David Saunders
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| Arizona Rattlers — No. 2 | |
| Wide Receiver / Linebacker | |
| Date of birth: January 31, 1976 | |
| Place of birth: Toledo, Ohio | |
| Height: 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | Weight: 210 lb (95 kg) |
| Arena Football League debut | |
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| 2000 for the New Jersey Red Dogs | |
| Career history | |
| College: West Virginia | |
Teams:
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| Career highlights and awards | |
| Selected AFL statistics (through Week 11 of the 2008 AFL season) |
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| Receptions | 16 |
| Yards | 179 |
| Touchdowns | 6 |
| Stats at ArenaFootball.com | |
David Saunders (born January 31, 1976 in Toledo, Ohio), is an American football player for the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League as a wide receiver/linebacker. David Saunders spends the off-season in Tampa, Florida and attended Palatine High School in Palatine. Saunders played collegiate football for West Virginia University.
In his career, Saunders has played for the New Jersey Red Dogs, New Jersey Gladiators, Grand Rapids Rampage, Columbus Destroyers and Tampa Bay Storm.
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[edit] High school career
Saunders began playing football his freshman year.[1] He was a first-team All-State pick in the Illinois big school division by every publication in the state at Palatine High. Caught 51 passes for 768 yards as a senior & had 108 receptions for 1,807 yards with 28 touchdowns during his career. David also played defensive back and punter. He also played basketball and ran track.[1]
[edit] College career
In 1994, as a freshman at West Virginia University, Saunders redshirted and played on the scout team.
[edit] Freshman (1995)
In 1995, as a redshirt freshman, Saunders earned the starting role at flanker. He ended the season as the team's leading receiver with 38 catches for 682 yards and five touchdowns, setting a school-record for freshman receiving yards and touchdowns. He began his career against Purdue, where he had 130 yards from 6 catches. He scored his first career touchdown against East Carolina on a 50-yard catch, finishing the game with 99 yards on 5 receptions. He also had 149 yards against Rutgers, 94 yards against Miami, and 80 yards against Pitt to end the season in the Backyard Brawl.
[edit] Sophomore (1996)
In 1996 season, his sophomore season, Saunders finished the year as an All-Big East first-team choice. He led the Big East with an average of 83 yards receiving and 6.1 receptions per game. He started every game of the season as a flanker, leading the Mountaineers with 76 receptions for 1,043 yards and 5 touchdowns, becoming the first player in school history to gain over 1,000 yards receiving in a season. Against East Carolina Saunders recorded 105 yards and 8 receptions, following with a 191-yard and a score performance against Boston College, which ranks third on the school's receiving yards in a single game list. He gained 113 yards against Syracuse, followed by 178 yards against Rutgers and 130 yards against North Carolina in the Gator Bowl, which earned him MVP honors.
[edit] Junior (1997)
In 1997, his junior year, Saunders did not play, but returned for his senior season.
[edit] Senior (1998)
In 1998, Saunders earned All-Big East second-team and All-ECAC first-team honors. Saunders led the team with 77 receptions for 883 yards and eight touchdowns while starting all the games at a new position of split end. His 77 receptions is tied for the school record, set the previous year by Shawn Foreman, while his eight touchdowns rank third most ever in a season in school history. Saunders recorded 101 yards and two touchdowns on 5 passes against Tulsa, and then tied a school-record of 12 receptions against Miami. He then had 110 yards and a game-winning touchdown reception with 3 minutes left in the 35-28 win over Syracuse. In the Insight.com Bowl against Missouri, Saunders closed out his career with 8 receptions for 95 yards and two scores.
Saunders is considered one of the greatest receivers in West Virginia Mountaineers history. Saunders currently has the record for most career receiving yards with 2,608 yards[2]. He also has the record for most career receptions with 191 receptions[3].
[edit] Professional career
[edit] New Jersey Red Dogs (2000)
After leaving West Virginia, Saunders was away from football for two years.
In 2000, Saunders moved into the Arena Football League and was signed by the New Jersey Red Dogs. He played in 12 games as a rookie, catching 60 passes for 727 yards and 20 touchdowns. On defense, Saunders had 24 tackles and two interceptions, two that he returned for touchdowns. His best performance, of the season, came in Week 14 against the Carolina Cobras, when he caught 10 receptions for three touchdowns and also added five tackles.
[edit] New Jersey Gladiators (2001 - 2001)
In 2001, Saunders left the Red Dogs the next season, and was signed by the New Jersey Gladiators. While playing for the Gladiators, he spent most of the season as an offensive specialist. He ended the season with 55 catches for 760 yards and 18 touchdowns.
[edit] Tampa Bay Storm (2002 - 2005)
In 2002, Saunders was signed by the Tampa Bay Storm. That season, he was named the Team MVP while leading the team in touchdowns, was second on the team in receptions, receiving yards and scoring, and was tied for fifth on the team with tackles while only playing in nine games. Saunders led the Storm in receiving in their two playoff games with a total of 10 passes for 156 yards and four touchdowns. He ended the season with 53 receptions for 610 yards and 14 touchdowns with a total of 94 points; on defense Saunders finished with 18.5 tackles.
In 2003, Saunders returned to the Storm for a second season. His sophomore season with Tampa, he played in 11 games and recorded 38 receptions for 440 yards and 11 touchdowns after missing the first four games due to an injury. Saunders finished as the Storm's fourth leading receiver. His best performance of the season came against the Indiana Firebirds, when he caught six passes for 60 yards and three touchdowns while also broke up a pass on defense.
