Cleveland Gladiators wide receiving corps taking shape

Tuesday January 19, 2010

CLEVELAND – The Cleveland Gladiators are pleased to announce that WRs BEN NELSON, COLE MAGNER, BRENT HOLMES and CHRIS JOHNSON have been assigned to the team by the Arena Football One League office.

Nelson (St. Cloud State) is no stranger to arena football. In 2006, he signed with the AFL’s San Jose SaberCats, appearing in just 11 of the team’s 15 games. He led the team with 94 receptions for 1,405 yards and 26 yards, finishing the season six yards shy of the league’s rookie record in that category. For his efforts, he was named the 2006 AFL Rookie of the Year award, helping the SaberCats advance to the American Conference finals. Nelson recorded at least 100 yards receiving in seven of his 11 games that year. He spent the 2008 AFL season with the Colorado Crush, leading the team with 126 receptions and a team-high 1,358 yards and 30 touchdowns.

Magner (Bowling Green State University) spent the 2008 AFL season with Gladiators head coach STEVE THONN in Grand Rapids. Appearing in just 10 games, the former BGSU Falcon finished second on the team with 69 receptions for 739 yards and 12 touchdowns for the Rampage. The Alaskan native contributed 32 receptions for 268 yards and five touchdowns during the 2008 postseason.

Holmes (Texas A&M – Kingsville) spent the 2008 AFL season with the Georgia Force, Tampa Bay Storm and Philadelphia Soul. Appearing in 10 games between the three teams, Holmes caught 69 passes for 734 yards and 11 touchdowns. In three postseason games with the Soul, he caught 14 passes for 165 yards and five scores, including a 34-yard touchdown reception in ArenaBowl XXII.

Johnson (Georgia Southern) also spent the 2008 AFL season with Thonn as a member of the Rampage. In 2008, Johnson appeared in 15 games, recorded 66 receptions and ranked second on the team in receiving yards and touchdowns with 908 yards and 22, respectively. Johnson is familiar with northeast Ohio, having spent the 2007 arenafootball2 season with the Mahoning Valley Thunder in Youngstown.

“We are excited about our talented group of wide receivers,” THONN said. “Each guy brings a different dynamic to the roster and offensively, we are expecting to put up big numbers.”

The Gladiators kickoff the 2010 season on April 3 when the host the Arizona Rattlers at Quicken Loans Arena. Group and Season Tickets are on sale now! To be a part of all the hard-hitting action of arena football, call 216.685.9000 or visit www.clevelandgladiators.com. Get ready to Rock the Q and Roll with the Gladiators!