KLOBUCHER RECEIVES ACADEMIC HONOR FOR SECOND YEAR IN A ROW

Ferris State Senior Named First-Team Academic All-District

*2006 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV College Division Football Teams* PDF

Mike Klobucher was named a first-team academic all-district selection for the second consecutive year and is now eligible for Academic All-America honors.

Senior middle linebacker Mike Klobucher (Grand Haven/North Muskegon) of the 2006 Ferris State University football team has been named first-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District IV in the college division as announced Thursday (Nov. 9).

Voting was conducted by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) within the district.

Klobucher was among 24 student-athletes from either a NCAA Division II and III school to land first-team recognition.

A first-team academic all-district selection last season, Klobucher is now eligible for ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America team that will be released Nov. 30.

The Academic All-District team is comprised of student-athletes from Division I schools in Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee. To be nominated, student-athletes must be a starter or important reserve while maintaining a minimum 3.20 cumulative grade-point average.

Klobucher, who was recently named to the National Football Foundation's (NFF) 2006 National Scholar-Athlete Class and is a finalist for the prestigious Draddy Trophy as the nation's top college football scholar, has currently compiled a team-high tying 80 tackles (39 solos) in nine contests this fall. The FSU defensive co-captain has registered 5.5 tackles for a loss of 26 yards, which includes 2.5 pass sacks for minus 19 yards. He also has posted two quarterback hurries, one fumble recovery and one forced fumble this season. The 6-2, 245-pound linebacker has double-digit tackle performances on four occasions this year, including a season-best 16 stops versus Michigan Tech (10/7).

The Bulldogs' leading tackler the last two seasons, Klobucher is a two-time (2004-05) All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Honorable Mention selection. He was the recipient of the team's Most Valuable Player and Most Valuable Defensive Skill Player Awards a season ago.

Klobucher has accumulated 377 career total tackles (198 solos) in 41 outings to date which currently ranks eighth best in the program's history. He has posted 21.5 tackles for a loss of 70 yards, including 5.0 sacks for minus 36 yards. Klobucher also has two pass interceptions, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in his Bulldog career. He has totaled 19 career double-figure tackle game efforts.

An applied biology major, Klobucher is a two-time (2004-05) GLIAC All-Academic Team honoree and was the 2005 squad's recipient of the FSU President's Academic Award for having the team's highest grade point average. He was previously twice (2003-04) a co-winner of the FSU President's Academic Award.

Ferris State, which concludes its 2006 regular season this Saturday (Nov. 11) against the Wayne State Warriors at Top Taggart Field in Big Rapids, Mich., presently sports a 7-3-0 overall record and is 6-3-0 in the GLIAC.