Overlooked? Not Any More
Joe Kauffman
Monday June 23, 2003
You can’t overlook Lawrence Samuels anymore.
After catching a 43-yard bomb from Storm backup quarterback Pat O’Hara for a touchdown to open the fourth quarter of ArenaBowl XVII and then recovering an Arizona fumble on the very next drive, Lawrence Samuels earned his place in the history books by becoming the first player to be named both the Ironman and MVP of an ArenaBowl.
That’s one distinction on which even Barry Wagner can’t lay a claim.
Samuels’ AFL career began when he signed as a free agent with the Lary Kuharich-led Tampa Bay Storm in 1994. He was a seldom-used rookie, but showed great promise. On offense he was a receiver, on defense, he split time between linebacker and defensive back. For years, he learned how to play the linebacker position, serving as a backup to future AFL Hall of Famer Stevie Thomas, the St. Petersburg Police officer turned Ironman who helped define the WR/LB position in the mid-90s.
 Samuels celebrates a touchdown against New Jersey Image courtesy of Joe Kauffman |
Law Dog, as Samuels is affectionately called by teammates, has played almost his entire career with the Tampa Bay Storm. He spent the 2001 season with the New Jersey Red Dogs, before returning to Tampa Bay as a free agent. He won ArenaBowl championships with the Storm in 1995 and 1996, and suffered through the agonizing loss of ArenaBowl XII.
The 2003 season was the best year of his career. His 77 receptions for 1,037 yards and 18 touchdowns were all career highs. On defense, his three sacks and four interceptions were also career highs. He had touchdowns on an interception return, a fumble return and a kickoff return. Samuels was named Ironman of the game four times and game MVP twice.
The best season of his career on one of the best teams in the AFL, and he was barely noticed.
But this AFL championship, his third, makes up for all the years of being overlooked by everyone except the loyal Storm fans. After the ArenaBowl victory, the usually reserved Samuels wanted to make sure everyone knew how he felt about the lack of respect, not just for himself, but also for his teammates.
“We’re a team. We don’t need to win any awards this year. We were a bunch of second teamers. That’s how it went. They understand now. [The championship] is a team award.
“You could feel around the locker room that the guys felt disrespected this whole week. We’re a bunch of second teamers on the all-arena team,” said Samuels mockingly, referring to the fact that no Storm players were named to the All-Arena first team.
“Nobody gave us any respect. They barely showed us on the highlight clips at the [awards] banquet. I think it gave us the mindset to come out here and win this game and get our respect.”
Lawrence, you and your teammates have earned our respect.
Joe Kauffman is President and Editor in Chief of Arenafan Online, having joined the staff in 2000. He graduated from Florida State University in 1998 with a degree in communications andbuilds ecommerce sites for a day job. Joe has enjoyed Arena Football since 1991 and has been a member of the Arena Football Internet community since 1995. Prior to Joining Arenafan, he was a co-founder and Technical Editor of the Storm Shelter, which covered the Tampa Bay Storm from 1996-99. Joe and his wife Erika live in Hackettstown, New Jersey with their two daughters.
