D'Orazio named Champs Quarterback of the Year
Wednesday July 16, 2008
Philadelphia Soul QB Matt D’Orazio was announced as the Champs Quarterback of the Year on Wednesday.
PHILADELPHIA (Wednesday, July 16) – Philadelphia Soul quarterback Matt D’Orazio was selected as the 2008 AFL Champs Quarterback of the Year as voted by AFL head coaches, fans, players and the Arena Football League Writer’s Association, the league announced today.
D’Orazio has enjoyed incredible success in his first season as a member of the Soul, becoming the most decorated quarterback in the AFL this year. In addition to winning the Champs Quarterback of the Year award, the eight-year veteran was named as the AFL Writer’s Association Player of the Year and to the First Team All-Arena for the first time in his career. D’Orazio was also named the AFL’s Offensive Player of the week three times this season; the most recent being this past week against the Cleveland Gladiators in the Conference Championship Round.
This season, D’Orazio led the league with a 131.3 passer rating and 72.4 completion percentage. He ended the season with 3,331 passing yards for 72 touchdowns against just four inteceptions. D’Orazio also set a new Soul single-season record and led AFL quarterbacks this season with 227 rushing yards.
Next Sunday, D’Orazio will attempt to win his second career AFL title as the Soul (13-3, 2-0) take on the San Jose SaberCats (11-5, 2-0) in Virgin Mobile ArenaBowl XXII in New Orleans. He was named MVP of ArenaBowl XX in 2006 when he led the Chicago Rush to a 69-61 win over the Orlando Predators. In the game, he completed 26-of-36 passes for 250 yards, throwing for six touchdowns and rushing for two more. The 69-points scored by Chicago and eight total touchdowns by D’Orazio both tied ArenaBowl records. D’Orazio enters next Sunday’s game with a career 7-1 record as a starter in the postseason.
The Soul are celebrating their fifth anniversary this season. Following last season, the Soul were recognized with the Commissioner's Award as the Organization of the Year and were an honorable mention for the PRISM Award in the category of fan appreciation. The Soul drew a total of 131,817 fans this season, their largest number since their inaugural season of 2004. The Soul sold out four games in the 2008 season and averaged a crowd of 16,477 fans per game. Since their inception, the Soul have drawn a total of 646,043 fans, the most in the AFL over that time frame. Tickets for the Virgin Mobile Arena Bowl XXII are on sale. For more ticket information call 888-PHIL-AFL.