First Annual Arenafan Staff Arena Football Awards
Joe Kauffman
Sunday August 20, 2000
- Offensive Player of the Year
- Defensive Player of the Year
- Ironman of the Year
- Lineman of the Year
- Rookie of the Year
- Coach of the Year
And now, without further ado, I present to you the 1st Annual Arenafan Staff Arena Football Awards.
Offensive Player of the Year
Mike Horacek, OS, Iowa Barnstormers
Believe it or not, Aaron Garcia, the Iowa Barnstormers quarterback, was actually the first majority selection for offensive player of the year. But as we started to discuss his stats and other attributes, we realized an interesting trend that our own Technical Director, David Carlson, brought to light.
“I’m going with [Mike] Horacek,” said Dave. “Almost half of Garcia’s yards and TDs were to him; that’s a very high percentage, even in Arenaball.”
That, and the fact that he set a record for touchdowns in a season, convinced most of us that Horacek should be our winner. But Tom Goodhines and Mary-Ann Karaganis were not so easily persuaded. They still felt that Garcia should be the winner because he too broke so many records this year. Finally, some words of wisdom from Arenafan owner and all-around nice guy Kevin “Kevmo” Sheller finally convinced them. Kevmo said, “If the QB has to keep throwing to the same guy, it must mean something.”
That put an end to the bickering. Other players of mention were Ben Bronson of Houston and Mark Grieb of San Jose. Grieb finished the year with the highest passer rating of any player with a minimum of 150 attempts in a season. Bronson, as John Ferlazzo so eloquently stated, “was having a monster year before he got hurt.”
Defensive Player of the Year
Kenny McEntyre, DS, Orlando Predators
We had a serious three-way battle for this award. It was between McEntyre and Damon Mason, both of the Orlando Predators, and Barry Wagner, now playing with San Jose. Mason was suggested because he has led the league in tackles for the past two seasons, setting records in that category both years. But Mason was eliminated when Kevmo joked about why this defensive specialist had so many tackles. “Because he can`t defend against the pass, he always has to tackle his man.” That was it for Mason.
So, it was down to “The Glove”, as McEntyre is known in Orlando, and “Wags”; Barry Wagner. McEntyre led the league in interceptions with 11, but Wagner set a season record with seven forced fumbles. We were at an impasse. A vote had to be taken, even though we wanted a consensus. McEntyre won by a single vote.
Ironman of the Year
Hunkie Cooper, WR/LB, Arizona Rattlers
 Hunkie Cooper won the League`s and Arenafan`s Ironman of the Year award Image courtesy of Mike Wright |
“Besides,” said Kevmo, “we have a picture of Hunkie with an Arenafan cap we can use for Joe`s article.”
That clinched it.
Lineman of the Year
Joe Jacobs, OL/DL, Albany Firebirds
Just as much as there was no standout at Ironman, this award went exactly the opposite way. We felt that there was only one person who could truly be the Lineman of the Year: Joe Jacobs. His 7.5 sacks and 19 tackles, quite a large number for a lineman, made him a top choice. What sealed the deal was when John Ferlazzo pointed out that he had not allowed a sack on his quarterback in three years.
The only other mention for this award was Sam Hernandez. While his sacks and tackles were better totals than Jacobs, a careful examination of his offensive abilities revealed that his skills as a pass blocker were not nearly as impressive as Jacobs’.
Rookie of the Year
Anthony Derricks, WR/DB, New England Sea Wolves
There was little discussion needed for this award either. Even though he played primarily as a defensive specialist, Derricks had a monster season on that side of the ball. His most impressive numbers were 93 tackles, six kickoff returns for touchdowns, and four interceptions, including two for touchdowns. He was a dominating player for the Sea Wolves, who would not have made the playoffs without him.
 Anthony Derricks returning one of his 4 kickoff returns for touchdowns against San Jose Image courtesy of Robert Babcock |
Dave, in his undying love for the Mustangs, tried to sneak it by the rest of us that we should choose Kevin McDougal. “McDougal could be considered a rookie I think,” said Dave. His pleas were dismissed when we reminded him that McDougal was not a rookie. Not only did he get significant playing time for the Mustangs in 1998, but he was also named to that year’s All Rookie Team.
Coach of the Year
Ray Bentley, Head Coach, Buffalo Destroyers
I would have to say that the best way to how we came to our decision on this one is to just read the transcript.
Joe Kauffman: Ray Bentley.See? I told you. Bentley took over a Destroyers team midway through the season that had only won a single game in their first one and-a-half seasons. He coached the club to a five-game winning streak to make the playoffs as the final seed. That was enough to impress all of us.
Kevmo Sheller: Bentley.
John Ferlazzo: Bentley.
Tom Goodhines: Bentley.
Tim Capper: well never mind my choice.
Disclaimer
I hope you’ve enjoyed our attempt at choosing some of the best that Arena Football has to offer. Maybe you’ll agree with us, maybe you won’t. Hey, just because we run one of the most popular Arena Football fan sites on the Internet doesn’t mean we know what we’re talking about. Anyway, I hope you will stick around until next year, when we present our 2nd Annual Arenafan Staff Arena Football Awards.
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.
