indoors on a synthetic surface, so individuals should bring appropriate clothing and shoes and a mouthpiece. Directions to the Rising Stars facility can be found on the web at: www.nhrisingstars.com/directions.htm.

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RENEW YOUR SEASON TICKETS; SAVE ON MERCHANDISE!!!

Wolves season ticket holders don't forget to renew your season tickets as the renewal date of Oct. 31st is fastly approaching! Call a Wolves Account Executive (Mike, Dave, or Ajay) today at 603.627.9653 to get back on board for 2007.

Don't forget Wolves season ticket holders, you receive a 10% discount on all online purchases at www.manchesterwolves.com !

Just enter in the promotional code: WOLVES STH

Don't miss another exciting season of Manchester Wolves football in 2007! For information on season tickets or merchandise, fans can contact the Wolves at 603.627.WOLF (9653) or visit them on the web at www.manchesterwolves.com.

GO WOLVES!



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