Former Rickards defensive back Cliff Stokes never dreamed of wearing Red, White and Blue, and lining up for his country.
How could he? Unless it somehow involved a Pro Bowl jersey, Stokes aspirations were to make the NFL.
After graduation from Rickards in 2009, Stokes made his way to Iowa State University via Trinity Valley Junior College. He played in 22 games over two seasons for the Cyclones and eventually wound up playing arena football for Sioux City Bandits of the Champions Indoor Football League.
But recently Stokes was chosen to play on the 2015 U.S. Men's National Team, assembled by USA Football, which will compete in the 2015 International Federation of American Football (IFAF) World Championship. The seven-nation tournament will be held July 9-18 in Canton, Ohio, where the Pro Football Hall of Fame is located.
"It's a blessing to be selected, but it's also an honor as well," said Stokes, who played with Rickards from 2005-09. "I'm amazed that out of all the people in the world I would be selected. It's a real big deal to me to represent my country. But it's also about the hard work put in and about being able to continue playing a sport that I love."
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) granted IFAF provisional recognition in December 2013, a step towards permanent IOC membership that could eventually lead to becoming part of the Summer Olympics lineup.
The USMNT includes athletes from 24 states competing against national teams from Australia, Brazil, France, Japan, Mexico and South Korea. The USMNT is coached by former Boise State and Colorado head coach Dan Hawkins.
All games will be played at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium and available via live stream or ESPN3. Matchups are July 9, 12 and 15 with consolation games and the medal round on July 18.
"Growing up, it was always just my dream to play football and reach my ultimate goal of playing in the NFL," Stokes said. "I just stuck with it. I always had that hunger for the game. Everything didn't go as planned, but I'm still on that track. I'm right on course and I want it. It's been a good run. Now I can still go show my talent in front of the world. It's amazing."
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