NFLEL Assigns 109 Current NFL Players To Teams In First Stage Of Allocation Day 2000

MANY of the most talented young players in the NFL are following in the footsteps of Super Bowl MVP Kurt Warner by heading across the Atlantic to take part in the NFL Europe League’s 2000 season. Among the 109 current NFL players assigned to teams today were 12 quarterbacks who will be hoping to achieve the success of St. Louis Rams hero Warner, a veteran of the 1998 NFLEL season with the Amsterdam Admirals. The NFLEL’s quarterback class of 2000 includes a man who started four NFL games in 1999, one who came within a yard of a Super Bowl ring, and one of the biggest names in college football in recent years The Atlanta Falcons’ TONY GRAZIANI will be playing for the Barcelona Dragons after starting four games for the Falcons in the past NFL season. Scottish Claymores fans will be cheering for KEVIN DAFT, who was the third quarterback on the Tennesse Titans roster in their narrow Super Bowl loss to Warner and the Rams in Atlanta last month. Battling for the starting position at the Amsterdam Admirals will be RON POWLUS, a four-year starter at Notre Dame, where he set 16 passing records. Players assigned to teams today in the first stage of this year’s NFL allocation programme included quarterbacks and players who spent most of 1999 on an NFL roster. A second group of players allocated by NFL teams went into the pool for today’s first-ever allocation draft. The annual free agent draft will be held on Tuesday, February 22. NFL Europe League president BILL PETERSON said: “We are very excited about the upcoming season after seeing the quality of players who are being sent by NFL teams. Clubs are increasingly recognisiing the value of using our league to develop players and it is a sign of the growing strength of the NFL allocation programme that we are being sent quarterbacks who have recently been starters. “Fans in Europe will be seeing a lot of hungry young players who are determined to win a championship ring and at the same time advance their NFL careers. It should make for some great games for the fans in the stadiums and those watching on television all around the world.” Left-hander Graziani has started six games during a three-year NFL career as backup to the Falcons’ Chris Chandler. In 1999 he started four games, completing 62 of 118 passes for 759 yards and 2 touchdowns. Daft, who was on the sideline during Tennessee’s 23-16 Super Bowl XXXIV loss to the Rams, is the all-time leader in touchdown passes (68) and passing yards (7,601) at the University of California-Davis. Powlus, who has been allocated by the Philadelphia Eagles, set 16 Fighting Irish passing records, including some previously held by NFL legend Joe Montana. Also back at the Admirals is former Navy starter JIM KUBIAK, allocated by the New York Jets. Last season, as an Indianapolis Colt, Kubiak started the final three games of the season after being re-assigned from Barcelona, throwing 7 touchdown passes and only 2 interceptions for a 96.2 passer rating. Bidding to start for the Rhein Fire will be the San Diego Chargers’ SHERDRICK BONNER, who — like Warner — is a former Arena League player. He is the all-time leading passer of the Arizona Rattlers with 259 touchdown passes and was MVP of the 1994 Arena Bowl. The Admirals will also feature Carolina Panthers quarterback MATT LYTLE, a former University of Pittsburgh player who started 10 games as a senior in 1998, passing for 2,092 yards and 16 touchdowns. The Berlin Thunder will welcome ERIC KRESSER of the Cincinnati Bengals, who led Marshall to the NCAA Division 1-AA title in 1996 and had a passer