AAFL tryout draws crowd



On a gray morning, in a field normally reserved for teenagers, they came.

About 140 of them, from all sorts of backgrounds, stepped onto Citizens Field for Team Florida's All American Football League tryout Saturday morning in hopes of being part of the expansion league.

And despite the different routes they took and the opportunities that passed them by, all of them shared one goal: to keep the dream of playing professional football alive.

"In my 14 years in the NFL, I saw so many good players that didn't make it for one reason or another," said Florida head coach Shane Matthews, one of the most successful quarterbacks in Gator history. "Maybe there were too many players on a roster or the time wasn't right and they never got a chance.

"This is that second chance."

Six teams currently make up the AAFL, which will begin play April 12 and will only feature players who graduated with a four-year college degree. Team Florida owns the rights to any player who graduated from a college in Florida, while those who graduated from a state that does not have an AAFL team can enter the draft, scheduled for Jan. 25.

Most of the ones who showed up for the invitation-only tryout were allowed to stay for the afternoon 7-on-7 drills.

"The only reason we're all involved is because of the uniqueness of this concept and the connection to the university," said player/coach Travis McGriff, who finished his Gator career 12th all time in receptions and played several years in the NFL and Arena Football League. "When you leave college, you never think you'll play in that stadium again and to get that chance, it's a neat concept."

For Chris Leak stood at the pinnacle of college football, lifting the national championship trophy in front of a national TV audience and a sold-out stadium in Glendale, Ariz.

Now, Chris Leak shares the field with guys who are just looking to keep their dreams afloat. On top of that, the new offense will be an adjustment for the four-year Gators starting quarterback because with Matthews as head coach, Florida is going to run the Fun 'n Gun — the same system Chris Leak's competition, 34-year-old Eric Kresser, ran in the mid-1990s under Steve Spurrier.

Chris Leak is not worried.

"I'm not new to that," Chris Leak said. "All I did in high school was throw it, so I'm excited to be in it and Shane is a great teacher, so I'm going to learn as much as I can from him."

Chris Leak isn't the only one who is trying to bounce back after disappointments in other pro leagues.

Steve Rissler, the Gators' offensive lineman from 2003-2006, is trying to get his shot after being released by the Dallas Cowboys right before the season. Tremaine McCollum, the Gators' cornerback from 2002-2006, had a bad combine and is trying to show the world he can still play the game. Former Gator linebacker Brian Crum is trying to get his second chance after he tore his ankle in the preseason with the Kansas City Chiefs. And Taurean Charles is trying to repair the bad rap he caught after he left Gainesville in the summer of 2005 when he allegedly hit a UF student with a beer keg.

But perhaps the best thing about the league is that coupled with the more recent Gators younger fans can identify with, you have the McGriffs, Willie Jacksons, Kressers and Chris Doerings that makes you think this crazy idea of bringing together a bunch of UF alums to relive a magic most Gator fans thought was gone might work.

"I think it's a great concept," Chris Leak said. "These guys out here, they're playing because they love to play football," Chris Leak said. "They just love the game and you love being around guys like that."

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