RUBIO BOUNCES BACK QUICKLY, IS ACQUIRED BY ARIZONA CARDINALS

Former Southeast Missouri State University standout Angel Rubio was waived earlier this week by the San Francisco 49ers -- but it didn't take Rubio long to land with another National Football League team.

Rubio, a defensive lineman, has been acquired by the Arizona Cardinals, who have placed him on their 53-man roster that all NFL squads must reach to begin the 1999 season.

Arizona officials said Wednesday that it was not known whether Rubio would be on the Cardinals' 47-man active roster for Sunday's season-opening game at Philadelphia.

NFL teams can activate only 47 players for each game and that list must be finalized the Friday prior to each contest.

Rubio, who earned Division I-AA All-American honors for Southeast in 1997, was originally a seventh-round draft choice of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1998. He wound up with San Francisco and spent the majority of last season on the 49ers' practice squad.

Rubio is one of two former Southeast football stars playing in the NFL, the other being Oakland cornerback Marquis Walker, who last competed for the Indians in 1995

Walker, entering his fourth NFL season, has established himself as a solid player for the Raiders, making seven starts last year and ranking third among the team's defensive backs in tackles. He enters the 1999 campaign as a backup but figures to see plenty of action.