Russ Michna
Encyclopedia
Russell Walter Michna is a gridiron football
quarterback
who is currently a Free Agent
of the Arena Football League
. He was signed by the St. Louis Rams
as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football
at Western Illinois.
Michna has also played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
, Chicago Slaughter, Chicago Rush
, and Las Vegas Locomotives
.
He is the only player that has been signed to a team in every current major professional football league: NFL
, UFL, CFL
, AFL. Michna also played in the CIFL.
in Hoffman Estates, Illinois
and was a student and a letterman in football
, basketball
, and baseball
. In football, he was an All-State selection as a senior. Russ Walter Michna graduated from James B. Conant High School
in 1999.
of the Arena Football League
in 2007, after the team was coming off a victory in ArenaBowl XX
. He spent the season as the team's second string quarterback behind Matt D'Orazio
and in the regular season, completed just two of three passes for 44 yards. However, a back injury hampered D'Orazio at the end of the season. Although, D'Orazio started both of the Rush playoff games, Michna saw action in each. In the opening game, the Rush took a 31-14 lead over the Los Angeles Avengers
, en route to a 52-20 win. This allowed D'Orazio to rest, Michna completed all six of his passes for 73 yards. The following week, on the road against the San Jose Sabercats
in the conference championship, D'Orazio started, but was ineffective with the back injury. He completed just six of 18 passes with three interceptions. The Sabercats jumped out to a 28-7 lead, and Michna came in. He went 22 of 30 for 247 yards, five touchdowns to one pick, but the Rush could not complete the comeback, and fell 61-49. It was the third time the Rush met San Jose in the AFL semifinals, and second time the team lost. San Jose would go on to win ArenaBowl XXI
with a 55-33 win over the Columbus Destroyers
.
In 2008, D'Orazio signed with the Philadelphia Soul
, and the Rush signed AFL veteran Sherdrick Bonner
, who figured to be the starter. However, Bonner got injured early in the season and Michna was named the Rush's starting quarterback. He would lead the team the rest of the way, even when Bonner got healthy. Michna finished the season with 57 touchdowns, seven interceptions and 2,721 yards on 239 completions and 351 attempts. The Rush finished the season 11-5, won the division, and for the first time in franchise history, had home field advantage for the playoffs. However, the Grand Rapids Rampage, who made the playoffs as a wild card seed with just a 6-10 record, stunned the Rush with a 58-41 upset in the Divisional Playoffs.
, Bobby Sippio
, Dennison Robinson
, DeJuan Alfonzo
, and Bob McMillen
. Michna led the Chicago Slaughter to an undefeated record (14-0) and a CIFL Championship. He was named the CIFL Offensive Player of the week this season 1 time and was named league MVP. Not only has he led the Chicago Slaughter to their first undefeated season, he has also led the Chicago Slaughter to its first championship. Michna has also broken the record for most touchdowns in a game (twice, the second time he broke his own record.)
of the United Football League on August 31, 2009 and served as a back-up during the Locos championship run.
on January 2, 2010. He was once again the team's starting quarterback. In fourteen contests, he completed 290 of 423 passes for 3,860 yards, 70 touchdowns and 11 interceptions for a quarterback rating of 126.0. It was good enough to finish second in the league in passer rating, behind Milwaukee Iron
quarterback Chris Greisen
, who would sign with the Dallas Cowboys
at the end of the year.
For the 2011 season, he switched his jersey number from 8 to 12, which he wore in college.. Michna led the Rush to a 9-3 record before suffering an ankle injury. In 12 games, he put up 2,896 yards, 66 touchdowns, 13 interceptions and completed 236 of 354 passes for a 116.0 rating..
Gridiron football
Gridiron football , sometimes known as North American football, is an umbrella term for related codes of football primarily played in the United States and Canada. The predominant forms of gridiron football are American football and Canadian football...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
who is currently a Free Agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
of the Arena Football League
Arena Football League
The Arena Football League is the highest level of professional indoor American football in the United States. It is currently the second longest running professional football league in the United States, after the National Football League. It was founded in 1987 by Jim Foster...
. He was signed by the St. Louis Rams
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams are a professional American football team based in St. Louis, Missouri. They are currently members of the West Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Rams have won three NFL Championships .The Rams began playing in 1936 in Cleveland,...
as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Western Illinois.
Michna has also played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded...
, Chicago Slaughter, Chicago Rush
Chicago Rush
The Chicago Rush is an arena football team based in Rosemont, Illinois. It is a member of the Central Division of the National Conference of the Arena Football League. The team was founded in 2001 and is co-owned by Mike Ditka, the Hall of Fame player and coach.The Rush have qualified for the...
