16Nov/095:30 PM

[Audio] Rattlers relaunched

By Vince Marotta

After months of waiting and speculation, it’s official. The Arizona Rattlers are back.

The team held a press conference Monday to announce that longtime head coach Danny White is back in the fold, and was named team President, while Kevin Guy, who coached the Rattlers in the final Arena Football League season of 2008, is back as head coach and Director of Football Operations. White coached the team for the first 13 years of their existence, guiding them to the playoffs twelve times, and leading them to two Arena Bowl championships. Guy helped the Rattlers to an 8-8 record and a playoff appearance in 2008.

“It’s good to be back,” White said Monday. “It was 13 great years that I spent here with the Rattlers, years that I will never forget, and it is really good to be back.”

In preparation for the 2009 AFL season, the Rattlers held a press conference last November, announcing that White, who had served three seasons as head coach of the Utah Blaze, would be back with the team serving as the offensive coordinator under Guy. But with the league folding, that never happened.

Now, with the birth of Arena Football 1, the duo will finally have the opportunity to work together.

White and Guy also announced that the Rattlers have already signed 22 players in preparation for the 2010 season, including Trandon Harvey, a receiver who caught 110 passes for 1,444 yards and 28 touchdowns in 2008 for the Rattlers. Also in the fold are J.J. McKelvey, a receiver who played for White in Utah, WR/DB Kevin Ingram, who spent most of his AFL career with the Los Angeles Avengers, and offensive linemen Troy Redick and William Obeng, and fullback Shawn Willis, who all played for the San Jose Sabercats during their most recent Arena Bowl championship season of 2007.

Others back from the 2008 Rattlers roster are wide receiver Tod Devoe, defensive tackle Anttaj Hawthorne, offensive lineman Atlas Herrion, linebacker Kurt Kahui, and defensive back Aric Williams.

The inaugural season of Arena Football 1 is slated to begin in April 2010, with anywhere between 12 and 16 teams participating.

Arizona Rattlers Press Conference - November 16, 2009

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