FOOTBALL ADDS JUNIOR COLLEGE STANDOUT PATRICK WELLS

Defensive Back Played For 2005 Junior College National Champions

Glendale (Ariz.) Community College standout Patrick Wells (Miamisburg, Ohio) has inked a National Letter-of-Intent to attend and play football at Ferris State University, starting with the upcoming 2006 season. The announcement was made by 12th-year FSU head coach Jeff Pierce.

Wells played this past season for the nationally top-ranked Glendale Community College Gauchos, who captured the 2005 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Championship with a 50-48 win over nationally second-ranked Grand Rapids (Mich.) Community College in the Valley of the Sun Bowl en route to an 11-0 overall record. The Gauchos, who also finished first place in the Western States Football League (WSFL) with a 10-0 conference mark, earned the distinction of being the first-ever NJCAA team to finish ranked number one in all three junior college gridiron polls.

"Patrick has the versatility to play both the corner and safety positions," said Pierce. "He plays with an aggressive style and has good cover skills. We're (the coaching staff) hoping Patrick will come in and create competition in our secondary.

"The experience Patrick gained playing on a national championship team this past fall should be beneficial to him and to our team," added Pierce.

The 6-1, 200-pound cornerback recorded 39 total tackles (17 solos) to go with three pass interceptions and five pass break ups in 2005 as a starter at strong safety on head coach Joe Kersting's squad. Wells also played for Glendale in 2004 after transferring from Mesa (Ariz.) Community College.

A multi-sport star at Miamisburg (Ohio) High School, Wells was a two-time (2002-03) All-Mid Miami League selection in football under head coach Tim Lewis. A 2003 MSH graduate, he accumulated 51 total stops (21 solos) while posting seven pass interceptions and eight pass breakups during his senior campaign. He also received All-Southwest Ohio laurels as both a cornerback and special teams returner along with garnering all-area accolades as a senior. As a prepster, Wells was a member of two (2001-02) conference championship teams and played a key role in helping Miamisburg make its first playoff appearance (2001) in school history. He also competed four years apiece (2000-03) in both track and basketball.

The son of Nate and Opal Wells of Miamisburg, Ohio, Wells has an older brother and two younger sisters. One sister, Brittany Wells, recently completed her freshman year (2005-06) as a member of the University of Findlay's (Ohio) women's basketball team.

Wells plans to major in pharmacy at Ferris State.