Aug. 4, 2008
Courtesy: Arena Football League
www.arenabowl.com
NEW ORLEANS - Fayetteville State University Assistant Football Coach, Connell Maynor was apart of the Philadelphia Soul coaching staff that recently won ArenaBowl XXII on July 27th. This will be Coach Maynor's ninth season with the FSU Broncos as an assistant coach; he works with the quarterbacks on their technique and execution. Maynor entered his second season with the Philadelphia Soul as the offensive coordinator. He was in his first season on the field as a coach last season after ending his Arena Football League (AFL) career with the Philadelphia Soul in 2006.
The Philadelphia Soul captured Virgin Mobile ArenaBowl XXII, after knocking off the San Jose SaberCats, 59-56, in front of a sold-out crowd of 17,244 at New Orleans Arena. The victory gave Philadelphia its first title in franchise history and denied San Jose its second straight ArenaBowl championship.
Soul quarterback Matt D'Orazio (Columbus, Ohio) completed 26 of 43 pass attempts for 302 yards and seven touchdowns and rushing for one score to be named Mitsubishi Motors ArenaBowl XXII MVP. Meanwhile, Philadelphia receiver Chris Jackson (Santa Ana, Calif.) was named the Offensive Player of the Game after totaling 11 catches for a game-high 146 yards and three touchdowns.
The SaberCats, who were looking to earn their fourth championship in seven seasons, had several opportunities catch up to the Soul, who posted an AFL-best 13-3 regular-season record. But early mistakes and turnovers allowed Philadelphia to jump out to a 19-point third-quarter advantage it would not relinquish.
The SaberCats refused to go out quietly. Wright narrowed the lead to 11 points with his 13th catch of the night, an ArenaBowl record. San Jose's Trestin George (Berkeley, Calif.) then recovered an onside kick, setting up Geathers' fifth touchdown grab of the night and bringing the SaberCats within a field goal. The miracle comeback came up short, however, as Philadelphia's Rod Davis (Gulfport, Miss.) recovered the final onside kick of the night.
Maynor ended his playing career as the only player in AFL history serving as a quarterback, wide receiver, linebacker and kick return specialist. He is the only player in the AFL to record more than 5,000 passing yards, 500 receiving yards, 400 rushing yards, and 400 yards in kickoff returns in his career. Throughout his 12 year career, Maynor played for multiple teams, including the Philadelphia Soul, Orlando Predators, Carolina Cobras, New Jersey Gladiators, New York Cityhawks and the Tampa Bay Storm. Of those teams, he was a part of three ArenaBowl Championships '95, '96-Tampa Bay, '98, '00-Orlando.
In 2003, he set career-highs in every passing category while completing 235-of-400 passes for 3,167 yards with 54 touchdowns despite 10 interceptions.
Maynor attended North Carolina A&T University, where he was named MEAC Player of the Year in both 1990 and 1991. While a member of the Aggies he passed for 1,527 yards and 18 touchdowns, while rushing for 288 yards and eight touchdowns. He led his team to a 9-2 record his senior year and currently resides in Orlando, FL and Fayetteville, NC.
