RAY BENTLEY TO BE FEATURED SPEAKER AT BULLDOG FOOTBALL GALA

Former Pro Player & Current TV Analyst To Speak At Scholarship Dinner

Bentley, who presently resides in Grandville, has covered both professional and college football for a variety of television outlets since his playing career ended in the early 1990's. The Bulldog Football Gala, which will be held at the alumni-owned location, will serve as a benefit for the FSU Football Scholarship Fund.

"We're excited to have a person with so many different experiences in the game of football as our guest speaker for this event," said FSU head football coach Jeff Pierce. "Ray has always been a strong advocate for youth and athletics, which fits well in that this benefits our scholarship campaign and will help kids get an education.

"I've worked with Ray in the past at football camps in the Grand Rapids area and I'm thankful he's willing to be a part of this great evening."

The unique Bulldog Football Gala event will include a dinner featuring food stations followed by Bentley's speech, silent and live auctions along with a cash bar for only a $50 donation per individual in the main upstairs portion of the facility beginning at 6:30 p.m. (EST).

In addition, for a $200 individual donation ticket, guests will receive an extravagant wine cellar dining experience with a five-course gourmet dinner prepared especially for friends of Ferris Football. Fine wines will also be included in the special evening along with the special guest speaker, silent and live auctions in addition to the cash bar. The wine cellar experience will begin at 5 p.m. (EST). Dress for the event is business casual (no jeans please).

A graduate of Hudsonville High School, Bentley had a stellar collegiate career at Central Michigan before embarking on his professional football career in the now-defunct United States Football League (USFL). The inside linebacker spent his first three professional years in the USFL with the Michigan Panthers and the Oakland Invaders. He later joined the NFL's Buffalo Bills and played six seasons for the team, including the Bills' first two trips to the Super Bowl in the early 1990's. His playing career ended with the Cincinnati Bengals in 1992.

Bentley worked as part of the NFL on Fox broadcast team for five years in the late 1990s and early 2000s, doing both color commentary and play-by-play. He left Fox for a position as head coach and general manager of the Arena Football League's Buffalo Destroyers, and held that position for two years before resigning. From 2004 to 2006, Bentley was a color commentator alongside play-by-play man Bob Papa on NBC's Arena Football League coverage until that network dropped the AFL. He occasionally fills in on ABC's college football coverage. In 2007, Bentley returned to the Buffalo Bills as a play-by-play announcer for their preseason television games. Additonally, he has covered both the AFL and college football for ESPN in the past year.

The Grand Rapids native has also authored a number of children's picture book publications to much acclaim.

Noto's Old World Italian Dining is located at 6600 28th Street in Grand Rapids. For directions or more information on the location, please visit www.notosoldworld.com. For additional information on this event, please contact FSU assistant football coach Tony Rosso at (231) 591-2858 or by email: rossoa@ferris.edu.

Sponsorships for the event are also available. A table sponsorship is $2,000 while bronze ($1,000), silver ($2,500), gold ($5,000) and platinum ($10,000) sponsorships will also be offered.

Please visit the links below for Bulldog Football Gala Reservation Forms:
Click Here For Upstairs Reservation Form ($50) (PDF)
Click Here For Wine Cellar Reservation Form ($200) (PDF)