rating of 118.2 for the Bengals in the 1998 preseason. Joining him will be SCOTT MILANOVICH, who has spent four years as a backup at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after finishing his college career as Maryland’s all-time leading passer with 7,301 yards and 49 touchdowns, breaking the record of Boomer Esiason. Hoping to lead the defending league champion Frankfurt Galaxy back to World Bowl glory in the Waldstadion will be Kansas City Chief TED WHITE, who set Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference career records with 9,713 yards and 92 touchdowns at Howard. He will be competing for the starting job with fellow-Chief BILL LINDQUIST. A third Chiefs quarterback, former Edmonton Eskimos CFL player MARCUS CRANDELL, has been allocated to the Claymores, while Barcelona will welcome CORY SAUTER of the Detroit Lions. Among the other positions, the Dragons have been assigned a trio of Denver Broncos offensive linemen, GLENN ROUNTREE, LEN FRIEDMAN and JASON WATTS. They will hoping to emulate Matt Lepsis, who went from the Dragons in 1998 to a starting position with the two-time Super Bowl champions. “Playing in Barcelona was a huge part of my development as a player,” said Lepsis. “I was able to work on my skills and put them to practice in real game situations. I will be telling those guys what a great opportunity this is for them.” At wide receiver, the Fire will feature JEFF OGDEN, who played in all 16 games for the Dallas Cowboys during the 1999 NFL season, catching 12 passes for 144 yards and returning 12 kickoffs for 252 yards. He will team up in D³sseldorf with Cowboys running back MICHAEL BLACK and tight end RYAN NEUFELD. Of the 109 players assigned to teams, the leading NFL contributors are the Dallas Cowboys with 11 players, followed by the Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos with eight each. Overall, 30 of the 31 NFL teams have allocated players to the NFLEL for the 2000 season, the exception being the Buffalo Bills. NFL-allocated players assigned to NFLEL teams Pos-NFLEL-Player-NFL team-College QB Amsterdam Jim Kubiak NY Jets Navy QB Amsterdam Ron Powlus Detroit Notre Dame QB Barcelona Tony Graziani Atlanta Oregon QB Barcelona Cory Sauter Detroit Minnesota QB Berlin Eric Kresser Cincinnati Marshall QB Berlin Scott Milanovich Tampa Bay Maryland QB Frankfurt Ted White Kansas City Howard QB Frankfurt Bill Lindquist Kansas City Benedictine QB Rhein Sherdrick Bonner San Diego Cal-State North QB Rhein Matt Lytle Carolina Pittsburgh QB Scotland Kevin Daft Tennessee Cal-Davis QB Scotland Marcus Crandell Kansas City East Carolina OL Amsterdam Oliver Ross Philadelphia Iowa State G/T Amsterdam Doug Karczewski Green Bay Virginia C Amsterdam Ben Fricke Dallas Houston T Amsterdam Chad Overhauser Chicago UCLA G Barcelona Glenn Rountree Denver Clemson G Barcelona Len Friedman Denver Duke C Barcelona Jason Watts Denver Kentucky T Barcelona Ed Ellis New England SUNY Buffalo T Barcelona O’Lester Pope Miami Southern Miss OL Berlin Jon Blackman Philadelphia Purdue G Berlin Grant Garrett Kansas City Arkansas OL Berlin Tony Berti Denver Colorado G Frankfurt Robert Hunt New Orleans Virginia C Frankfurt Justin Burroughs New Orleans North Carolina St. G Rhein Ben Adams Miami Texas C Rhein Chris Brymer Dallas Southern California G/T Rhein Craig Heimburger Green Bay Missouri T Rhein Pete Swanson San Diego Stanford C Scotland Mike Newell Green Bay Colorado State T Scotland Jason Tenner San Francisco Villanova OL Scotland Tony Orlandini Pittsburgh Pittsburgh C Scotland Craig Page Tennessee Georgia Tech WR Amsterdam L.C. Stevens New Orleans North Carolina WR Barcelona Sean