Football Gazette Honors A Pair of Ferris State Players

Seniors Bo Moore and DeRen Ellis Named To All-Northeast Region Team

Moore was among 15 individuals to receive first-team recognition on defense while Ellis joined 13 others to attain third-team accolades. The first and second-team honorees will now advance to a national ballot from which the 2002 NCAA Division II Football Gazette All-America team will be selected in early January 2003. The Football Gazette's website can be accessed at http://www.donhansen.com.

This season marks the first year Football Gazette has selected NCAA-II All-Region teams. The national publication has chosen NCAA-II All-America teams since 1988. Moore and Ellis were among a total of 81 student-athletes representing 38 football-playing universities in the Northeast Region.

Bo Moore adds another postseason honor with first-team all-region kudos.

Moore, who has earned Daktronics, Inc. Northeast Region and D2Football.com All-America Second-Team recognition this season, was the co-recipient of 2002 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference’s (GLIAC) Defensive Linemen of the Year. A two-time (2001-02) All-GLIAC First-Team selection, Moore registered 35 tackles (25 solo) this season to place 10th on the squad while recording 15 tackles for a loss of 88 yards and a team-high tying 10 sacks for minus 74 yards. A co-recipient of FSU’s Most Valuable Defensive Lineman Award this campaign, Moore notched a season-best six tackles at Findlay (11/2) and garnered five stops against Wayne State (9/28). The Ferris State defensive co-captain tied for sixth place in quarterback sacks among the 2002 NCAA-II statistical leaders.

The 6-2, 235-pound lineman concluded his four-year career with 137 total tackles (93 solo) in 38 career outings. A 2002 preseason All-America pick by both Lindy’s and Football Gazette, Moore also registered 36 tackles for a loss of 200 yards, including 23 pass sacks for minus 137 yards. A season ago, Moore set a personal career high with 68 tackles (47 solo) to place third among the team’s tackle leaders. He paced the Bulldogs in tackles for loss with 15.5 for 63 yards and had 10 sacks for minus 47 yards to go along with a team-leading 23 quarterback hurries. Moore, who was named Ferris’ Most Improved Defensive Player a season ago, concluded the 2001 campaign tied for 17th nationally in sacks (0.91 avg.) and ranked third among the conference’s sack leaders en route to attaining second-team Daktronics, Inc. All-Northeast Region Team and Football Gazette All-America Honorable Mention accolades.

DeRen Ellis, who will be playing in this Friday's Cactus Bowl Division II All-Star Game, was a third-team selection.

Ellis, who will be participating in this Friday’s (Jan. 10) third annual Whataburger Cactus Bowl Division II All-Star Game, was an All-GLIAC First-Team pick this season while placing 11th among the Bulldogs’ top tacklers with 30 stops (23 solos) to go along with a team-high five pass interceptions for 101 yards and a touchdown in 10 outings. The two-time (2001-02) FSU Most Valuable Defensive Skill Player honoree recorded five pass thefts to rank second among the 2002 conference statistical leaders. He garnered a season-high eight tackles (seven solo) in Ferris’ 24-3 home win over nationally-ranked Saginaw Valley State (10/26) after intercepting a season-best two passes for 68 yards, including a 68-yard touchdown return at Mercyhurst (10/19).

The 6-0, 170-pound defender accumulated 132 career tackles (101 solos), including six tackles for a loss of 18 yards. He totaled 39 pass deflections with three blocked kicks during his four-year career. Ellis, who presently is third among FSU’s all-time pass interception leaders with 14 career thefts for 227 yards and two touchdowns, holds the school’s single-season record for most interceptions with eight thefts (71 yards) in the 2000 campaign and is tied with two others for most interceptions in a game with three against Wayne State (9/23/00). Ellis attained second-team all-conference recognition in 2001 and was a first-team selection the previous campaign.

Ferris State finished the 2002 season with a 5-5 overall record while registering aa sixth-place 4-5 GLIAC mark.