UNLV REBELS

Sept. 9, 2009

LAS VEGAS - Five former UNLV football players are part of opening-week NFL rosters, including one practice squad, as the 2009 regular-season readies for kickoff.

Frank "The Tank" Summers, who led the Rebels in rushing the past two years, is the new starting fullback of the defending Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers after being selected in the fifth round of the annual draft. He'll make his pro debut on Thursday when Pittsburgh takes on Tennessee at 5:30 p.m. PT on NBC.

Another rookie, big offensive lineman Johan Asiata, made the practice squad of the Chicago Bears after signing with the team as an undrafted free agent.

One team has two former Rebels on its roster. The Jacksonville Jaguars are again home to veteran tight end Greg Estandia, who is joined in the locker room this year by UNLV's all-time tackles leader Adam Seward. The longtime member of the Carolina Panthers signed a free-agent deal with the Indianapolis Colts during the offseason but after being cut, joined up with and made the Jaguars squad.

Star cornerback Eric Wright heads into his third season with the Cleveland Browns but recently lost a teammate as former Rebel great Beau Bell was let go by the AFC team over the weekend.

While Bell awaits his next opportunity, the seventh UNLV alum that was in an NFL camp this summer may be headed across the border. Running back/kick returner Dominique Dorsey was the 2008 Canadian Football League Special Teams MVP before signing a free-agent contract with the Washington Redskins.

Dorsey was also part of the weekend's final cuts but has been mentioned in media reports in Canada as making a possible return to his former team, the Toronto Argonauts, if he doesn't catch on with another NFL squad.

PLAYER          AT UNLV POS  CURRENT NFL TEAM
Johan Asiata    2006-08 OL   Chicago Bears (Practice Squad)
Greg Estandia   2003-05 TE   Jacksonville Jaguars
Adam Seward     2001-04 LB   Jacksonville Jaguars
Frank Summers   2007-08 RB   Pittsburgh Steelers
Eric Wright     2006    DB   Cleveland Browns