Former WR Gore signs with Atlanta Falcons

ATLANTA, Ga. - Former Mars Hill wide receiver P.J. Gore has signed a free agent contract with the Atlanta Falcons. Terms of the deal were undisclosed.

"I'm excited to get an opportunity to go play with the Falcons," Gore said.

Gore, an undrafted rookie who will wear No. 89 for Atlanta during the preseason, becomes the fourth former Mars Hill football player to reach the National Football League, joining a list that includes Michael Grant, Khalid Abdullah, and most recently Chris Dowdell.

"I'm going to go down there and work hard and represent my famiy well."

Gore was a two-sport star for the Lions in football and basketball. In his only season on the field for the Lions, he became the school's first player to record over 1,000 receiving yards in a season with 1,086 yards on 51 catches while scoring nine touchdowns. On the court, Gore scored 1,143 points, ranking 17th in school history.

Last season, Gore was an All-South Atlantic Conference first team selection.

Atlanta begins its 2011 Russell Athletic Training Camp at the team's Flowery Branch headquarters on Friday. The team hits the field at 9:45 a.m. eastern (closed session to the public) and will hold its first practice open to the public starting at 3:25 p.m. The Falcons' training camp will have select morning and afternoon practices open to the public from July 29 - August 21.

Atlanta's first preseason game is set for Friday, August, 12, at 7:30 against the Miami Dolphins. The game will be televised on CBS.

Last year, Atlanta went 13-3 during the regular season, won the NFC South Division and earned the conference's number one seed in the playoffs.