Blazers Take Hits - On & Off The Field
April 11, 2000
The Nebraska Trail Blazers are gearing up for the 2000 season opener in June, and already the team has lost two players. First year tight end Marty Arkus, a 240 lb Tennessee native, was lost for the year after being struck by a drunk driver on March 5th on his way home from practice. The accident has cost the 28 year old all of his peripheral vision and his job as a helicopter EMT. He was removed from duty for safety reasons involving the impaired vision and proximity of an EMT to accident scenes and helicopter rotors. It is tough, the two things I have loved all my life (EMT and football) and now I can not do either one, remarked Arkus. Mr. Arkus will remain with the football team as General Manager Joe Huber has brought him in as the Director of Player Personnel. Also lost for the 2000 season is second year defensive tackle James Wait. The 24 year old from Elkhorn was recently diagnosed with Hodgkins Disease and is undergoing chemo and radiation therapy. Mr. Wait also remains with the team as a coaches assistant, and is also adjusting to life without football and attempting to find suitable work. All players on the team are not paid and pay a fee to play a 14 game season. Insurance only covers on-field injuries.This is a rough trend for this team, cited communications director Mark Meadows, to lose guys like this after what happened last season, is tough on teammates and everyone. But, this is real life and football is just a small part of it. In 1999, defensive tackle Damione Moore was gunned down near his home in north Omaha and was paralyzed from the chest down. Third team All-American and record holder defensive back Tony Mackey was lost for a number of games as a result of a whiplash injury suffered in a car accident and has not returned this season.
Parks Receives " Silver Toe Award "
April 3, 2000
Nebraska Trail Blazers place kicker Mike Parks was awarded the Silver Toe Award at a banquet held March 31st in Las Vegas, NV as the outstanding kicker of 1999. Parks then participated in the Casino Bowl V on Saturday pitting the East against the West. Parks, watched from the sidelines for most of the day as the East manhandled the West 55-7. Parks converted on the only West PAT attempt of the day, and had a field goal attempt blocked as a bad snap and a missed line block halted the scoring opportunity.
The 3 day event was attended by pro scouts from various leagues, who saw Parks nail every kick during pre-game warm ups. Participants in the event will have their names circulated to pro teams throughout North America and Europe as potential prospects.
1999 News
Springfield Decides Not To Play Blazers
August 25, 1999
Once again the schedule is changing. After confirming that Springfield was coming here to play Nebraska, Springfield called back and said that another team was going up to Springfield to play them. The Rifles gave the option to Nebraska of going up to Springfield, but the Blazers declined after the team voted that they needed these bye weeks to tune up some things on both sides of the ball.
Blazers To Play Springfield Rifles
August 25, 1999
Trail Blazer GM Joe Huber has confirmed that the nationally ranked Springfield Rifles are coming to play Nebraska on what was supposed to be another bye week for the Blazers. This is the second bye week that has been filled this season, which many think is good for the team since they are looking to show other teams around the nation that they are for real. Losing to the Tractors and Plainsmen, the only two teams that the Blazers have played that have winning records and are ranked, have many wondering if the Blazers are over-rated. The Rifles are undefeated and have already beaten the Kansas Plainsmen 28 - 18, who last Saturday defeated the Trail Blazers 24 - 7.
Nebraska Drops Texas From Schedule
August 12, 1999
Nebraska has decided to drop the Texas Diablos from their schedule after many SCFL personnel warned them about the viability of Texas and seeing throughout the season thus far that they have forfeited two of their four games. Not wanting another Memphis situation with the game getting canceled at kick-off time, the Blazers dropped the Diablos and picked up the Kansas City Jazz. The date and time for the game will stay the same.
Blazers Fill Aug. 14 Bye Week!
August 9, 1999
The Aug. 14 Bye has been filled with the Kansas City Panthers. The Panthers called Sunday night to set up the game that fill the void that the Memphis Knights left by not showing for the Trail Blazers home opener on July 10. Contact the Nebraska home office for more info - 891-8238.
HOOTERS TOPLESS CARWASH
July, 20 1999
Come join the Nebraska Trail Blazers and Hooters for a topless carwash. The carwash will be held at Hooters on 129th & Center St. Sunday, July 25 at 1:00 pm. The cost for a carwash is $5.00. This carwash is to help raise money to pay for the Buses the Trail Blazers need for away games. The money also goes towards many other team needs. So come on out and enjoy the afternoon with some beautiful Hooter girls and the Nebraska Trail Blazers.
Trail Blazers Are Looking For Sponsors
July, 4 1999
Any businesses who would like to help out the Nebraska Trail Blazers as one of the team Sponsors please send an e-mail to topdog@radiks.net. We will gladly put your info up on the website and also in our game programs in return for your help. The sponsor page will be up and running as soon as we have all the info from the Sponsors we already have.
1999 Nebraska Trail Blazer Captains
June, 26 1999
The Nebraska Trail Blazers have announced the captains for the 1999 season. Votes were made by the players of the team which would decide who was to join Darryl Moore, last years team MVP, as team captains.
Four players were to be chosen and they are as follows:
Curtis Kallhof - OL
Leroy Harris - QB/ROV
Chris Moore - DE/OL
Tommie Williams - QB/DB
Donnie Dodge Hits The Field
May 10, 1999
Donnie Dodge from Z-92's Todd 'N' Tyler Show will be joining the Trail Blazers as the team's honorary 12th man. Donnie played at North Bend Central H.S. and then went on to play at Midlands College. He joins the team not only to help get the word out on the Trail Blazer's, but he also still has aspirations of playing in the NFL someday.....NOT.