Puleri, 29, is a four year veteran in the Arena League and has spent some time in both the CFL and The World League. Charles has spent most of the last two seasons with the Barnstormers as a backup to All-League Quarterback Kurt Warner, now with the St. Louis Rams of the NFL.
"Charles will be a great addition to the Red Dogs this season. I felt that we needed someone with Arena League experience to backup Rickey (Foggie) and he is the man to do it," said Mattiace. "He will also be able to help with the 'on the field' type coaching that he as a veteran can give us. In many cases he will be able to see things that others may not see and he will be able to advise the players on the field or consult with the coaches. I think that having Charles here was a great move for us and brings us one step closer to where we want to be at the start of the '99 season."
Puleri will be entering his fourth year in the Arena League; he started out with the Miami Hooters in 1995 and moved to the Texas Terror in ‘96. He was also the starting QB for the London Monarchs of the World League in 1997 before coming to the Barnstormers. Last season he saw limited action for the Barnstormers but still managed to hit 53% of his passes, going 67-126 for 866 yards and 11 touchdowns. Puleri played two years at New Mexico State and his senior year he passed for 2,788 yards and 16 touchdowns. He was named Second-Team All-Big West and led the league in passing efficiency.
"I think that we got a great reserve quarterback in Charles. Whenever you have a chance to acquire veteran leadership at the quarterback position you need to go and get it," said Red Dogs President, Joe Morris. "We are looking forward to the season and now that we have a quality number two man behind Rickey, we can move ahead with our game plan for this season..."