, and Las Vegas Locomotives
Las Vegas Locomotives
The Las Vegas Locomotives are a professional American football team based in Las Vegas, Nevada who play in the United Football League. The team plays its home games in Sam Boyd Stadium, home field for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Jim Fassel is the franchise's head coach, president, and...
.
He is the only player that has been signed to a team in every current major professional football league: NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, UFL, CFL
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
, AFL. Michna also played in the CIFL.
Early years
Michna attended James B. Conant High SchoolJames B. Conant High School
James B. Conant High School is a public four-year high school located in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States...
in Hoffman Estates, Illinois
Hoffman Estates, Illinois
Hoffman Estates is a northwestern suburb of Chicago in Illinois. The village is located primarily in Cook County with a small section in Kane County, Illinois. As of the 2000 census, the village population was 49,495 and estimated to be 52,520 in 2003...
and was a student and a letterman in football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, and baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
. In football, he was an All-State selection as a senior. Russ Walter Michna graduated from James B. Conant High School
James B. Conant High School
James B. Conant High School is a public four-year high school located in Hoffman Estates, Illinois, a northwest suburb of Chicago, Illinois, in the United States...
in 1999.
Chicago Rush 2007-2008
Michna joined the Chicago RushChicago Rush
The Chicago Rush is an arena football team based in Rosemont, Illinois. It is a member of the Central Division of the National Conference of the Arena Football League. The team was founded in 2001 and is co-owned by Mike Ditka, the Hall of Fame player and coach.The Rush have qualified for the...
of the Arena Football League
Arena Football League
The Arena Football League is the highest level of professional indoor American football in the United States. It is currently the second longest running professional football league in the United States, after the National Football League. It was founded in 1987 by Jim Foster...
in 2007, after the team was coming off a victory in ArenaBowl XX
ArenaBowl XX
ArenaBowl XX, held on Sunday, June 11, 2006, was played to determine the championship of the 2006 season of the Arena Football League. For the second consecutive year, the game was played at the neutral site of the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. It pitted the National Conference...
. He spent the season as the team's second string quarterback behind Matt D'Orazio
Matt D'Orazio
Matthew Louis D’Orazio is a professional American football quarterback Free Agent. He played college football at Otterbein College....
and in the regular season, completed just two of three passes for 44 yards. However, a back injury hampered D'Orazio at the end of the season. Although, D'Orazio started both of the Rush playoff games, Michna saw action in each. In the opening game, the Rush took a 31-14 lead over the Los Angeles Avengers
Los Angeles Avengers
The Los Angeles Avengers was an Arena Football League team based in Los Angeles, California from 2000 through 2008. They folded on April 19, 2009.-History:...
, en route to a 52-20 win. This allowed D'Orazio to rest, Michna completed all six of his passes for 73 yards. The following week, on the road against the San Jose Sabercats
San Jose SaberCats
The San Jose SaberCats are a professional arena football team in the Arena Football League. They began play as a 1995 expansion team. They played in the Western Division of the American Conference. Their final coach in the original Arena Football League was Darren Arbet, who will be a part of the...
in the conference championship, D'Orazio started, but was ineffective with the back injury. He completed just six of 18 passes with three interceptions. The Sabercats jumped out to a 28-7 lead, and Michna came in. He went 22 of 30 for 247 yards, five touchdowns to one pick, but the Rush could not complete the comeback, and fell 61-49. It was the third time the Rush met San Jose in the AFL semifinals, and second time the team lost. San Jose would go on to win ArenaBowl XXI
ArenaBowl XXI
ArenaBowl XXI was the 2007 championship game of the Arena Football League and was played at the New Orleans Arena in New Orleans, Louisiana on Sunday, July 29, 2007. It was the third-ever neutral site title game in league's history and the first held in the state of Louisiana...
with a 55-33 win over the Columbus Destroyers
Columbus Destroyers
The Columbus Destroyers were an Arena Football League team based in Columbus, Ohio. The team was founded in as the Buffalo Destroyers, based in Buffalo, New York, and relocated to Columbus in . They folded along with the original incarnation of the AFL following the 2008 season, after a total of...
.
In 2008, D'Orazio signed with the Philadelphia Soul
Philadelphia Soul
The Philadelphia Soul are an Arena Football League team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They began play in as an expansion team. The team plays in the Eastern Division of the American Conference. They won their first ArenaBowl in 2008, defeating the San Jose SaberCats 59–56 in ArenaBowl XXII...
