April 25, 2008

Former West Texas A&M University wide receiver Anthony Armstrong will be playing Monday night in another Dallas-Philadelphia battle for first place in the Eastern Division. Granted, it's not the Cowboys against the Eagles, but both of these teams are unbeaten and the winner of the game will be on top of the National Conference's Eastern Division of the Arena Football League.

Armstrong plays for the 7-0 Dallas Desperados and they will be in Philadelphia Monday night on national television to battle the Jon Bon Jovi-owned Soul, who sport an unblemished 8-0 mark. League officials have termed the game as the "Broad Street Brawl." It will be televised on ESPN2 at 7:00 p.m. (Amarillo time).

Armstrong was an outstanding player for WT from 2001-2004, and is the #5 all-time Buff pass receiver with 145 catches for 1,768 yards and nine touchdowns. In 2003 he was named to the first team All-Lone Star Conference South Division offense and was the LSC South Division Receiver of the Year, when led the Buffs with 54 receptions for 740 yards and four TD's. He also tied a team and LSC record with a 100-yard kickoff return in the Buffs' 49-23 victory at Eastern New Mexico in the Wagon Wheel Game on Nov. 8th.

As a senior in 2004 he was named to the second team of the All-LSC South Division offensive team, as he led the Buffs with 54 catches for 607 yards and four TD's.

His indoor pro football career began in 2006 with the Odessa Roughnecks of the Intense Football League, where caught 55 passes for 760 yards and 18 touchdowns. Armstrong also ran the ball four times for 39 yards and three TD's and returned seven kickoffs for 166 yards and a touchdown. And for good measure on defense, Armstrong recorded eight tackles, two pass breakups, and a fumble recovery.

Armstrong's Desperado career started last year on the practice squad before being signed to the active roster on March 26th. His AFL debut on March 31st was spectacular against the Austin Wranglers, as he recovered an onside kickoff 40 yards for a touchdown that gave Dallas a victory late in the game. He was active in only two other games and finished the season with 10 receptions for 126 yards and two TD's, before he was placed on the reserve/injured list on May 2nd with a hamstring injury and missed the rest of the season.

This year Armstrong got the season off to a big start on March 1st in a 51-41 victory at the Georgia Force, as led the team with 11 catches for 135 yards and two touchdowns. Currently, he is third on the Desperados with 39 receptions for 515 yards and six touchdowns.

The graduate of Newman Smith High School in Carrollton, Texas, received his marketing degree from WT in May 2005. Since joining the Desperados, he has been an active participant in the team's community outreach programs.