FERRIS STATE PICKED TO FINISH FIFTH IN GLIAC FOOTBALL POLL

Senior tailback Derek Fudge and the Bulldogs were picked to finish fifth in the 2003 GLIAC Football Coaches Preseason Poll.

The Ferris State University football team was picked to finish in fifth in the 2003 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Football Coaches Preseason Poll, which was released Tuesday (Aug. 5) in conjunction with the conference's annual football media day held on the campus of Grand Valley State University in Allendale, Mich.

The Bulldogs totaled 80 points in the balloting which was conducted by the conference's head football coaches. A year ago, Ferris State tied for third place in the conference's preseason coaches poll with 87 points.

Grand Valley State, the 2002 NCAA Division II National Champions and the two-time defending GLIAC champions, was the unanimous favorite to repeat as conference champions as the Lakers recorded 117 points along with eight first-place votes. The league's 12 head coaches participated in the balloting, but were not allowed to vote for their teams. The first-place team on each ballot received 11 points while the second received 10 points, etc.

"The (preseason) poll is typically based upon where you finished the previous year," said FSU head coach Jeff Pierce, who begins his ninth season at Ferris this fall and presently boasts the second-best winning percentage (.614) in the program's 93-year history. "I don't put a lot of merit in the preseason poll because it's obviously more important where you finish. I believe we have something to prove this season and the guys seem focused on the job they have to do.

"Every game is important to us and not one over the other because of the how competitive our conference is," added Pierce.

FSU returns 39 letterwinners from last season's squad, which registered a 5-5 overall record and compiled a sixth-place 4-5 GLIAC mark. Ferris also welcomes back 16 starters from a season ago, including eight on offense, five on defense and three on specialty teams.

The Bulldogs kickoff their 2003 campaign Saturday, Sept. 6, with a non-conference road outing against the Hillsdale College Chargers. Start time is scheduled for 7 p.m. (EDT) at HC's Frank "Muddy" Waters Stadium in Hillsdale, Mich. FSU's home opener is set for Saturday, Sept. 20, versus the Northern Michigan University Wildcats with kickoff slated for 7 p.m. (EST).

The following is the complete 2003 GLIAC Football Coaches Preseason Poll with first-place votes in parenthesis.

Rank Team (First-Place Votes) Points

1. Grand Valley State (8) 117

2. Saginaw Valley State (4) 114

3. Findlay 92

4. Northern Michigan 83

5. Ferris State 80

6. Northwood 79

7. Indianapolis 61

8. Hillsdale 60

9. Ashland 38

10. Michigan Tech 28

11. Wayne State 26

12. Mercyhurst 14