MYERS AND BELL TO COMPETE IN CACTUS BOWL ALL-STAR GAME

Ferris State Seniors To Play For East Team In Division II All-Star Contest

Kevin Myers	Whitney Bell

Seniors Kevin Myers (Midland) and Whitney Bell (Sault Ste. Marie/Sault Area) of the Ferris State University football team have been selected to participate in the fifth annual Whataburger Cactus Bowl Division II All-Star Game Friday, Jan. 7 at Texas A&M University-Kingsville’s Javelina Stadium in Kingsville, Texas.

The contest, which has averaged 12,000 in attendance in its four-year history at Kingsville, will start at 7:35 p.m. (EST) and features nearly 80 seniors from NCAA Division II schools throughout the nation. The game will be played in an East/West Team format and will be televised live on Fox Sports Southwest. The West all-stars have won six of the first 10 contests, winning 30-27 in last year’s encounter.

Myers and Bell are among 41 senior standouts who will play for the East Team, which includes 11 individuals other Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) member institutions. Tackles Joe Berger of Michigan Tech and Saginaw Valley State’s Todd Herremans along with Mercyhurst tight end Jeff Thiel will line up on offense while the defensive unit includes defensive ends Keyonta Marshall of Grand Valley State and Chris Wilson of Northwood. In the secondary, cornerbacks Martell Foster of Northwood and Grand Valley State’s Lucius Hawkins are joined by Saginaw Valley State safety Corey Gonzales. Punter Ryan Wettstein of Northern Michigan will represent the GLIAC on special teams.

Myers, a 5-11, 210-pound outside linebacker, was recently honored for the second straight season as an American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) All-America Team pick. The two-time (2003-04) first-team All-GLIAC honoree has also been named a 2004 All-Northwest Region First-Team selection by both D2Football.com and Daktronics, Inc. This season as an 11-game starter, Myers registered 133 total tackles (83 solos) which ranks 19th highest among Ferris State’s single-season tackles leaders. The 2004 FSU Most Valuable Player and two-time (2003-04) Most Valuable Defensive Player Skill Award honoree also chipped in with seven tackles for a loss of 19 yards, two pass interceptions, seven pass breakups and one forced fumble. The 2003 Associated Press Little All-American posted seven double-digit tackle game efforts this campaign highlighted by a career-high 26 stops (15 solos) in the season opener (8/28) versus two-time defending NCAA Division II National Champion Grand Valley State and 15 tackles at 2003 national champion runner-up North Dakota. He currently ranks ninth among this year’s NCAA-II national statistical leaders in solo tackles (6.5 avg.) and 15th in total tackles (11.5 avg.). Myers, who totaled over 100 tackles in each of his last three seasons, closed out his career with 435 tackles (257 solos) in 42 games which marked the fifth-highest output in FSU history and was one stop shy of placing tied for fourth place. The Bulldog defensive co-captain compiled 23 double-digit game tackle efforts during his four-year career.

A two-time (2003-04) first-team All-GLIAC defensive tackle, the 6-2, 284-pound Bell has already been bestowed this fall with second-team All-Northwest Region kudos by both D2Football.com and Daktronics, Inc. He tallied 60 total tackles (35 solos) this season as an 11-game starter, which consisted of 14.5 tackles for a loss of 69 yards and a team-high 7.5 quarterback sacks for minus 54 yards. Bell earned both GLIAC and D2Football.com’s National Defensive Player of the Week plaudits this season following his 10-tackle performance at Mercyhurst (9/25), highlighted by four pass sacks for 29 yards lost. The two-time (2003-04) Ferris State Most Valuable Defensive Lineman made a personal season-leading 11 stops at nationally-ranked Northwood (10/30) and is presently listed 34th on the nation’s pass sack leaders list (0.7 avg.). Bell, a 2003 Don Hansen’s National Weekly Football Gazette All-America Second-Team honoree, amassed 225 career total tackles (133 solos) in 42 outings to go with 41.5 tackles for loss (-180 yds.) and 16.0 pass sacks for minus 99 yards. His career pass sacks total is the 14th best ever among FSU’s all-time sack leaders to date.

Former Ferris State offensive tackle Matt McCoy, who’s currently playing for the NFL’s Detroit Lions as a practice squad member, was chosen to play in last year’s Cactus Bowl but didn’t participate due to an injury.

Nine other former FSU standouts – Rich Eash (1994), Ed Philion (1994), Chadd Richard (1995), Jerry Prys (1996), Doc Proctor (1999), Dennis Strey (1999), Dave Zuiderveen (2000), Clarence Coleman (2001) and DeRen Ellis (2003) have competed in the Cactus Bowl All-Star game, which was originally known as the Snow Bowl and played at Fargo, N.D.

Ferris State turned in a 6-5 overall record this season, which included a fifth-place 5-5 conference mark. The Bulldogs proceeded to claim their third winning campaign in the last four years. An events schedule of the 2005 Whataburger Cactus Bowl along with the East and West Team rosters is available at www.cactusbowl.org.