KISS Football Team Holds Tryout, Spots Talent

Dozens of athletes offered up their skill-sets to the L.A. KISS Arena Football League team over the weekend, but none of the 83 hopefuls at Santa Ana College were offered on-the-spot contracts. 

Still, that doesn't mean there won't be county players filling the roster when the team begins its first season at the Honda Center.

The open tryout included the 40-yard dash, a short shuttle run, long jump, medicine ball toss, the "L drill," where players run around cones on a course shaped like an L, and positional drills.

"We were very happy with the turnout and the level of competition," coach Bob McMillen said of the Saturday tryout. "There's a ton of talent in Southern California and we saw some guys that could potentially push for a roster spot."

McMillen said before the tryout he hoped to sign five players for the team's inaugural training camp.

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

The players paid $75 or $100 to participate in the tryouts.

During his three seasons as coach of the AFL's Chicago Rush, McMillen said he was "able to find a few players that helped our football team" through open tryouts.

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.   

The KISS has signed as its quarterback Colt Brennan, an Orange County native who played at Mater Dei High behind Matt Leinart, then starred at Saddleback College and Hawaii.