MARCH 10, 2009
DC ARMOR ANNOUNCES OFFICIAL TEAM ROSTER;MORE THAN HALF OF PLAYERS HAVE TIES TO D.C. AREA
DC Sports and Entertainment Commission Hosts First DC Armor Media Day at DC Armory
(Washington, DC) – And then there were 30. Today, the DC Sports and Entertainment Commission joined the coaches and ownership of the DC Armor, the District’s new indoor football team, in announcing the official 30-man roster at the Armor’s first Media Day held in the DC Armory.
Of the more than 200 hopefuls who showcased their talent on the football field at two open team tryouts, 40 potentials were invited to join the Armor at training camp, and from those, the first DC Armor team of 30 was selected.
Local football fans may recognize members of the DC Armor as nearly half of the players were born in the DC area including James Gibson from Alexandria, VA; Darnell McDonald from Fairfax, VA; Vincent Thomas from Landover, MD; and Almonzo Banks, Marcus Hill, William Haith, Roland Minor, Deonte’ Holden, Cedric Scott, Ronnie Smith and Damon Tolson from Washington, D.C. Moe Hill, Darell Wooten, Tommy Burns, and Richard Dorceus, also have ties to the area having attended local colleges and universities.
“We conducted a national search for the best players in indoor football and these 30 men were selected solely based on their talent,” said Corey Barnette, Owner of the DC Armor. “We have no doubt that these men and our coaching staff will field a team that D.C. can be proud of.”
The Armor’s impressive roster consists of players from college football as well as all levels of professional football including the NFL, Arena Football Leagues and American Indoor Football Association:
NFL Experience
Randy Hymes – Baltimore Ravens
Darnell McDonald – Jacksonville Jaguars
Bobby Payne – San Francisco 49ers
NFL Training Camp
Dave Howell –Oakland Raiders
Mike Scipione –New England Patriots
American Indoor Football Assoc
Dave Lewis
Tommy Burns
Scott Cedric
Marcus Robinson
Arena Football Leagune
Ahmad Hawkins
William Haith
Kobota Sikyala
Arena Football League 2
Roland Minor
Deonte’ Holden
James Gibson
Only days away from the Armor’s season opener against the Reading Express on Friday, March 13th and less than a month away from the inaugural season home opener on April 4th, Head Coach Danny James, Jr. introduced the 30 members of the official DC Armor team.
“Today’s announcement is the culmination of months of hard work by the Armor staff, coaches and players,” said Erik Moses, CEO of the DC Sports and Entertainment Commission. “We started this journey back in November of 2008 as we stood right here to announce the establishment of the DC Armor. Now, we really get to see who and what this team is made of.”
Fans can reserve their preferred seats for the hottest, most affordable game in town. Single-game tickets start at $20 apiece and value-pack season tickets, which include food packages, premium seating, group discounts, merchandise and apparel, start at $155. All tickets are on sale now and can be purchased through Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com) or by calling 202-432-SEATS.
2009 DC ARMOR ROSTER
No - Name - Pos - Ht - Wt - College
1 - Ahmad Hawkins - WR/DB - 5-10 - 198 - Virginia
2 - William Haith - WR/DB - 6-0 - 200 - Liberty
3 - Moe Hill - QB - 6-0 - 185 - Bowie State
4 - Kobota Sikyala - WR/DB - 6-0 - 200 - Middle Tennessee State
7 - Sean Kelly - FB/LB - 6-2 - 240 - Florida A&M
8 - Almonzo Banks - WR/DB - 6-1 - 215 - West Liberty State
11 - Marcus Hil - WR/DB - 6-2 - 220 - Kent State
12 - Mike Scipione - QB - 6-7 - 245 - Kentucky
19 - Ricky Simmons - WR/DB - 6-1 - 190 - Indiana Univ (Penn)
21 - Roland Minor - WR/DB - 6-1 - 202 - Virginia Tech
24 - Randy Hymes - WR/DB - 6-3 - 220 - Grambling State
25 - Darell Wooten - WR/DB - 6-1 - 190 - Maryland
30 - Darnell McDonald - WR/DB - 6-3 - 215 - Kansas State
32 - Joe Hooks FB/LB - 6-0 - 230 - Shephard College
40 - Vincent Thomas - WR/DB - 6-0 - 205 - Frostburg State
41 - Jarnell Peet - OL/DL - 6-0 - 300 - Virginia State
42 - Richard Dorceus - OL/DL - 6-2 - 245 - Howard
44 - James Gibson OL/DL - 6-2 280 - North Carolina
52 - Deonte’ Holden - OL/DL - 6-6 - 345 - Central State (Ohio)
55 - Mike Woodhouse - FB/LB - 6-4 - 240 - None
64 - Damon Tolson OL/DL - 6-6 - 280 - Tuskeegee Univ
68 - Nick Ellis - K - 5-11 - 200 - Carson Newman State
71 - Tommy Burns - OL/DL - 6-3 - 315 - Howard
72 - Dave Lewis OL/DL - 6-9 - 300 - Morgan State
73 - Jimmy Violand - OL/DL - 6-3 - 260 - Shepherd College
74 - Ronnie Smith - OL/DL - 6-3 - 285 - Delaware State
75 - Scott Cedric - OL/DL - 6-1 - 320 - Morgan State
94 - Bobby Payne - OL/DL - 6-5 - 300 - Middle Tennessee State
95 - Dave Howell - OL/DL - 6-5- 315 - Miami (Fla.)
96 - Marcus Robinson - OL.DL - 6-4 - 285 - East Carolina
About DC Armor
Owned by Arena Sports Partners, LLC, the DC Armor is an indoor football team playing in the American Indoor Football Association. The regular season is 14 games starting in March and ending in June. Divisional and conference playoffs along with the AIFA Bowl, the league’s championship game, are in July. For additional information on the DC Armor, please visit www.dcarmor.com or call (202) 332-6873.
About DC Sports and Entertainment Commission
The DC Sports and Entertainment Commission, an independent agency of the District of Columbia Government, seeks to enrich the local community by attracting and hosting sports, entertainment and special events in Washington, D.C. while promoting the Nation’s Capital as a premier event destination. In addition, the mission of the organization is to support citywide community events and programs involving youth, amateur and professional sports. The DCSEC operates the Stadium-Armory campus which includes RFK Stadium, the DC Armory and the surrounding Festival Grounds and serves as the landlord of Nationals Park. |
