Ironman Darius Money Reynolds Returns to Receiver for The Soul
Harrison Brown
Sunday July 28, 2019
The Arena Football League no longer requires teams to utilize players in an “Ironman” fashion, with much of the league’s history featuring players on both sides of the ball. Despite the league not mandating it, a player with the ability to play offense and defense is extremely valuable on a twenty-one-man active roster.
Darius “Money” Reynolds is one of the modern-day AFL players who still embodies the throwback Ironman style of the past. Reynolds is a two-time All-Arena wide receiver whose posted three seasons with more than a thousand receiving yards and thirty touchdowns.
In week one this season Reynolds suffered an injury while playing receiver that sidelined him until week five. Upon returning from injury Reynolds was inserted at jack linebacker when the Soul began an overhaul of the defense. Reynolds played linebacker for the entire season, until this week: round one of the playoffs when he’ll return to receiver against the Washington Valor.
“Playing defense was something I’d been waiting on for a long time,” Reynolds said. “Once I got over there, I realized I was limited to five yards. I feel like a lot of my athleticism was taken away because there wasn’t much I could help with,”
“I think we’ll be a more effective offense. I told coach while I was playing defense that I don’t think anybody will cover me man-to-man, nine times out of ten when I’m in motion they’re probably not going to be in man. Defenses can’t really play us the same way they have been and I’m looking forward to opening up the offense for the other receivers,” Reynolds said.
The Soul will begin their two game playoff series against the Washington Valor at Capitol One Arena. The Valor won both meetings against the Soul this season but each came down to the final play of the game. Reynolds wasn’t at receiver during either game against the Valor.
Reynolds played jack linebacker sparingly with the Iowa Barnstormers during the early years of his AFL career and is widely regarded as one of the best special teams’ contributors in the league. Before this year the last time he was a full-time defensive player was in 2002, during his pop warner days.
“I grew up wanting to play defense but once I got to high school and was the starting quarterback, they took me off the defense because they didn’t want me to get hurt. I’ve always been looking forward to playing defense again, I love contact and hitting. As long as I’m on the field I’m happy,” Reynolds said.
Speaking of quarterback, Reynolds played the position growing up and during his time at Reedley College, a junior college in California. During his junior year of high school he went 12-1 as a quarterback and went on to throw twenty touchdowns his senior year. He was one of the top rated Juco quarterbacks in the country during his freshman year at Reedley.
After a surprising and unexplained release from Reedley’s football team during his sophomore year, Reynolds opportunity to play Division I football was at Iowa State where one of his former coaches vouched for his character.
Iowa State moved him to receiver where he had great success, leading the Cyclones in catches, receiving yards and touchdowns during his senior year. He moved forward as a receiver and before this year it’d been his full-time spot. In true Ironman fashion, Reynolds success at quarterback still intrigues him and peaks his interest for a potential return.
“If somebody gives me the chance that’s my ultimate goal: to end my career as a quarterback. I had a lot of fun and felt I was pretty successful at it. If somebody gave me the chance I wouldn’t hesitate to say yes,”
“Initially of course I’m going to be down to ride with whatever they want because that was my opportunity to get to the next level. I sustained an injury that ended my season during my first year playing receiver at Iowa State. I specifically remember one of the first things I said after my surgery, I asked our head coach if I could switch to quarterback. He told me I had a better chance of making the NFL as a wide receiver,”
“I would love the opportunity to go back to quarterback. I still try to throw as much as possible and I learn as a quarterback, you’ve got to know the whole offense anyway so you might as well know it as a quarterback,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds Ironman ability at receiver and jack linebacker have been displayed, but he’s only attempted three passes in the AFL on trick plays and throws out of the wildcat formation. However, a season at quarterback would cement him as one of the most versatile players in the league’s history. He hasn’t attempted any field goals yet, but he can kick the ball well too.
