Tulsa Talons Win First Game

TULSA (AP) - A sellout crowd watched the Tulsa Talons roar past the Carolina Rhinos in the arenafootball2 inaugural game 53-36.<br><br>Talons quarterback Eric Hannah, playing his first professional football

Sunday, April 9th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

TULSA (AP) - A sellout crowd watched the Tulsa Talons roar past the Carolina Rhinos in the arenafootball2 inaugural game 53-36.

Talons quarterback Eric Hannah, playing his first professional football of any kind, threw six TD passes for the first time in any game and finished with 208 yards and 16-of-32 completions.

"It was a blast. The game goes so fast when you're out there having fun," Hannah said. "We had to work through some jitters but when we calmed down things started happening naturally for us."

Scott Winters scored the first points and kicked the first field goal in Talons history a 43-yarder in the first quarter, and added two more field goals and six extra points. Tulsa led 15-6, lost the lead at 18-15, and then exploded with a trio of big plays.

It was those big plays that football fan Scott Carpenter bought his front row seats for.

"I really hadn't even watched arena football on TV before," Carpenter said. "This is great. It's better than I thought it would be."