(Courtesy Arena Football League) 

#Friday, May 18, 2001# 
----------------------

I.	Week 6 Schedule
II.	Notes from Around the League
III.	AFL Broadcast News
IV.	Community Relations
V.	Quotes of the Day

AROUND THE LEAGUE:

NFL's "Air" McNair in Carolina: The younger brother of the
Carolina QB Fred McNair will be in attendance this Friday, when
the Cobras host the New York Dragons (7:30 p.m. ET). Steve "Air"
McNair, QB of the NFL's Tennessee Titans, will be on hand to
support his older brother as Carolina and New York battle for
supremacy in the AFL's Eastern Division. 

Uncharted Territory: The Grand Rapids Rampage stand at 4-0 for
the first time in franchise history following their nail-biting
41-38 victory over the Carolina Cobras last Friday. The win gave
the Rampage their first-ever four-game winning streak, pushed
them to four games over 0.500 for the first time in team
history, and allowed them to remain one of only two undefeated
teams in the AFL (Tampa Bay, 4-0). 

Rookie, Veteran Earn Weekly AFL Honors: Chicago Rush rookie QB
Billy Dicken (6-2, 215, Purdue) and six-time Ironman of the Year
San Jose WR/LB Barry Wagner (6-3, 215, Alabama A&M) have been
awarded the league's Most Valuable Player and Ironman of the
Week honors, respectively. 

Dicken had an outstanding performance in his first AFL career
start completing 31-of-42 passes for 351 yards, eight TDs and no
INTs in Chicago's 72-64 win over Indiana, a mark for the
second-best QB debut in AFL history. 

A six-time Ironman of the Year award recipient, Wagner had nine
receptions for 127 yards and two TDs. On defense, he added an
INT, seven tackles and three defended passes in San Jose's 62-58
loss to New York. 

Powerful Passing of the Pig: Buffalo QB Jim Kubiak never took a
snap in an arena until this season, but he's quickly become one
of the premier players in the league. Through week five he is
ranked number one in total offense with 1,558 yards, second in
passing yards per game with 312.4, and third in pass rating with
122.3. Add to that his 26 TD passes and you can see why teh
Buffalo Destroyers have a piece of the Eastern Division first
place spot. 

SIGNINGS AND INJURIES 

Kats' Stevens: Nashville activated WR/LB L.C. Stevens (6-4, 218,
North Carolina) from injured reserve today.  The former Tarheel
was signed by the club in the preseason after Cory Fleming
suffered a broken ankle. Stevens caught three passes for 30
yards and a touchdown before suffering a separated shoulder in
the first half of the season- opening win over Orlando on April
13. 

Kicking for a Living: Detroit bolstered their kicking game
today, signing Billy Stoyanovich (5-10, 190, Michigan State),
brother of NFL place-kicker Pete Stoyanovich, becoming the
second player on the Fury's current roster (Chuck
Winters-Michigan) to have played college football in the Fury's
home state. 

Sam the Man Returns: The AFL's 2000 Lineman of the Year, Sam
Hernandez (6-3, 250, Sonoma State) of the San Jose SaberCats,
has been activated from the team's IR. Hernandez currently
reigns as the league's career leader in sacks with 46.5 in his
six- year tenure. 

Take a Bow-den: Tampa Bay FB/LB Andre Bowden (6-2, 249,
Fayetteville State) was activated off of the team's IR list. The
seven-year veteran is the Storm's career- leading rusher and
among the AFL's all-time top defenders. 

COMMUNITY RELATIONS 

Bands of Fury: The Madison Heights Jayteens, a youth
organization that brings community events together for young men
and women, are holding a battle of the bands competition for new
upcoming artists around the Detroit, Mich. area. Fury WR/DB Mike
Scarborough from the Detroit Fury will serve as a celebrity
judge. The event will take place tonight from 5:30pm-11:00pm at
the Madison Heights 40th Jaycees Fair. 