Arena Football is the perfect sport for a jack of all trades like “Money” Reynolds and fans have embraced him ever since he joined the league in 2012. Reynolds didn’t grow up dreaming of an illustrious AFL career, but when he saw the sport live for the first time he gained a new respect for it.
“Growing up I had the Arena Football video games on PlayStation 2. I never looked up the sport outside the video game because I was focused on playing in the NFL. While I was at Iowa State one of my teammates graduated and signed with the Chicago Rush. He invited me out to a game in Des Moines, I was still in school and it wasn’t far so I made the trip,”
“Watching as a fan I went home thinking the same thing most fans think, that was a real intense football game, there was a lot of energy and it was exciting. I signed with the Barnstormers shortly after I was released from the Packers following my Iowa State career. One of my teammates signed with the Barnstormers and when I came back to Iowa he asked if I was interested in playing for them,”
“I kind of blew it off for a week but after not seeing any movement for me going to the NFL I decided to give Arena a shot. I went for a two-day workout in 2012 near the end of the season. I played in one game that season, we went to San Jose and that was my first career AFL game,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds caught three passes against San Jose, one of which was a touchdown. He became a full-time starter in 2013. Reynolds and Marco Thomas became a high-flying duo at receiver that posted incredible numbers in 2014. Thomas and Reynolds combined to catch 277 passes for 3,831 yards and 78 touchdowns that season, leading to them both being named All-Arena receivers.
“That was one of the most exciting years I’ve ever played, winning the championship obviously over rules it but that unit was something different. We decided as a receiving core that we were not going to be stopped and we were going to have fun while we did it. We had a lot of celebrations and we all wore superhero shirts. It was a family we knew we had each other's back,”
The Barnstormers moved to the IFL after the 2014 season, leaving Reynolds a difficult decision about where he wanted to take his talents. He narrowed it to two teams: The San Jose Sabercats and the Philadelphia Soul, choosing to join the eventual 2015 Arena Bowl champs in San Jose. The Soul signed none other than former Barnstormer receiver Marco Thomas for the 2015 season.
“San Jose is where I learned how to be more professional in this sport. It was a very competitive place; you couldn’t take your foot off the gas or you could be replaced. Nobody could relax because the next man could probably come in and be just as successful if not more successful. San Jose is where I learned the business side of the AFL,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds and the Sabercats defeated the Jacksonville Sharks in the Arena Bowl, the final game in the Sabercats franchise history. Reynolds signed with the Philadelphia Soul, his other top choice from the year before. Marco Thomas retired after the 2015 season, opening the door for Money in Philly.
“When I was with the Barnstormers we played the Soul twice and what stood out to me was how efficient their offense was. When it came down to the last play of the game, they always had the ball or were in position to take the lead. They never panicked it always seemed like they were in control of the game. I like the way the system works, and once San Jose decided not to come back it was an easy decision to sign with Philly,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds won two Arena Bowls during his first two seasons in Philly, giving him a three peat between 2015-2017. He posted over a thousand yards and thirty-five touchdowns in both championship seasons with the Soul. He’s fit right in as a star in the offense he marveled over as an opposing Barnstormer, and he’s looking forward to his return to receiver against the Valor.
“I think the team who makes the fewest mistakes will win. Ever since they beat us at the end of last season they’ve solidified themselves as a dominant team you have to prepare for. They know how to capitalize on mistakes, and they won’t give up. It more than likely is going to come down to a shootout, but I think whichever offense has the most possessions will come out on top,” Reynolds said.
Harrison Brown is a college student who has been covering Arena Football since he was 12 years old and has been with ArenaFan since 2014. Harrison was a captain of the varsity football team during his senior year of high school and went on to play one season of Division III football in Massachusetts. Harrison has worked for two indoor football teams, in 2018 he was the Director of Player Personnel for the Jersey Flight and in 2016 he was the Color Commentator for the Philadelphia Yellow Jackets. You can follow Harrison on twitter @HarryBrownRusso.