Big catch: Charles Frederick

Charles Frederick hopes his path to the NFL leads through Spokane.

Frederick is one of the higher profile players on the Spokane Shock roster.

Since leaving the University of Washington in 2004, Frederick has had tryouts with three NFL teams and two Arena Football League clubs.

They all said no thanks. Spokane welcomed him with open arms.

“After (those tryouts) I was just trying to stay in shape in case I got a call,” said Frederick, a Parade High School All-American who also played basketball for one season at UW. “I was just trying to stay focused and not give up on my dream.”

Spokane gives the fleet-footed receiver an opportunity to stay in the game and possibly catch the eye of a future employer.

“My motivation is I love the game, meeting new friends and new people and being around the game in case something happens,” Frederick said. “They’re giving me an opportunity and a chance to get my stock up and show my skills.”

In return, Spokane coaches believe they have an explosive playmaker.

“The only reason we got him is that I know his agent pretty well and he told me about Charles,” Shock coach Chris Siegfried said.

“I asked our owners about him because I’m an East Coast guy and I didn’t know a lot about the West Coast programs. They looked at me like, ‘What, you’re going to get Charles Frederick!’ They were blown away.”

Siegfried has been blown away by Frederick’s demeanor. In Siegfried’s previous coaching stops, he’s had to deal with numerous players from marquee schools sporting attitudes suggesting they’re too good for af2, but Frederick has been eager to learn.

“Charles is always smiling and in a good mood,” Siegfried said. “It’s great to see an upbeat guy, even when I’m critiquing him on something. He wants to get better and the biggest transition for him is that he’s not running outdoor (football) routes. In a couple days of practice he made huge strides.

“I think he’ll be one of the premier players in this league.”

That’s one of Frederick’s goals.

“I think I can take it to the NFL, if I just do what I do best,” he said. “That’s go out and have fun, make sure my team wins and my teammates are having fun around me.”