Turfcats snag former Avenger in hunt for championship

AUSTIN, TEXAS (March 9, 2009) The Austin Turfcats signed former Los Angeles Avenger Robert Quiroga over the weekend.

The 6-foot-2-inch, 210 lbs. wide receiver and kick returner will play in the Turfcats’ inaugural season starting April 18.

“Quiroga is a threat anytime he gets near the ball,” said Turfcats General Manager and Vice President Ronald Oswalt. “He is an extra weapon in arsenal to ensure that we are the ‘fastest game on the turf.’”

Following the 2004 NFL Draft, Quiroga signed with the Baltimore Ravens and participated in their training camp.

Quiroga, a two-way player who spends most of his time on defense at “jack” linebacker, spent the last three seasons with the Los Angeles Avengers of the Arena Football League. He saw most of his time on offense when the Avengers where inside the opponents 10 yard line. Ten of Quiroga’s first 17 catches in 2007 were for touchdowns.

A three-year starter at wide receiver for Baylor University in Waco, Texas, Quiroga caught 131 passes for 1,478 yards and nine touchdowns in 46 games for the Bears. He also returned 31 kickoffs for 752 yards and two touchdowns. As a senior in 2003, he caught 42 passes for 490 yards and four touchdowns and was a first-team All-Big 12 Conference selection by both the “Waco Tribune-Herald” and the “Dallas Morning News.” Quiroga is one of only two players in Baylor history to record a 100-yard kickoff return. In 2003, he also became just the second player in Big 12 history to return two kickoffs for score in a single season.

“This was one of the pieces we wanted for our run in 2009,” Oswalt said. “Coach (Chris) Duliban and I are so excited by the addition of Quiroga. He has great talent and will be a cornerstone for the level of talent the Southern Indoor Football League has to offer.”

Quiroga attended Holmes High School in San Antonio, where he made first-team All-Greater San Antonio selection at both receiver and punter. He was listed among Texas’ Top 100 by the “San Antonio Express-News” and was an honorable mention all-state pick. Quiroga caught 51 passes for 1,061 yards and 18 touchdowns as a senior and also scored two rushing touchdowns and three on punt returns. In addition, he threw for a pair of touchdowns. A member of the Holmes track & field team, he also ran the anchor leg on the 1,600-meter relay team that captured the Class 5A state championship in 1999.