During a season in which consistency from week-to-week was one of the biggest issues for the DC Breeze, one player was a permanent fixture on the roster. AUDL Rookie David Bloodgood has been awarded as the Breeze’s only recipient of the AUDL’s Steel Spirit Award for the 2017 season for appearing in every regular season game.
The award is given to all players across the league who played in all 14 regular season games for their respective teams. Bloodgood joins 72 other athletes including 19 others from the AUDL East division. He also appeared in both playoff games, making it 16 for 16 in 2017.
In his first year with the Breeze, the Maryland native was quickly slated for defensive line starting duties for his obvious talents along with his history with head coach Darryl Stanley. Serving as the primary handler, Bloodgood was the navigator for the defensive unit throughout the entire season. He caught the disc in the end zone 19 times, threw eight scores, and recorded 15 blocks. Only three other Breeze players were on the field more than Bloodgood’s 256 points in 2017.
Four other Breeze players came up just one game short of earning a Steel Spirit Award this season. Chuck Cantone, Delrico Johnson, Lloyd Blake, and Austin Bartenstein each fell one game short with 13 appearances apiece in the 14 regular season games. For comparison, Breeze players overall appeared in an average of eight games in 2017.
The Lehigh University graduate joins Daniel ‘White Hat’ Selwyn, honored in 2015, and Cantone in 2016 as the only Breeze players to win the award.
