LOS ANGELES -- Greg Hopkins, a perennial “Ironman of the Year” candidate and one of the top wide receiver/linebackers in Arena Football League history, has signed a two-year contract extension that will keep him with the Los Angeles Avengers through the 2006 season, head coach Ed Hodgkiss announced today.

“Greg is a leader on and off the field,” said Hodgkiss, who has led the Avengers to the playoffs in each of his three years at the helm. “He is very important to this team and is arguably the greatest player to play his position. Greg is a future Hall of Famer and we want to keep him in Los Angeles until the end of his career.”

Hopkins (6-foot-2, 205 pounds), who has nine years of AFL experience, was one of three players to start all 16 games for the Avengers last season. He hauled in 66 receptions for 745 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2004. Hopkins also rushed for three touchdowns and scored a total of 98 points. Defensively, he finished with 40 tackles (2.5 for losses), three pass deflections, three interceptions and one quarterback sack.

“By signing for two more seasons, I hope to find a way to help our team play up to its potential,” Hopkins said. “We have shown flashes of greatness at times, I want to do this each and every game.”

The 2002 AFL “Ironman of the Year,” Hopkins has caught 677 passes in his career for 8,465 yards and 168 touchdowns. He ranks seventh on the league’s all-time list in catches, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. In addition, Hopkins has accounted for 292.5 tackles, 20 interceptions and nine defensive scores.

A four-year letterman at Slippery Rock University, Hopkins was one of the nation’s top Division II receivers. He was named to the All-America and All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference teams for three consecutive years and owns nine school records.

The Avengers went 9-7 this past season and averaged 12,590 fans at each of their eight home games at STAPLES Center.

Fifty dollar deposits for 2005 Avenger season tickets are now being accepted at 1-888-AVENGERS or online at www.laavengers.com.