Swogger is among 24 new players

By John Kovach

The former local player is a commodity the team can market.

YOUNGSTOWN — The Mahoning Valley Thunder is hoping quarterback Josh Swogger of Vienna will take a strong leadership role on the team while attracting increased area interest in the af2 franchise in its second season.

Swogger (6-foot-5, 238 pounds) played his high school football for Ursuline then played at Washington State University and the University of Montana (NCAA Football Championship Subdivision — formerly Division I-AA).

Swogger is one of 24 new players on the Thunder roster entering training camp at the Salem Community Center.

“Josh has terrific size for a quarterback, and a cannon arm. He’s a real student of the game, not too many looks are going to surprise him,” Thunder coach Mike Hold said. “He’s been around a number of different offenses, so he’s pretty comfortable in the pocket.”

Hold also likes Swogger’s area connection to the Thunder.

“Having a local kid under center is something this community can rally around,” Hold said. “We’re excited to bring Josh back to the Mahoning Valley and expect big things both for him and the Thunder.”

Swogger certainly has been around, and brings a wealth of experience with him.

After launching his high school career at Mathews, Swogger transferred to Ursuline before his junior season.

In two years with the Irish, Swogger passed for more than 3,900 yards and 30 touchdowns — completing 60 percent of his throws.

Swogger was almost as effective running the ball, rushing for almost 1,000 yards and 16 TDs.

And in his senior season in 2000, he led the Irish (14-1) to the Division IV state championship. He was named Ohio’s Div. IV offensive player of the year, a CBS Sports All-American and was nominated to play in Ohio’s North-South all-star game.

He made first-team All-Steel Valley Conference and All-Ohio honors in both seasons at Ursuline.

Highly-recruited, Swogger elected to accept a football scholarship to Washington State, where he had an up-and-down career interrupted by a foot injury.

After being redshirted in 2002, Swogger launched his WSU career in the 2003 season as a redshirt freshman. Seeing action in nine games, he completed 50 percent of his passes for 548 yards and a touchdown.

Then as a sophomore, Swogger started the Cougars’ first six games before being sidelined because of the foot injury, and threw for 1,283 yards with 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

But in his junior year, he played in only three games and completed half of his passes for 147 yards and one score.

Swogger transferred to Montana to play his final season of eligibility.

There, he struck it rich for one season by averaging 200 yards passing per game and throwing for 2,659 yards and 17 TDs with 12 interceptions, helping the Grizzlies advance to the playoff semifinals.

After his college career, Swogger had tryouts in training camps with the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills, along with the AFL’s Colorado Crush.

And when Swogger plays and practices in the Chevrolet Centre, he will be only about a mile away from his old Ursuline home-game stomping grounds at Stambaugh Stadium, which should bring back many fond memories of his Youngstown days.

And, Hold hopes, it also will bring victories.

kovach@vindy.com