, and the Rush signed AFL veteran Sherdrick Bonner
Sherdrick Bonner
Sherdrick Bonner is a former Arena football quarterback who is currently the offensive coordinator of the Chicago Rush in the Arena Football League.-High school years:...
, who figured to be the starter. However, Bonner got injured early in the season and Michna was named the Rush's starting quarterback. He would lead the team the rest of the way, even when Bonner got healthy. Michna finished the season with 57 touchdowns, seven interceptions and 2,721 yards on 239 completions and 351 attempts. The Rush finished the season 11-5, won the division, and for the first time in franchise history, had home field advantage for the playoffs. However, the Grand Rapids Rampage, who made the playoffs as a wild card seed with just a 6-10 record, stunned the Rush with a 58-41 upset in the Divisional Playoffs.
Chicago Slaughter 2009
When the Arena Football League suspended operations in 2009, Michna signed with the Chicago Slaughter of the CIFL, along with other Rush players and coaches Donovan MorganDonovan Morgan
Andrew Vassos is an American professional wrestler, better known by his ring name, Donovan Morgan. Best known for his appearances with Pro Wrestling Noah in Japan and Ring of Honor in the United States, Morgan received tryouts with World Championship Wrestling and the World Wrestling Federation in...
, Bobby Sippio
Bobby Sippio
Robert Lee "Bobby" Sippio, Jr. is an American football wide receiver for the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League. He was signed by the Peoria Pirates in 2002...
, Dennison Robinson
Dennison Robinson
Marquette Dennison Robinson is an American football defensive back for the Chicago Slaughter of the Indoor Football League. He attended the University of West Georgia.-High school years:...
, DeJuan Alfonzo
DeJuan Alfonzo
DeJuan R. Alfonzo is an American football wide receiver/linebacker for the Philadelphia Soul of the Arena Football League . Alfonzo attended Indiana State University.-College and NFL career:...
, and Bob McMillen
Bob McMillen (American football)
Robert James "Bob" McMillen, Jr. is an American Arena Football League coach for the Chicago Rush. He is a retired Arena football player, formerly a Fullback/Linebacker for the Chicago Rush of the Arena Football League.-Early years:McMillen attended Immaculate Conception High School where he...
. Michna led the Chicago Slaughter to an undefeated record (14-0) and a CIFL Championship. He was named the CIFL Offensive Player of the week this season 1 time and was named league MVP. Not only has he led the Chicago Slaughter to their first undefeated season, he has also led the Chicago Slaughter to its first championship. Michna has also broken the record for most touchdowns in a game (twice, the second time he broke his own record.)
2009
Michna was signed by the Las Vegas LocomotivesLas Vegas Locomotives
The Las Vegas Locomotives are a professional American football team based in Las Vegas, Nevada who play in the United Football League. The team plays its home games in Sam Boyd Stadium, home field for the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Jim Fassel is the franchise's head coach, president, and...
of the United Football League on August 31, 2009 and served as a back-up during the Locos championship run.
2010
Although cut before the season began, Michna returned to the Locos when an injury to Tim Rattay opened a slot as back-up again on the Locos' roster.Return to the Rush
Michna was re-signed by the Chicago RushChicago Rush
The Chicago Rush is an arena football team based in Rosemont, Illinois. It is a member of the Central Division of the National Conference of the Arena Football League. The team was founded in 2001 and is co-owned by Mike Ditka, the Hall of Fame player and coach.The Rush have qualified for the...
on January 2, 2010. He was once again the team's starting quarterback. In fourteen contests, he completed 290 of 423 passes for 3,860 yards, 70 touchdowns and 11 interceptions for a quarterback rating of 126.0. It was good enough to finish second in the league in passer rating, behind Milwaukee Iron
Milwaukee Iron
The Milwaukee Mustangs are a professional arena football team based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. They are currently members of the Arena Football League , which they joined in 2010 during the league's restructuring...
quarterback Chris Greisen
Chris Greisen
Christopher J. Greisen is an American football quarterback for the Virginia Destroyers of the United Football League. He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the seventh round of the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at Northwest Missouri State...
, who would sign with the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
at the end of the year.
For the 2011 season, he switched his jersey number from 8 to 12, which he wore in college.. Michna led the Rush to a 9-3 record before suffering an ankle injury. In 12 games, he put up 2,896 yards, 66 touchdowns, 13 interceptions and completed 236 of 354 passes for a 116.0 rating..