Lions camp opens Monday
Published on February 2, 2007 under World Indoor Football League 2 (WIFL 2)
Columbus Lions News Release
COLUMBUS, GA, February 2 -- Seven months of off-season preparation start paying off February 5 as Columbus Lions Head Coach Jason Gibson opens training camp at 6:30 p.m. at A.J. McClung Memorial Stadium, next to the team's home turf at the Civic Center. Monday's workout, like most, is open to the public.
Of the 35 invited players, twenty played college football in Georgia or Alabama and fourteen have ties to local high schools. During the first week, only quarterbacks, wide receivers and defensive backs will be on hand, as Gibson feels he can accomplish more due to the attention to detail placed on each position.
Two major signees will be missing as training camp starts, having earned Arena Football League opportunities. WR Jarwarski Pollock, all-time leading receiver at the University of North Carolina, is headed to the Austin Wranglers, while DL Omar Billy of Georgia Tech is in camp with the Colorado Crush. "This is a great opportunity for Pollock and Billy, and says a lot about the talent we're bringing in," said Gibson.
Returning players (from the defunct AIFL Chattahoochee Valley Vipers) include DB Roshard Gilyard and DB Brandon Williams, both of Auburn, OL Brandon Hall (Troy University), OL Steve Davis (Alabama A&M), LB Frank Walker (Georgia Military College), OLTroy Bennett (Southeastern C.C.) and K Gene Davis (Georgia Southern).
Among new players who bear watching, according to Gibson, are DB Eddie Ravenell (North Carolina A&T), LB/DE Jauron Dailey (Florida A&M), QB Andrew McKay (Georgia and Liberty University) and RB Eugene Goodman (Liberty).
Expectations for the 2007 Lions have Gibson excited. "We have a lot of players right out of college so they should be in good shape. I think that we have good team speed. I've changed the playbook a little this year to fit our personnel and I can't wait to see how it all fits together," he said.
Gibson has assembled a strong staff of assistant coaches. Norbert Sullivan returns as Defensive Coordinator. David Daniels, formerly a Columbus Wardogs assistant, will coach the linebackers, running backs, and special teams. Fred Williams will handle the offensive and defensive lines.
The Lions will eventually trim the roster to 20 active players and five on the injured/reserve list. The team will open at the Daytona Beach Thunder on Monday evening, February 26. Columbus' home opener will be Saturday, March 10 at 7:00 p.m. at the Civic Center against the Osceola (Kissimmee, FL) Ghostriders.
Visit www.columbuslions.net for complete, up-to-date team roster, news, features and photos. The World Indoor Football League's inaugural season opens with Augusta at Daytona Beach on February 11. The WIFL website is www.wifl.us and offers plenty of training camp news from all league franchises.
World Indoor Football League 2 Stories from February 2, 2007
- Lions camp opens Monday - Columbus Lions
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.
