BLOG 87: Bulldog football spring awards are announced

Ferris State University football player Tom Schneider (9) winds up to throw the football during the Crimson and Gold Spring Game last month (Photo/Sandy Gholston)

By Sandy Gholston

BIG RAPIDS – Ferris State University’s spring football season has come and gone, but thoughts about the future of the program are ongoing.

One of the things a spring season represents, for so many college football programs, is a preview of things to look for in the fall campaign.

With that being said, it was interesting to take a look at some of the awards that were handed out during the spring season by the Bulldog football program.

Here are the awards:

Senior outside linebacker Chad Schoen and sophomore offensive lineman Jake Hancock were given the Most Improved Player award. These awards are significant because they were awarded to players from two critical areas. Ferris lost its three starting linebackers and spots are up for grabs. Schoen had an impressive spring season and certainly helped his cause coming into the fall. Hancock has made a nice progression during his brief career at Ferris and it looks like the best is yet to come for the former Big Rapids High School standout.

Senior linebacker Nick Butler (defense) and sophomore running back David Freeman (offense) were given The Bulldog Award. Butler is one of the guys who will have to be a leader for the defense in the fall. He will have to get it done with his play, but he will also have to be one of the voices off the field that keeps the team together and keeps the squad focused. Freeman, a tremendous athlete, is one of those young guys with a wealth of potential. It was great to see him take some great strides during the spring.

Freshman back Dwayne Williams and freshman defensive end Jordan Morgan were given Newcomer Award (there is an offensive winner and a defensive winner). Both guys are quality athletes and the kinds of players that Ferris has been working hard to recruit in recent years. The sooner these guys are ready to get out on the field the better it’s going to be for Bulldog football.

Quarterback Tom Schneider, a sophomore, and safety Chad Wilson, a senior, were named recipients of the Crimson and Gold Spring Game Players Award. What more can you say about these two student-athletes? These are two tough and hard-nosed kids who come to work every day whether it’s in practice or it is games or it’s anywhere else. These honors were well deserved for two players who had solid spring seasons capped by strong performances in the spring game.

For more on the spring awards, visit:
http://www.ferris.edu/sports/football/09news/09footballspringawardwinners.htm

If you have any questions, ideas or comments feel free to contact Sandy Gholston at sgholston2@netzero.com