Tragedy in Oregon: At 26, Jennifer Greene, the wife of Los
Angeles Avenger WR/LB Brian Greene, passed away on May 5, at
their home in Portland, Ore. The Greene family - including the
couple's two-month old daughter Jillian - had just arrived home
from the airport after flying in from Los Angeles (the team had
a week off due to a break in the Avenger schedule) when Jennifer
collapsed suddenly. The cause of death will be known in six to
eight weeks. Brian has left the Avengers indefinitely to be with
his family in Oregon. A scholarship fund has been established
for Jillian Greene and contributions may be sent to: Jillian
Greene Scholarship Fund, c/o Rosemont Ridge Middle School, West
Linn, Ore. 97068. 

For the remainder of the season, the Avengers will wear stickers
on their helmets that feature a rose and the initials "J.G." The
Avenger coaching staff will wear blue patches on their shirts
bearing the same initials. 

Preds Give Back: The Orlando Predators will team up with Bank of
America to raise money for the First Annual Sammy Hughes
Gridiron Classic this Friday when they host the New Jersey
Gladiators. 

Last year, Sammy Hughes, a 17-year-old defensive back for Oviedo
High School, suffered a spinal cord injury during his team's
football game, which paralyzed him from the chest down with very
limited use of his arms and hands. Despite rehabilitation, he
will need ongoing care for the rest of his life. With plans on
attending a local junior college, Hughes intends to major in
sports medicine. 

At this week's game, for every game ticket bought on his behalf,
up to eight dollars will be donated to the Sammy Hughes Trust
Fund. At halftime, he will be presented with a check from the
Preds representing the money raised through the ticket sales. 

Kaleo's TDs Go a Long Way: Tampa Bay Storm QB John Kaleo is
donating $20 of his own money for each TD he scores on the
season to "Joshua House," a home for abuse, neglected and
abandoned children. Last week, Kaleo completed six TD passes and
rushed for another bringing his season total to 26 overall. You
do the math - that's $520 in just four games. This week, against
the Detroit Fury's bottom-feeding defense (they give up more
than 54 points per contest), the Storm QB should be able to
contribute more to the fund. 

Looney Tunes in Chicago: The Chicago Rush will host Bugs Bunny,
Daffy Duck and Sylvester the Cat as part of its Six Flags Bugs
Bunny Night this Saturday, May 19 (7 p.m. CT), when they face
off against the undefeated Grand Rapids Rampage. 

On the field, Bugs, Daffy and Sylvester will join the captains
from both teams to take part in the ceremonial coin toss. During
the game, Bugs and his Looney Tunes pals will be available to
take pictures with young Rush fans. 

All fans attending the game will receive a coupon good for $10
off a single general admission ticket to Six Flags Great America
as well as a commemorative Chicago Rush placard. 

AFL BROADCAST NEWS 

AFL Via Satellite: If you're looking for more AFL action this
weekend, below are the satellite coordinates for one game on
Friday's schedule. Friday, May 18 San Jose SaberCats at
Milwaukee, 8 p.m. ET KBWB 20 - San Jose Satellite: SBS 6
Transponder: 5 

QUOTES OF THE DAY "Getting L.C. back gives us a big boost
offensively. We are very excited about what he brings to the
table with his size and overall ability, and hopefully he'll be
able to step right back in and help the team after being out for
a few weeks." -- Nashville head coach Pat Sperduto on the
activation of WR/LB L.C. Stevens from IR. 

"The only motivator we need is that we took an `L' last week.
Losing to Orlando was really a step backward for us because we
thought we were on the right track. We really want to get back
on the winning track." -- Nashville FB/LB Rupert Grant. 

For more information, statistics, transactions and other news,
go to www.arenafootball.com, the official website of the Arena
Football League. 

Email Jennifer Boehm at jennifer@arenafootball.com to sign up
for the free DAILY DOSE. 

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