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af2 alums hit center stage

May 11, 2007 - arenafootball2 (af2) News Release


CHICAGO - Monday night's Russell Athletic ESPN Arena Football game of the week is being billed as a potential ArenaBowl XXI preview between the League's top two teams, the Chicago Rush (8-1) and Dallas Desperados (9-1). The game, which will be broadcast live at 8:30 p.m. ET on May 14 on ESPN2 and ESPN360.com, will provide a national showcase for a number of notable arenafootball2 (af2) alumni on both sides.

The Rush will take the field with nine players with af2 experience. Chicago WR BOBBY SIPPIO, former standout for the af2's Greensboro Prowlers, is in the midst of a record-breaking season for the Rush. Sippio (94 REC, 1,347 YDs, 40 TDs) can become the first player in AFL history to record seven games scoring five-or-more touchdowns in a season. In last Monday's 59-48 victory over the Colorado Crush, Sippio became the fourth player in AFL history to record six games with five-or-more touchdowns. This is his fourth season in the AFL. Before becoming a household name in the AFL, Sippio was a dominating presence in the af2 in 2003, earning the league's Ironman of the Year Award.

The Desperados feature six players with af2 roots. Dallas WR/DB WILL PETTIS, who began his Arena Football career with the af2's Pensacola Barracudas, is having his best professional season in 2007. Pettis, a three-time All-Ironman selection, leads the Desperados in touchdowns with 28 (24 receiving, 1 rushing, 3 kick returns) and ranks second on the squad in receiving yards (810). He is also team's second-leading tackler with 42 total stops on the season. Pettis was named the League's Ironman of the Month for the month of March. Before his AFL career began in 2003, he played one season in the af2 and was a major player for the Barracudas, providing a glimpse into his AFL future. In 2002 with Pensacola, Pettis showed off on both sides of the ball. He finished the year second on the team with 55 catches for 791 yards and 14 touchdowns. Defensively, he led the club with nine interceptions for 47 yards, 34 pass break ups and eight missed field goal returns for 168 yards and a touchdown. He was third on the squad with 36.5 tackles.

A full list of the 15 af2 alumni playing in Monday's Russell Athletic ESPN Arena Football game between Chicago and Dallas is located below:

Chicago Dallas

Robert Boss - Green Bay 2006 Terrance Dotsy - Quad City 2004

E.J. Burt - Cape Fear 2002 Jermaine Jones - Florida 2001

Matt D'Orazio - Roanoke 2001, Rochester 2002, Mohegan 2003 Bobby Keyes - Birmingham 2006

Rob Mager - Louisville 2005-06 Peter Lazare - Green Bay 2005-06

Nick Myers - Louisville 2004, Manchester 2005 Will Pettis - Pensacola 2002

Joe Peters - Green Bay 2004-05 Josh White - Hawaiian 2002-03

Dennison Robinson - Quad City 2001

James Sadler - Tulsa 2006

Bobby Sippio - Greensboro 2003

The Desperados, No. 2 in this week's Schutt Sports Poll, are undefeated (5-0) at home and 9-1 in their last 10 home contests. Dallas can record their third 10-win season in franchise history and clinch a playoff berth with a win.

Chicago, No. 3, is on an eight-game winning streak and looks to keep its momentum going on the road against the National Conference's number one defense (274 ypg.).

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