Former Bulls Compete on Arena Gridiron

Three UB football alumni in the Arena Football League

Chad Salisbury

BUFFALO, NY - Collegiate football stars across the nation are looking to make the transition from the confines of their university to the field of a professional football team. Three former Bulls have made that move and are competing in a league that is beginning to earn more and more recognition: the Arena Football League.

Chad Salisbury threw his final pass for UB in 1998. Dahnel Singfield last suited up for Buffalo in 2002. Rob Schroeder played his concluding battle as a Bull in 2005. All have donned AFL jerseys across the country this season.

Until recently, the AFL had not garnered widespread recognition and national media attention. However, with a television deal with ESPN and a video game by EA Sports, the league is being pushed further in the public eye.

"The things that have changed are that the athletes are better, the talent is better, the coaches are better. Everything has been upgraded," Salisbury said. "For the most part, 90 percent of these guys have either been in the NFL and were cut in camp or played a season or two or guys that are hopefully going to make it to the NFL after a year or two in the arena league."

"You play Madden your whole life, playing with NFL guys and now you're playing Arena Football games with yourself on the screen," Salisbury added. "It's very exciting."

Salisbury is in his eighth season as an AFL quarterback and has played for five different teams. He was the MVP of the Grand Rapids Rampage last year and is the starting quarterback this year. After suffering a concussion during week two that sidelined him for three weeks, Salisbury has completed 93 of 140 pass attempts for 1,021 yards with 23 touchdowns and four interceptions since his return four weeks ago.

Salisbury's name can be found throughout UB's record books including nine top seven career passing records, 19 top 10 single season passing records, and four UB Stadium records. He is the only quarterback in UB history to amass three 400+ yard games in a career. Salisbury didn't need a career to complete that feat; just the 1997 season when first he suited up for Craig Cirbus and the D-IAA Bulls.

Rob Schroeder

Schroeder is the most recent graduate from UB to suit up for the AFL as he plays for the Austin Wranglers. He completed a successful career at Buffalo in 2005, starting every game at defensive tackle, leading the nation's 2005 active players in career blocked kicks (8), and reigning supreme among the Bulls in tackles for loss (13) during his senior season. Schroeder briefly played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League and then joined the roster of the Wranglers for the 2007 season.

"What kept me motivated is that I've always had a dream to play professional football," Schroeder said. "Right now, I really can't see myself doing anything but playing football."

Currently, Schroeder is tied for first in the AFL for blocked kicks this season (2) and has accumulated 8.5 total tackles, five pass breakups, two quarterback hurries, a sack, and a fumble recovery for a touchdown in his first season in the AFL.

"There's a whole bunch of different leagues out there that you can keep working your way up through," Schroeder said. "For me, I bounced around a little bit and I found my spot right now so I can get my feet underneath me and get to where I need to go. Don't get discouraged if the NFL doesn't come calling because there are a lot more opportunities to play football nowadays."

As for Singfield, the number two has been prominent throughout his football career. At UB, Singfield played for two different head coaches (Cirbus and Jim Hofher) in two different classes (D-IAA and D-IA) and completed his career in 2002.

Dahnel Singfield

After two years off, the defensive back played for two seasons with the Arena Football 2 Memphis Explorers, nabbing All-AF2 second team honors in 2004 and All AF2 Natonal Conference first team honors in 2005. He was also named Defensive Player of the Year in 2005.

Now in his second season in the AFL, Singfield has played for two teams after being traded during week two from the New York Dragons to the Las Vegas Gladiators. Singfield graduated to the AFL in 2006 and was named to the AFL All-Rookie team as a member of the New York Dragons.

"It's exciting. It's a lot of action. It's still football," said Singfield, who was recently released from the Las Vegas Gladiators and then signed by the Utah Blaze. "It's less men and the field is a little smaller, much more compact and things are happening a little quicker. They have a wall out there that isn't moving so you get to bang people into the wall from time to time, too."

UB football also has another tie to the AFL with Running Backs Coach and Recruiting Coordinator Allen Mogridge. Mogridge played for the Carolina Cobras during the 2001 season as a center and linebacker and encourages members of the Buffalo football team to leave the AFL open as an option after graduation.

"I think the AFL is a great league for guys to play in," Mogridge said. "It is a viable league for any player. There is great competition in the league and I had a great time playing and competing there. I recommend it to all of our players that aspire to play after college. There is only so much room in the NFL as we all know."

As for lessons learned at UB that they have transferred into their professional football careers, time management and a work ethic were two of the most important things the UB graduates took away from their time at Buffalo.

"As far as time management, when you get into the professional ranks and the time is restricted and you need to get things done quickly and still want to be with your family-that was taught to us at the University at Buffalo," Salisbury said. "School was the reason that we were there. We were student-athletes."

"I definitely took a work ethic with me from UB," Schroeder said. "At UB, we weren't always the best but we played the best competition so we always had to work harder than our opponents."

That work ethic and drive have motivated the individuals to continue their aspirations for a spot in the National Football League.

"My advice to anybody would be to chase your dreams and their dreams are probably the NFL," Salisbury said. "Go after that dream as hard as you possibly can until somebody says 'You know what, it's not going to happen.' And then when that happens, finish your dream and chase your dream in the Arena Football League because you are a professional football player in this league and there is money to be made and you can continue to do the things that you want to do for the rest of your life as a career."

"You're going to go through trials and tribulations in life, so when you're down, just keep fighting," Singfield added. "Don't ever let anybody tell you that you can't do anything and get you down. There are always opportunities. There's always a back door to everything. If one thing doesn't work, there's always a back door to something else. Just remain focused and stay strong."

No matter what jersey goes over his shoulder pads or helmet on his heads, Schroeder said that one thing is always going to be a part of him: Buffalo.

"UB is going to be in my blood," Schroeder said. "I'm going to love UB athletics until the day I die."

Story written by Jennifer Gillan

05/02/2007