Fusion Hold Final Open Tryout

Randy Snow
Saturday January 27, 2007

The af2 Fort Wayne Fusion conducted their final open player tryout in preparation for the 2007 season on Friday, January 26. The tryout took place at The Dome, the team’s indoor practice facility on the south side of Fort Wayne.  

Players were measured, timed, and put through a series of agility and position drills during two separate workouts. The morning session was for linemen, linebackers and fullbacks, while the afternoon session consisted of quarterbacks, receivers and defensive backs. In all, about 82 players participated in the two sessions, 30 in the morning and 52 in the afternoon.  

One player in attendance should be familiar to football fans in Fort Wayne, defensive lineman Alf Fertil. Fertil played for the Fort Wayne Freedom all four years that the team was in existence. The Freedom was in the National Indoor Football League in 2003 and 2004 and was a member of United Indoor Football in 2005 and 2006. If Fertil makes the Fusion’s final roster, he will be playing in his third pro football league, all in the same city.  

Fertil also participated in the Fusion’s December 8 tryout but came back for a second chance to impress the coaching staff. He said the tryout this time around was a lot more intense than it was in December and a few more drills had been added as well. “There was a lot more competition (this time),” said Fertil. “There were a lot of Division I players here today and about 30 more people than there were (in December).”                    

Fertil said he never expected to play football after college and he feels fortunate to have stayed in Fort Wayne the whole time. He played college football at NAIA St. Francis in Fort Wayne. 

Another player at the Fusion tryout was Eze Ejelonu. The Nigerian-born Ejelonu played college football at Michigan State University and also played several games last season for the af2 Albany Conquest. “Football is really new to me,” said Ejelonu. “I just started playing my senior year at Pontiac Central High School (in Michigan). I never played a game before. I didn’t know any terminology at all.” 

Ejelonu points to one man as the reason he came to Fort Wayne. “My biggest motivation for coming here was (Fusion head coach Eddie Brown),” he said. “He played at Albany and they retired his jersey there. He’s one of those coaches that, when he says something, people believe him. That’s how you win championships, you have players that believe in their coach.” He plays defensive end and his ultimate goal is to make it to the NFL some day.  

Fusion head coach “Touchdown” Eddie Brown is no stranger to the game of Arena Football. He played WR/LB for the Albany Firebirds (1994-1997) and for the Indiana Firebirds (1998-2003) over his 10-year AFL career.  

During the league’s 20th season last year, Brown was voted “The Greatest Player in Arena Football League History.” Statistically, Brown had 303 receiving touchdowns (nine in one game), he also rushed for another 32 touchdowns and had nine kickoff returns for touchdowns. He also completed eight passes in his career, seven of them were touchdowns!  

“It’s an honor to be a part of the league that I played in for so many years,” Brown said. “To get an opportunity to coach in the league just shows that we really are a tight knit family. I’m very fortunate to be a part of it. I’m just thankful to have an opportunity to coach in the league I helped build and hopefully have an opportunity to coach one of these guys, that (might) eventually be one of the greatest players to ever play Arena Football.” 

Brown has been coaching at the high school level since 1995 and is currently the wide receiver coach at Ben Davis High School in Indianapolis. “I’ve learned a lot being a part of that program,” he said, “which has helped me build this program here.” 

Also at the Fusion tryout was Grand Rapids Rampage assistant coach Michael Baker. He started out as an observer, but eventually began helping out the Fusion coaching staff, timing players in several drills. Baker and Brown were teammates on the 1997 Albany Firebirds team. 

Before the start of the regular season, the Fusion will host an exhibition game on Friday, March 16 against the Mahoning Valley Thunder from Youngstown, Ohio. Coach Brown feels that this will be an excellent opportunity for the team to get a feel for where they are. “It’s very important to my staff as well as the organization because it gives us an opportunity to see where we are. Whatever mistakes we may have, we have time to correct them and properly prepare for March 31 (the home opener against the Green Bay Blizzard).”  

An artificial turf, rebound nets and other equipment have been acquired from a defunct af2 team, the Mobile Wizards. The Wizards were only around for one season (2002) so the field has only had eight games played on it.  

The Fusion currently have about 15 players under contract. Training camp opens on March 10.