Enter your search terms Submit search form   Web www.all-xfl.com Press Release 5 Chasing the dream Fullback Ryan Christopherson sat in front of his locker following the last of 13 practices Monday in the San Francisco Demons’ first pre-season mini-camp. Just how many different thoughts were whirling around was anyone’s guess. You see, Ryan had just started a job in corporate sales for a major office services company a year ago and now he’s going to inform his supervisors he will be moving on. No, he’s not going to one of the nationally known corporation’s competitors; he’s going to San Francisco to play football. To chase his dream. Christopherson is sensitive to the projects he has in the works with his soon-to-be former ex-employer, including a high-ticket project currently in the works. That’s why the laptop computer made the trip and he was working on it each night after practice and had plans to continue Monday afternoon during the trek back to Colorado. “There are a lot more opportunities in football now then there were even when I graduated from college,” Christopherson said. “While you’re young, if you get the chance, you’ve got to do it.” Christopherson was drafted following a stellar collegiate career at Wyoming by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 1995. He played 11 games that year and two with the Jaguars and six with Arizona the next season. In fact, he scored three touchdowns in Jacksonville’s first-ever victory, a 24-21 pre-season triumph at Miami. He also scored once during the regular season. Demons’ Head Coach Jim Skipper coached Christopherson for a large portion of the 1996 season with the Cardinals and encouraged Ryan to give the XFL a try. Skipper had more than a token influence in convincing Ryan to take a look. “He’s one of those guys who weren’t planning on playing any more ball,” Skipper said. “He’s going to be giving up an $80,000 salary to be with us. He just needs to lose a little weight now.” Christopherson acknowledged he arrived for mini-camp weighing 10-15 pounds more than he wanted, but now that he knows what the XFL is all about, he’ll go about shedding the unwanted weight by the December mini-camp with the entire squad. “My bosses told me to take a look at it like I would any other start-up company,” Christopherson said, then added what was probably obvious. “We’ve been acting as if I’m not coming back, but this confirms it. I want to leave in a good way with them.” Ryan already had taken a leave of absence in August to attend the Denver Broncos’ training camp, so he ruled out that avenue this time around. As for the difference in his former salary and the XFL’s $45,000 plus bonuses, Ryan said, “This is a lot shorter of a time period.” Christopherson was a two-time academic all-American at Wyoming and also finished as the school’s all-time leading rusher with more than 2,900 yards. His credentials for both the corporate and football worlds are impeccable.

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