AFA Semi-Pro Football Trivia Question

What do you call a massive body that weighs 24,332 pounds (more than 12 tons) and stands 628’8” high (taller than a 6 story building and/or is longer than 2 football fields) . . . and will be descending on Sarasota, Florida this weekend? The answer is - - - the 104 semi-pro football players who will be playing in the American Football Association’s 23rd annual National Championship Game in that Florida Gulf Coast city on Saturday, December 14th.

Media - contact Dave Burch at AFA National Office (877)624-4485 or (941)388-

AFA PRESS RELEASE: (PRWEB) December 13, 2002
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AFA Semi-Pro Football Trivia Question:

What do you call a massive body that weighs 24,332 pounds (more than 12 tons) and stands 628’8” high (taller than a 6 story building and/or is longer than 2 football fields) . . . and will be descending on Sarasota, Florida this weekend?

The answer is - - - the 104 semi-pro football players who will be playing in the American Football Association’s 23rd annual National Championship Game in that Florida Gulf Coast city on Saturday, December 14th.

SEMI-PRO and PROUD . . . to be Playing for the 23rd annual AFA National Championship: Taking part in the AFA’s “Super Bowl of Semi-Pro Football XXIII” will be the two top ranked AFA semi-pro teams in the country, the #1 Puget Sound

Washington Jets (state of Washington) and the #2 ranked St. Petersburg, Florida Sharks. Both teams are ‘undefeated’ for the 2002 season and have captured their AFA league, state, regional, and divisional titles along the way.

While the Puget Sound Jets will be traveling more than 3,000 miles for their first shot at an AFA national title, their counterpart, the Sharks, will have a very short trek (about 50 miles) down the Florida interstate to the games host city of Sarasota.

In reviewing the 55 man roster that the Sharks will be bringing to town one can’t help notice that the team weight totals 12,581 lbs for an average of 228.8 lbs per man - while the Jets will be traveling with a 49 man roster which totals 11,751 lbs for an average of 239.8 lbs per player.

Even though those overall height/weight team statistics don’t mean much to anyone other than the restaurant owners and fast food franchises in Sarasota - one can’t help being impressed with the size of both teams offensive and defensive linemen.

For instance, if you're a football fan who likes to watch the action in the trenches, you’ll get to see the Jets offensive line, which averages 337 lbs (and 6’4” tall) trying to slow down the rush of the Sharks speedy defensive line,

averaging nearly 274 lbs (at 6’2”).

The Sharks will counter with an offensive line that stands 6’4” tall and averages 338 lbs. With the ball in the Sharks hands the Jets will be pressuring with a 6’3”, 284 lb defensive line.

While the overall measurements seem to stack up pretty evenly between the two combatants for the national title, the Jets will be traveling with 10 offensive linemen (rare for semi-pro football teams) - a few who are large enough to block

out some of the bright Florida sun.

Jason (the house) Washington, tips the scales at 450 lbs, stands 6’ 10” high and will bookend with Walter Brown, a 6’6”- 405 pounder that together might well be more appropriately (for Florida anyway) renamed ‘the condos’. Sandwich between

them, if you will, the 295 lb. all-league center, Rod Willison and you have something that might better resemble one of Sarasota’s barrier islands with their beach line of erect standing condominiums.

The Sharks will take up a little real estate of their own as they hit Sarasota High School’s Ihrig Football Field Saturday night with their wide body offensive line of center DJ Weilbacher (6’6” -365); guards Al Perdue (6’6” -360); Ben

Pultorak (6’5” -365); and tackles Wade Alden (5’11” - 280) and Michael Shoro (6’2” -335). St. Pete plans to counter Puget Sound’s bulky O-line with their speedy front four consisting of defensive ends Cornelius Bland (5’11” -250),

Kendran Murphy (6’2” -290), and D-tackles Todd Rivers (5’10” -260), and Michael Lowe (6’2” -250).

As the number 1 and 2 ranked teams in the nation, at seasons end, the Jets and Sharks come to the national title game not only matched in size - but pretty close in point production and point prevention as well. While the team from Puget Sound Washington averaged 34.6 points a game and only gave up an average of 6.1 points, the St. Pete Florida team had a scoring average of 40.1 points per contest and was equally as stingy on defense by allowing only 6.1 points themselves.

While both teams were undefeated this season, the Jets are 33-1 over the past 3 years and the Sharks are sporting a 24 and 1 record in the last two years. The Jets team won 7 Northwest Football League championships in the past 9 seasons.

The Sharks are two time league champs of the Southern States Football League.

Want more information about the AFA's big weekend in Sarasota, Florida? Check out our website at http://www.AmericanFootballAssn.com