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Remember Me?: Former Eagle football standouts join Revolution
BY Matt Welch, mwelch@starlocalnews.com
The Texas Revolution isn’t having any trouble finding players its fan base can identify with.
On the heels of signing former Allen Wranglers standouts Frankie Solomon Jr. and Ramonce Taylor, the Allen-based IFL franchise has signed a pair of homegrown products in former Allen football players Nathan Dick and Brett Peddicord.
“I’m thrilled we were able to get a couple of local guys with some real talent like Nathan and Brett,” said Tim Brown, Texas general manager. “We have made it our goal to surround this team with local people, and the fact that we were able to bring guys into the fold from our backyard makes the whole team that much stronger.”
Dick quarterbacked the Eagles from 2004-06, starting during the 2005 and 2006 seasons. His tenure at Allen was highlighted by a 2006 campaign in which he passed for 3,622 yards, 23 touchdowns and three interceptions, while also leading the Eagles in rushing with 577 yards and 11 touchdowns in a march to the Class 5A State Semifinals.
“It’s a dream for a team like ours to not only have an NFL-caliber quarterback,” said Tommy Benizio, Texas president and CEO, “but one who was a hometown hero just a few years ago.”
In college, Dick helmed the offense at Central Arkansas for two years, leading the Bears to their first-ever FCS playoff berth in 2011. As a senior, Dick threw for 3,359 yards, 32 touchdowns and nine interceptions en route to earning a spot on the All-Southland Conference first team and the Fabulous Fifty FCS All-America Team. In program history, Dick ranks in the top five for passing yards per game, completion percentage, total offensive yards per game, completions and efficiency.
Dick spent his freshman and sophomore years at Arkansas.
Post-college, Dick was signed to the Dallas Cowboys’ training camp roster following the 2012 NFL Draft.
“[Dick] is a quarterback that has a lot of depth,” Benizio said. “He’s clearly been successful everywhere he has been and that’s something we want to enjoy with the Texas Revolution.”
In Peddicord, the Revolution lock down a kicker who has plied his craft on an international level, most recently kicking for the Warsaw Eagles in Poland. There, Peddicord managed the league’s best punt average (43.5 yards), most made field goals in a season (11), longest field goal (53 yards) and the most points kicking (86). Stateside, Peddicord kicked for the Eagles in 2005, converting 11 field goals and 29 PATs before spending two seasons at Georgia Southern and finishing up at East Texas Baptist.
Not too shabby for a kicker who only tried out for Allen because of a bet from his soccer teammates that the goalie couldn’t claim the open roster spot.
“I’m most excited about him because he has cool hair,” Benizio said of Peddicord and his Mohawk. “We’re looking for near-NFL-caliber players and players who can compete at the highest level. Couple that with the local flavor and we’re real excited about this.”
The former Eagles are just two in a litany of players signed by the Revolution in the past few weeks.
Joining Dick, Peddicord, Solomon and Taylor will be former University of Texas running back Vondrell McGee and defensive lineman Brian Ellis; East Texas Baptist defensive back Anquainius Frazier; Ohio State defensive back E.J. Underwood and offensive lineman Zach Slagle; Michigan State defensive back Enrique Shaw; Florida State defensive back Michael Ray Garvin; plus a trio of IFL standouts in Sioux Falls Storm offensive lineman Zac Tubbs, and Wichita Wild defensive back Scooter Rogers and quarterback Marcus Jackson.
The Revolution plan to announce their inaugural head coach in early November.
For continued news and coverage on the local sports scene, follow @MWelchSCN on Twitter.
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