FOUR BULLDOGS NAMED ALL-REGION BY HANSEN'S FOOTBALL GAZETTE

Three Receive All-Northwest Region Second-Team Recognition

Mike Klobucher

Bill Bourdlais

Jake Visser

Jim Skodak

Four members of the nationally-ranked Ferris State University football team were selected to the 2006 Don Hansen’s Football Gazette All-Northwest Region Team in an recent announcement made by the Northwest Region Chair Michael Herzberg on behalf of the small college football publication.

Senior middle linebacker Mike Klobucher (Grand Haven/North Muskegon), junior guard Bill Bourdlais (Newberry), and sophomore defensive tackle Jake Visser (Coopersville) all earned second-team laurels by the Football Gazette. Senior cornerback Jim Skodak (Lennon/Corunna) was named to the third team.

The 2006 season marked the fifth year in which the Football Gazette has selected NCAA Division II All-Region Teams. The national publication, an authority on small college football, has selected NCAA-II All-America teams since 1998. Members of the first and second all-region teams advance to a national ballot from which the 2006 NCAA Division II Football Gazette All-America team will be named later this month.

A total of 84 players earned some form of Football Gazette All-Northwest Region honors. Student-athletes from 28 of the 36 football-playing schools in the Northwest Region attained All-Northwest Region accolades.

A 2006 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division II All-America selection, Klobucher paced the Bulldogs in tackles for the third consecutive season with 92 total stops (47 solos) in 10 games this fall. He was a repeat honoree as Ferris State's Most Valuable Player and finished his four-year career ranking seventh among the school's all-time tackles leaders with 389 career stops (206 solos) in 42 contests. Klobucher also was chosen as a National Football Foundation (NFF) National Scholar-Athlete and was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Football First Team in the 2006 postseason.

Bourdlais, a former defensive tackle, made the transition to the offense a smooth one this season. The 10-game starter at right guard was a primary contributor in helping the Ferris State offense average 182.8 yards rushing per game (2,011 yds.) and 343.6 yards in total offense (3,780 yds.) for the 2006 season. The rushing yards total and the rushing yardage average both represented the fifth-best ever on FSU's all-time single-season leaders list.

Visser, a 2006 D2Football.com All-America Honorable Mention pick, finished second in team tackles with 86 total (52 solos) in 11 contests. The two-time (2005-06) FSU Most Valuable Defensive Lineman racked up a squad-high 16.0 tackles for a loss of 74 yards, which included a conference-leading 10.5 pass sacks for minus 62 yards. His season's sacks output tied for the sixth-highest ever total among the Bulldogs' all-time single-season leaders.

Skodak, who joined Visser as a 2006 D2Football.com All-Northwest Region Second-Team selection, led the Bulldogs in pass interceptions this campaign with three for 33 yards as an 11-game starter. The 2006 team's Most Valuable Defensive Skill Player Award winner also compiled 41 tackles (30 solos) to finish seventh on the Bulldogs' top tackles leaders list this year. Skodak's 10 career pass thefts for 59 yards in 47 outings tied for the seventh best in FSU history.

All four were recognized as first-team performers by the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) this season.

Ferris State concluded the 2006 season with an 8-3-0 overall record, which included a third-place 7-3-0 mark in the GLIAC. The Bulldogs were listed 17th nationally in the Football Gazette's final NCAA-II Top 40 rankings.