Morey New England Brown WR Barcelona Ronnie Powell Cleveland NW State, Louisiana WR Barcelona Rodney Williams Oakland Arizona WR Berlin Damon Dunn Cleveland Stanford WR Frankfurt Corey Thomas Miami Duke WR Frankfurt Kendrick Nord Baltimore Grambling WR Rhein Tim Alexander San Diego Oregon State WR Rhein Jeff Ogden Dallas Eastern Washington WR Scotland Deon Mitchell Dallas Northern Illinois WR Scotland Sulecio Sanford Chicago Middle Tennessee St RB Berlin Brian Shay Kansas City Emporia State RB Frankfurt Norman Miller Washington Texas A&M RB Rhein Michael Black Dallas Washington State RB Scotland Aaron Stecker Tampa Bay Western Illinois TE Amsterdam Frank Leatherwood Miami Appalachian TE Barcelona Damian Vaughn Cincinnati Miami (Ohio) TE Berlin Tywan Mitchell Arizona Makato State TE Frankfurt Justin Swift San Francisco Kansas State TE Rhein Lawrence Hart Green Bay Southern TE Rhein Ryan Neufeld Dallas UCLA TE Scotland James Dearth Cleveland Tarleton State DT Amsterdam Geno Bell Cleveland Arkansas DE Amsterdam Frank Ferrara NY Giants Rhode Island DE Amsterdam Cedric Harden San Diego Florida A&M DT Barcelona Otis English St. Louis McNeese State DT Barcelona Garrett Johnson New England Illinois DE Barcelona Barry Mitchell St. Louis Idaho DT Berlin Bill Duff Cleveland Tennessee DT Berlin Greg Wilkins Dallas Langston DT Berlin Kevin Thomas New Orleans Delta State DT Frankfurt Henry Taylor Detroit South Carolina DT Frankfurt Pernell Davis Philadelphia Ala-Birmingham DE Frankfurt Charles Preston Baltimore Hampton DE Frankfurt Kendrick Gholston Dallas Louisville DE Frankfurt Martin Chase Baltimore Oklahoma DT Rhein Ken Anderson Chicago Arkansas DT Rhein Marques Douglas Baltimore Howard DE Rhein Derrick Ham Washington Miami DE Rhein Marlon Chambers Chicago Louisiana Tech DL Rhein Ernie Brown Pittsburgh Syracuse DT Scotland Antonio Dingle Carolina Virginia DE Scotland Rasheed Simmons Carolina Maryland DE Scotland Jermaine Benoit Detroit Central Florida LB Amsterdam Joe Phipps Dallas Texas Christian LB Amsterdam O.J. Childress NY Giants Clemson LB Barcelona Marc Megna New England Richmond LB Barcelona Willie Cohens Denver Florida LB Barcelona Brandon Southward Jacksonville Colorado LB Barcelona Joe Tuipala New Orleans San Diego State LB Berlin Richard Hogans San Diego Memphis LB Frankfurt Myron Smith Washington Louisiana Tech LB Frankfurt Shawn Banks * Chicago Texas Tech LB Rhein Melvin Bradley Arizona Arkansas LB Rhein ` Kendall Ogle Cleveland Maryland LB Scotland Ryan Taylor Cleveland Auburn LB Scotland Brian Smith Atlanta Ala-Birmingham LB Scotland Phil Glover Tennessee Utah CB Amsterdam Steve Johnson Green Bay Tennessee CB Amsterdam Bashir Levingston NY Giants Eastern Washington CB Amsterdam Ray Jackson * Kansas City Colorado State S Amsterdam Antonio Banks Minnesota Virginia Tech CB Barcelona Deaunte Brown Denver Central State Ohio S Barcelona Brad Trout Denver Valdosta State S Barcelona Chris Jones Denver Clemson CB Berlin Chris Cummings Detroit Louisiana State S Berlin Kevin Peoples Jacksonville N.C. Central S Frankfurt Jim Cantelupe Chicago Army S Frankfurt Marcus Washington Cleveland Colorado CB Rhein DeShone Mallard Tampa Bay Southern Miss CB Rhein Derrick Gardner Atlanta California S Rhein Anthony Mitchell Baltimore Tuskegee S Rhein Chris Akins Dallas Arkansas Pine Bluff CB Scotland Duane Hawthorne Dallas Northern Illinois S Scotland Marcus Ray Oakland Michigan * Protected player For further information please contact Mike Preston or David Tossel prestonm@nflp.co.uk or tosselld@globalnet.co.uk Tel: 44-(0)171 225 3070 / Fax: 44(0)171 376 5070 All releases and breaking news will be posted on www.NFLeurope.com