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Former Football Standout Matt King Signs Contract with Hamilton of the CFL
April 29, 2008
ORONO, Maine - Former University of Maine football standout Matt King signed a free agent contract last week with the Hamilton (Ontario) Tiger Cats of the Canadien Football League (CFL). King played at Maine from 2002-06 and was a feared defender in the Atlantic 10 Conference during the 2005 and 2006 seasons. He got off to a strong start in the 2005 campaign as he recorded 6.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in the first three games before suffering a season-ending hand injury in the first quarter versus Richmond. King played through the pain the rest of the contest against the Spiders and still recorded six tackles (5 solo), including three for loss. King came back from the injury for the 2006 season and turned in one of the finest defensive performances in school history and in the nation that year. He recorded 11.5 sacks that season and ranked second in the nation at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision level. King was also just one of nine players in ALL OF DIVISION I FOOTBALL that year to average 1.05 sacks per game. For his efforts, King was a consensus first-team All-American, First-Team All-Atlantic 10 selection, First-Team ECAC All-Star, and finished sixth in the voting for the Buck Buchanan Award which is given annually to the nation's most outstanding defensive player in the FCS. Following his career at Maine, King spent time in both the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers training camps last season. The Tiger Cats will begin their preseason camp next month, and will play in their first game on Thursday, June 12, when they play host to Winnipeg.
King is one of two Black Bear football players to sign a professional football contract within the last week, joining Anthony Cotrone, who signed a rookie free agent deal with the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday night.
For more information on how former Black Bear football players are doing professionally, please click on the "Black Bears in the NFL" button on the football page at www.GoBlackBears.com(.) |
