TWO FERRIS STATE STANDOUTS SELECTED TO ALL-AMERICA TEAM

Myers and Bell Both Garner Football Gazette Second-Team All-America Accolades

Two juniors on the 2003 Ferris State University football team, outside linebacker Kevin Myers (Midland) and defensive tackle Whitney Bell (Sault Ste. Marie/Sault Area) were recently named to the 2003 Don Hansen’s Football Gazette NCAA Division II All-America team.

This marks the 16th year in which the Football Gazette, a recognized authority on small college football, has selected an NCAA-II All-America squad.

Myers and Bell were among 134 players who received some form of Football Gazette All-America recognition. Players from 68 of the 148 football-playing schools in NCAA-II earned Football Gazette All-America laurels. Two-time national champion Grand Valley State along with three other institutions – North Alabama, Tarleton State and Winona State – led the way with five student-athletes each named to the Football Gazette All-America teams. Both FSU defensive standouts had advanced to the national ballot after Myers had garnered first-team Football Gazette Northeast Region team honors while Bell was a second-team selection.

Kevin Myers

For Myers, the All-America honor represents his fifth of the season as the two-time FSU tackles leaders was previously named to the Daktronics, Inc. All-America Second Team and attained honorable mention All-America kudos by D2Football.com. The 2003 All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) First-Teamer also was recognized as an All-American by both the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) and The Associated Press (AP). He received D2Football.com All-Northeast Region First-Team accolades along with being named a first-team All-Northeast Region honoree by both Daktronics, Inc. and the Football Gazette. Myers posted a career-best and conference-high 141 tackles (87 solo) in 11 contests this fall as his season tackles total marked the 13th highest total among the school’s single-season all-time leaders. Nationally, the 5-11, 210-pound linebacker finished second in solo tackles (7.9 avg.), fourth in total tackles (12.8 avg.) and fourth in forced fumbles (0.45 avg.). Myers, who was chosen Ferris’ Most Valuable Defensive Skill Player this season, compiled eight double-digit tackle game performances in the 2003 campaign.

Whitney Bell

Bell, who anchored the Bulldogs’ defensive line, was a Northeast Region Second-Team pick by both D2Football.com and Daktronics, Inc. this campaign. The 6-2, 265-pound tackle accumulated a career-high 99 tackles (64 solo) in 10 games this season to tie for third place among the Bulldogs’ leading tacklers. The 2003 conference first-team performer and FSU Most Valuable Defensive Lineman Award recipient paced all GLIAC defensive linemen in tackles by averaging an 11th-place 9.9 stops per outing while finishing on the squad in both tackles for loss (16.4 for -47 yards) and quarterback sacks (seven for -33 yards). He placed sixth nationally in solo tackles (6.4 avg.), 25th in tackles for loss (1.7 avg.), 31st in forced fumbles (0.3 avg.), 33rd in pass sacks (0.7 avg.) and 43rd in total tackles (9.9 avg.).

Ferris State concluded the 2003 season at 6-5 overall, which included a fourth-place tying 5-5 conference mark.

Additional information pertaining to the 2003 All-America team is available on the Football Gazette’s website at http://www.donhansen.com and also at http://www.pittstate.edu/athletics/footballgazette.