Albany Empire Add Elite, All-Arena Wide Receiver
Friday April 20, 2018
Four-Time All-Arena Receiver, Joe Hills, Assigned to Empire
ALBANY- The Albany Empire announce that Joe Hills, a four-time All-Arena wide receiver, has been assigned to the team roster. Per League and team rules, terms are not disclosed.
“Joe Hills is one of the most electrifying receivers in our game today,” said Rob Keefe, Head Coach of the Albany Empire. “Having played with Grady in Jacksonville, I can’t wait to see the rapport between Grady and Hills come together to not only help our team win football games, but to ‘wow’ fans as the two rack up big numbers.”
Joe Hills, a Florida native, is one of the most accomplished wide receivers currently in the Arena Football League. He has led the Arena Football League in receptions, yards and touchdowns each of the last two seasons. In 2016, he recorded 161 receptions, 2020 yards and 58 touchdowns with Tommy Grady and the Jacksonville Sharks. In 2017, he recorded 129 receptions, 1353 yards and 36 receptions with the Tampa Bay Storm. In his career, he has recorded 726 receptions, 8,883 yards and 230 touchdowns.
Hills was first team All-Arena each of the last two seasons and has been named All-Arena a total of four times in his six-year Arena Football League career. He currently holds the AFL record for the most consecutive games with a touchdown reception with 81, which is an active streak.
“I pack a lunch and put on my hardhat every day and go to work to catch touchdowns,” said Hills. “I came to Albany because Grady and I are like brothers and to get a chance to play for Coach Keefe instead of against him. This is a new city and opportunity for me, and I am really looking forward to it.”
The Empire return to the Times Union Center on Saturday, May 5th. The block party begins at 4 pm and kickoff is set for 7:30pm. Tickets for the remaining Empire home games are still available at TheAlbanyEmpire.com. Ticket packages include: pro-rated season tickets, family four packs, group and corporate outing experiences, birthday party packages, Bud Light Party Zone tickets, Pioneer Bank Field Zone tickets, Pepsi Family Zone tickets and single game tickets.
Albany Empire 2018 Inaugural Season Presented By CDPHP.
About Albany Empire
The Arena Football League’s newest franchise, The Albany Empire began play Saturday, April 14 at a sold out Times Union Center. Season memberships for the inaugural 2018 season are on sale now. For tickets, contact the Albany Empire sales department at (518) 533-2200 or by going to TheAlbanyEmpire.com. Follow the team on Facebook at facebook.com/TheAlbanyEmpire and Twitter at twitter.com/Albany_Empire.
About Arena Football League
The Arena Football League will enter its 31st Season in 2018. Since its inception in 1987, the Arena Football League has showcased a fast-paced and exciting game to millions of fans in a myriad of markets across the country. Teams slated for 2018 include: Albany, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. CBS Sports Network nationally broadcasts AFL games each week, culminating with the ArenaBowl. The AFL launched AFLNow, the League’s streaming “Over-the-Top” network to give fans even more access to the League on arenafootball.com. For all the latest news and discussion on the Arena Football League follow the AFL on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram (@aflarenaball)
About Times Union Center
Albany’s Times Union Center, formerly Pepsi Arena, continues to have great success. Renamed in January 2007, the The Times Union Center is “Upstate New York’s Premier Sports and Entertainment Facility. Owned by Albany County and operated by SMG, the world’s largest private management firm for public assembly facilities, the Times Union Center has an adaptable seating capacity between 6,000 and 17,500. Since Frank Sinatra christened the building on January 30, 1990, more than seven million patrons have walked through the turnstiles. As a multi-purpose facility, the Times Union Center has hosted a variety of events, including concerts, family shows and sporting events, averaging 165 events each year.
About CDPHP®
Established in 1984, CDPHP is a physician-founded, member-focused and community-based not-for-profit health plan that offers high-quality affordable health insurance plans to members in 24 counties throughout New York. CDPHP is also on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and Instagram.
About Transfinder
Founded in 1988 and headquartered in Schenectady, New York, Transfinder is a national leader in intelligent transportation systems, providing transportation management systems and services to school districts, municipalities and adult care facilities. Transfinder, an Inc. magazine “fastest-growing company” for the past eleven straight years, has offices in Austin, Texas, and Shanghai, China. The software company develops and supports routing and scheduling solutions for optimal transportation logistics.
