Local Football Players Sought To Play For LA KISS

LA KISS will hold open tryouts Saturday at Santa Ana College, with the Arena Football League team hoping to sign five players for its inaugural training camp, coach Bob McMillen said.

The tryout will include the 40-yard dash, a short shuttle run, long jump, medicine ball toss, the "L drill," where players run around cones shaped like an L, and positional drills, McMillen said.

The registration fee for the tryouts is $75 in advance and $100 on Saturday. Registration will begin at 8 a.m. and tryouts at 9 a.m. More information about the tryouts is available by calling (714) 462-KISS.

During his three seasons as coach of the AFL's Chicago Rush, McMillen conducted open tryouts he said attracted players who "hadn't played in a few years that were still hungry to try to get an opportunity to play professional football."

"We were able to find a few players that helped our football team," McMillen said.

McMillen said he is expecting better players at the tryouts than in Chicago "because of the pool of players that are here."

The tryouts came as a result of the team receiving many calls from players and agents, McMillen said.

Every AFL team conducts open tryouts annually, with about 15-20 players per year receive training camp spots after participating in them, according to league Director of Communications BJ Pickard.

McMillen's AFL playing career came as a result of an open tryout. He went on to play nine seasons in the league and was elected  to its Hall of Fame earlier last year. Two other AFL Hall of Fame members, Barry Wagner and George LaFrance, were also discovered at open tryouts, Pickard told City News Service.

LA KISS, whose ownership group includes Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of the rock band KISS, will make its debut March 15 with a game at San Antonio. It will play its home opener April 5 against the Portland Thunder at Anaheim's Honda Center. --City News Service