XFL San Francisco Demons Press Release 8




 
 
Press Release 8
XFL’S Demons Finally Get Their Man: Veteran Diaz-Infante Agrees To Join

Former San Jose State Lineman and South Bay Native Brings Experience of Two Super BowlL Titles To Bolster Offense


The San Francisco Demons already were feeling good about themselves following the conclusion of their second mini-camp this week, but then things got even better when former Bay Area standout David Diaz-Infante officially joined the fold.

“We took David with one of our early territorial selections in hopes of being able to convince him to play back home in the XFL,” vice president and general manager Mike Preacher said. “He came out and observed our mini-camp last week and decided he wanted to be a part of it.”

Diaz-Infante not only brings 10 years of professional football knowledge with him to San Francisco, but he has experienced the ultimate in drama of the game, appearing and winning two Super Bowl titles with the Denver Broncos in 1997 and ’98.

He will join the Demons for training camp in Las Vegas when practice begins Wednesday, Jan. 3. San Francisco will trim its roster during training camp from 70 players initially to the 45 who will begin the XFL season Sunday, Feb. 4, at Pacific Bell Park against the Los Angeles Xtreme.

“I had a hard time making the decision because of my responsibilities at our company here in Denver,” Diaz-Infante said. “but after I visited there last week, I like how the organization approaches things and I believe the league has a great chance to be successful and be another viable option for guys to make a decent living in football.

“I’ve still got some gas in the tank and I’d like to see this develop and be a part of it,” he added. “This will be a great way to put an end on my career. My son, who is three now, wants me to play one more year and it’s a chance to play in my hometown. Plus, I benefited from playing in another league earlier in my career, so this will be a great chance for guys who want to get back to the NFL or just play more football.”

In addition, San Francisco picked up 10-year NFL linebacker and former San Francisco 49er James Williams from the XFL player pool. Williams played with New Orleans (1990-95), Jacksonville (1996) and Cleveland (1999) in addition to the 49ers (1997-98).

Diaz-Infante is believed to be the oldest player to achieve his first NFL starting assignment. He was 32 when he cracked the Broncos’ starting unit for a November, 1996 game at Minnesota. He opened seven games the next year when Denver won its first world title by beating Green Bay, then was the top reserve in the offensive line in 1998 when the Broncos repeated by beating Atlanta in Super Bowl XXXII in Miami.

A native of San Jose, he was all-league and an honorable mention all-American at San Jose State. He played three games with San Diego during the NFL strike in 1987, then played in the World League and Canadian Football League before returning to the NFL full-time with Denver in 1995. He played the 1999 season with Philadelphia.

He will be the elder statesman with the Demons in 2001 at age 36. Two other NFL veterans, cornerback Dwayne Harper and offensive tackle Scott Adams, are 34. Halfback Vaughn Dunbar is 32 and quarterback Mike Pawlawski and receiver Calvin Schexnayder are both 31.

“David’s presence gives us another coach on the field,” Preacher added. “We are excited to have David show the younger players what it takes to be successful and he wants to do that, it’s part of his motivation for playing. He’s an intense competitor, when you line up against David you know you’re in for a war.”


 
 








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