Demarius Washington is the 6-5 wide receiver for the Salina Liberty of the Arena Football League. Washington was born and raised in the Dallas, Texas area.
Born into Sports
Demarius Washington’s sports journey was destined to happen from the time he entered the world. Having two older brothers who played sports, all he had to do was follow in their footsteps, and those were big footsteps. His brother Daryl would go on to be drafted in the second round of the 2010 NFL draft by the Arizona Cardinals.
Football and basketball played a big role in young Demarius’ life, keeping him on track with his grades and allowing him to keep himself on the field and the court. Basketball was Demarius’ first love, and he’d go on to play both sports later on in life.
When it was time to make a college decision, Washington started at Tyler Junior College in Tyler, Texas. Before making the transition over to Texas Christian University (TCU).
An opportunity to go back to his first love of basketball presented itself when Washington had a chance to try out for the Idaho Stampede (now the Salt Lake City Stars), the D-League (now G-League) affiliate of the NBA’s Utah Jazz.
Washington embraced his experience with the Stampede, making it through multiple rounds of cuts before he learned the cruel reality of the business that it is. He was presented with an opportunity to go to the Salina Bombers to start his indoor football career.
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An Indoor Football Journeyman
When asked what the transition from the traditional outdoor football game to the indoor game was for Washington, he had this to say:
“The biggest thing is knowing the game is much quicker and compact. You’ll run a route having more field and space outdoors, when it’s much smaller and quicker indoors. It’s like taking a few steps back and getting back to the basics, working on the fundamentals of the game. That’s where you excel when it comes to the Arena Game.”
It’s very fitting that Washington has landed back in Salina as that’s where it all started for him. He spent time with the Bombers before being traded to the Lincoln Haymakers in Lincoln, NE. From there, he’d make his way to the Green Bay Blizzard. This is where Washington really broke onto the scene in a big way.
So big in fact, it earned him a tryout with the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts. This was the big stage for Washington and the time to prove himself. He was catching balls from Andrew Luck, standing on the same field as T.Y. Hilton and Frank Gore, and his childhood dream was realized.
Washington made it through a couple of rounds of cuts and into camp before he was cut himself, but he relished the opportunity.
“The experience was undeniable,” Washington told me.
From there, it was back to the indoor game for Demarius—this time with the Colorado Crush and their head coach, Heron O’Neal. Playing for the Indoor Football Hall-of-Fame coach was an honor for Washington.
So much so that when O’Neal asked Demarius to come back to Salina and play with the Liberty for coach “O” it was a no-brainer for the tall wide receiver. The pair would win the 2022 Champions Indoor Football Championship together, and Washington has been on the team for three seasons.
Getting to Know Demarius Washington
On game days Washington likes to calm his nerves with a nice Subway sandwich, more than likely he’s ordering the steak with a few veggies. Then, he likes to relax and tune out the world with a little gospel music before he calls home.
The call back home is a game-day must for Demarius. He calls home to talk to Derrick and Brady Washington before they take the field for every game.
Daryl Washington is who Demarius looked up to and tried to model his game after on the defensive side of the ball.
On offense, as a big wide receiver, that’s who he looked up to the big guys. Randy Moss, Calvin Johnson, Larry Fitzgerald, and Julio Jones. He’d study them and their routes, learning how to separate, keep his feet in, and time his jump.
When he has free time, Demarius is big on team-building activities. If he can spend time with teammates, that’s where he likes to be. They enjoy playing video games, from Madden and 2K to a little bit of Fortnite and going to the bowling alley. It sounds like the team has some pretty fierce games of bowling together.
“It brings the inner kid out of all of us,” he explained.
Team dinners happen a lot with this tight-knit group of players.
The Playoffs
Last week, the Liberty survived a tough matchup with their in-state rival, Southwest Kansas Storm. Washington had three big catches for 70 yards and 2 touchdowns. In the regular season, Washington accounted for an impressive 405 receiving yards and 9 touchdowns in seven games.
This week, the Liberty will take on the Albany Firebirds. A win would put the team into ArenaBowl XXXIII. Washington said he’s heard a lot of smack talk from the Firebirds so far, but he expects a good game between the teams and is confident the Liberty will pull out the victory.
“I look forward to us putting it all out there, trying to dominate all four quarters, so I think it’ll be a good matchup. I like us winning by 14. They haven’t seen our style of play. We’re bringing that different twist.”
Salina will travel to MVP Arena in Albany, New York, on Saturday, July 13th, for a 2:30 p.m. ET kickoff on CBSSN. The winner of the semi-final matchup will play the winner of Billings vs. Nashville in ArenaBowl XXXIII.