In 2004, Saunders again played in 11 games for the Tampa Bay Storm. He finished the season with 41 receptions for 484 yards and 9 touchdowns while getting 17 tackles on defense. Although he missed a month due to a shoulder injury, Saunders was fourth on the team in receptions, yards, and touchdowns.
In 2005, Saunders only played the first six games of the season. He finished the season with 29 receptions for 309 yards and 5 touchdowns. He also had 8.5 tackles and an interception on defense.
[edit] Grand Rapids Rampage (2005)
During the 2005 season, Saunders was traded to the Grand Rapids Rampage and played in five more games. He finished his time in Grand Rapids with 15 receptions for 161 yards and two touchdowns.
[edit] Columbus (2006 - 2007)
In 2006, he joined the Columbus Destroyers. Saunders, who became a prominent receiver for the Destroyers, caught a touchdown pass in 10 straight games that season. That season, Saunders set career-highs with 837 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns. He was also outstanding on defense, with 24 tackles on the season. Saunders best game receiving came against the Philadelphia Soul, when he caught seven passes for 100 yards and two touchdowns. In that game, he also had a solo tackle, an assisted tackle, and two recovered fumbles.
In 2007, Saunders also had another impressive season for the Destroyers. Playing in eleven games as a two-way starter (missing five weeks due to a broken bone in his back), Saunders ended the season with 68 receptions for 550 yards for 18 touchdowns. He also had a 19 game touchdown streak going, until it was ended against the Kansas City Brigade. Saunders was second on the team in receptions, yards, touchdowns, and scoring with 112 points. With 11 tackles on defense, Saunders ranked 12th on his team. Against the Georgia Force, Saunders led the Destroyers' receivers with 7 catches for 65 yards and a touchdown. The Destroyers lost in ArenaBowl XXI against the San Jose SaberCats on July 29, 55-33, with Saunders catching three passes for 21 yards and a touchdown.
[edit] Return to Tampa Bay (2008)
After the ArenaBowl XXI loss with the Destroyers, Saunders returned to the Storm for the 2008 season.
In 2008, Saunders first game of the season was the week five game against the Soul, in which he recorded two receptions for 13 yards and one touchdown, he also recorded one tackle.[4] During week six against the Destroyers, Saunders recorded six receptions for 90 yards and three touchdowns, and 1.5 tackles, one tackle for loss.[5] In the week seven game against the Arizona Rattlers, Saunders recorded three receptions for 26 yards. During the week eight game against the New York Dragons, he had one reception for a three yard touchdown.
[edit] Arizona Rattlers (2008 - present)
On April 22, 2008, Saunders, along with Khalid Naziruddin and Bryant Tisdale where released by the Storm while they traded for fullback / linebacker Phil Glover.[6] On April 29, 2008 Saunders was signed by the Arizona Rattlers. [7]
In his first career game with the Rattlers, a loss to the San Jose SaberCats, Saunders had four receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown.
[edit] Career statistics
| Career Statistics | Receiving | ||||||
| Year | Team | G | Rec | Yards | Y/R | TD | |
| 2000 | New Jersey Red Dogs | 12 | 56 | 686 | 12.3 | 18 | |
| 2001 | New Jersey Gladiators | 10 | 55 | 760 | 13.8 | 18 | |
| 2002 | Tampa Bay Storm | 11 | 52 | 595 | 11.4 | 14 | |
| 2003 | Tampa Bay Storm | 14 | 38 | 440 | 11.6 | 11 | |
| 2004 | Tampa Bay Storm | 12 | 41 | 484 | 11.8 | 9 | |
| 2005 | Tampa Bay Storm | 6 | 29 | 309 | 10.7 | 5 | |
| 2005 | Grand Rapids Rampage | 5 | 15 | 161 | 10.7 | 2 | |
| 2006 | Columbus Destroyers | 13 | 76 | 835 | 11.0 | 19 | |
| 2007 | Columbus Destroyers | 15 | 68 | 550 | 8.1 | 18 | |
| 2008 | Tampa Bay Storm | 4 | 12 | 132 | 11.0 | 0 | |
| 2008 | Arizona Rattlers | 1 | 4 | 47 | 11.6 | 1 | |
| Total | 103 | 446 | 4,999 | 11.2 | 12 | ||
| Career Defensive Statistics | |||||||||||||||
| Year | Team | G | Tack | Solo | Ast | Sack | FF | FR | Int | Yds | TD | Pass Def. | |||
| 2000 | New Jersey Red Dogs | 12 | 19 | 13 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 56 | 2 | 1 | |||
| 2001 | New Jersey Gladiators | 10 | 8 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2002 | Tampa Bay Storm | 11 | 13 | 2 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |||
| 2003 | Tampa Bay Storm | 14 | 13 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |||
| 2004 | Tampa Bay Storm | 12 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2005 | Tampa Bay Storm | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2005 | Grand Rapids Rampage | 5 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2006 | Dallas Desperados | 13 | 14 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |||
| 2007 | Dallas Desperados | 15 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 2008 | Tampa Bay Storm | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| 2008 | Arizona Rattlers | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 100 | 103 | 48 | 55 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 4 | 56 | 2 | 12 | ||||
[edit] Miscellaneous facts
- David's favorite school subject was math. [1]
- Playing basketball and traveling are two of his hobbies.[1]
- While growing up he played every sport.[1]
- His favorite movie is Scarface.[1]
- He says the best player he ever played against is Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis.[1]
- He is also a talented cook.[1]
