Projekt Spielberg Graz Giants sign veteran QB Anthony Gardner

The Projekt Spielberg Graz Giants have signed veteran quarterback Anthony Gardner for final games of the Austrian Football League Championship Series.

Gardner replaces Hunter McEachern who was injured midway through Game 2 of the best-of-five series with the Dacia Vienna Vikings. The Vikings lead the series over Graz 2-0. The winner will be crowned Austrian champions for 2020.

The 5’11”, 195 pound 33 year old native of Rocky River, Ohio, spent part of the 2020 season with the Badalona Dracs in the Spanish top league before the season was cancelled due to the pandemic.  He led them to wins in all four games, throwing for 1,317 yards and 22 touchdowns while rushing for 138. He played three games of the 2019 season with the Ingolstadt Dukes of the German Football League throwing for 554 yards and four touchdowns.

Playing for the Ljubljana Silverhawks in the Austrian Football League in 2017, he was named AFL MVP leading the league in passing with 3,207 yards and 37 touchdown passes, helping the Silverhawks to the AFL semifinals. Gardner played his university football for the Baldwin Wallace Bluejackets (NCAA Div. III) and was named team MVP in his senior year when he threw for 1,73 yards. He was a two-time All-Ohio Athletic Conference player (2008 and 2009) and B-W Ray. E. Watts Most Valuable Offensive Player (2009), completing 444-of-746 career passes for 5,258 yards and 34 touchdowns and running for 828 yards and 10 more touchdowns.

Needless to say, Gardner is excited:

“I am really excited about joining Graz for this series with the Vikings. I have always respected the Giants and this past week with the team has confirmed that it’s a great group of people to be around. Obviously the Vikings are a great team, so I am really looking forward to the challenge.”

The Giants and Vikings face each other again in Vienna on Saturday, September 26. A Graz win will mean a Game 4 while the Vikings will win the series with a victory. The game will be shown live on AFI.tv

Anthony Gardner highlights from 2018