CHARLESTON, Ill. - Ask most football fans to name the former Eastern Illinois football player with the longest current tenure in a professional football league through this season. Most would guess current Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl quarterback Tony Romo with his four years on the Cowboys roster.
All of those guesses would be wrong as former Panther defensive lineman John Moyer is in the midst of his eighth year in the Arena Football League as a member of the Chicago Rush. To top it off, Moyer is not just another guy collecting a pay-check; he has consistently been one of the best football players in the history of the AFL.
Entering this season Moyer ranked eighth in the AFL history with 34.5 career sacks while ranking first in career sacks for the Chicago franchise. He has been a four-time All-Arena League selection, two time AFL All-Ironman selection and in 2004 was named the AFL Lineman of the Year. Those abilities are not something that has been forgotten from his days at EIU.
“John (Moyer) was one of the best junior college transfers we have ever taken here at Eastern Illinois” stated long-time head coach Bob Spoo. “He was a great competitor on the field, a class person and outstanding individual.”
Moyer played two seasons at EIU after transferring from Rock Valley Community College in Rockford, Ill. During his two years at EIU, Moyer helped the Panthers make back-to-back NCAA I-AA playoff appearances and was a second team All-Ohio Valley Conference selection in 1996, EIU's first year in the OVC.
Helping team's make the playoffs is something Moyer has continued to do as a decorated AFL veteran. This season he led ranked second on the team with six tackles for loss while making 28 tackles. The Rush were the league's top defensive unit allowing only 44.9 points per game in a league where teams routinely post 60 points a game.
The Rush won the AFL's Central Division with a 12-4 record and will host the Los Angeles Avengers in the Divisional round of the AFL playoffs. The game will be played on Monday, July 9 and broadcast live on ESPN2 at 8:30 p.m. (EST).
