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Author: Dave Riggert

Three Bearcats earn All-America honors

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Junior offensive lineman Rod Williams highlighted three Northwest Missouri State players that earned All-America honors released Wednesday afternoon by the Collegiate Sports Information Directors of America.

Williams earned First-Team All-America accolades, while he was joined on the Second-Team by senior offensive lineman Cody Johnson, and linebacker Chad Kilgore. Williams and Johnson helped a Bearcat offense that led the nation in scoring with 48 points per game and was ranked fourth in total offense. Northwest also had two running backs rush for a combined 2,204 yards.

Kilgore led the Bearcats in tackles for a third straight season, finishing with 123 stops — 11 for loss. The 230-pound weak-side backer makes his first appearance on the AFCA squad after earning second-team honors by another publication as a junior.

The Orrick, Mo., native spearheaded a Northwest defense that returned just two starters and played a key role in propelling the Bearcats to the quarterfinals for the eighth straight season.

Kilgore’s 392 career tackles are the fourth-most in program history.

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Royals grant release of Minor League pitcher Santiago

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The Kansas City Royals announced today that club has granted the release of minor league right-handed pitcher Mario Santiago in order for Santiago to sign a contract with the SK Wyverns of the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO).

The soon-to-be 27-year-old Santiago pitched with both Omaha (AAA) and Northwest Arkansas (AA) in 2011.  The 6-foot-1, 213-pounder recorded a combined record of 8-4 with a 3.70 ERA in 35 games (11 starts) last season.  The Royals selected the resident of Salinas, Puerto Rico, in the 16th round of the 2005 Draft.

— Royals Media Relations —

Cardinals sign shortstop Rafael Furcal

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The St. Louis Cardinals announced today that they have agreed to terms with free-agent shortstop Rafael Furcal on a two-year deal for 2012 and 2013.  Furcal was acquired by the Cardinals on July 31 in a trade with the Los Angeles Dodgers and helped key the Cardinals 2011 World Championship run.

“Rafael proved to be a great addition for us last season,” said Cardinals’ Senior Vice President/General Manager John Mozeliak.  “His leadership and experience was very evident during the pennant race and into the postseason,”

After joining the Cardinals at the trade deadline last season, Furcal turned an N.L.-high 36 double plays among shortstops and he was ranked 2nd in both total chances (238) and assists (155).  He batted .255 with 7 HR’s and 16 RBI for the Cardinals, hitting safely in 38 of his 50 games.

The switch-hitting Furcal owns a career batting mark of .282 with 108 home runs and 302 stolen bases.

Furcal, 34, is a veteran of 12-plus seasons with the Atlanta Braves, Los Angeles Dodgers and Cardinals.  He was named to the National League All-Star team in 2010 when he batted .300 for the 3rd time in five seasons with the Dodgers.   The Dominican native was also named an N.L. All-Star in 2003 as member of the Braves.

Furcal has been considered to be one of the games’ top leadoff batters since breaking in with Atlanta in 2000 as the National League’s Rookie of the Year.  He has hit 29 career leadoff homers and ranks 2nd among the Dodgers’ all-time leaders in leadoff homers with 14.  Furcal owned the majors’ best on-base pct. (.370) among leadoff hitters in 2010.

Furcal has been to the postseason nine times in his career (five times with the Braves, three times with the Dodgers and once with St. Louis).

— Cardinals Media Relations —

Griffons’ Zuerlein named AFCA All-America

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Missouri Western senior place kicker Greg Zuerlein has been named to the 2011 AFCA Division II Coaches’ All-America Team announced by the American Football Coaches Association Tuesday.

Zuerlein, a first team All-MIAA and Daktronics Super Region Four selection from Lincoln, Neb.,  led the nation in field goals per game (2.30) and broke a NCAA and MIAA record with 21 consecutive field goals made. He set an MWSU record, with 23 field goals in a regular season and broke a school record, with a 58-yard field goal against Northwest Missouri State twice.

He also led the conference with an average of 10.7 points per game which is sixth in the nation. He leads the nation with a .952 field goal percentage for any kicker with at least 12 attempts.

Zuerlein became Western’s first MIAA Special Teams Player of the Year and is just the third Western kicker named first team All-MIAA. He was named the D2Football.com Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts in the Griffons 31-28 victory over Northwest Missouri State on November 5. With his 21 consecutive field goals nine of them were from 50 or more yards.

A three-time MIAA Special Teams Player of the Week honoree – the most by any player in that category – Zuerlein is the first Griffon kicker to be selected to the first team.

This marks the second time in his career that Zuerlein has been named first team All-America as he was selected back in 2009 when he kicked for Nebraska-Omaha. Zuerlein is just the fourth Griffon to ever be named to the AFCA All-America squad with the last being offensive lineman Roger Allen back in 2008. The other two were running back Jeremiah White in 2005 and safety Pierre Thomas in 2003.

2011 Greg Zuerlein Award List
• All-MIAA First Team Selection
• America Football Coaches Association All-American
• Daktronics First Team All-Region
• MIAA Special Teams Player of the Year
• First Team All-MIAA Kicker
• 3-time MIAA Special Teams Player of the Week
• Once named D2Football.com Special Teams Player of the Week

2011 AFCA Division II Coaches’ All-America Team
Offense
Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
WR Trevor Kennedy 6-0 200 Sr. Mercyhurst Marty Schaetzle Akron, Ohio (Firestone)
WR Tyler Steffan 6-4 210 Jr. Mary Myron Schulz Dickinson, N.D. (Dickinson)
OL Garth Heikkinen 6-4 305 Jr. Minnesota-Duluth Bob Nielson Duluth, Minn. (Central)
OL Amini Silatolu* 6-3 320 Sr. Midwestern St. Bill Maskill Tracy, Calif. (West)
OL Kyle Thornton 6-4 345 Sr. North Alabama Terry Bowden Dallas, Texas (St. Mark’s)
OL Rob Stoner 6-2 295 Sr. Edinboro Scott Browning Edinboro, Pa. (General McLane)
OL Ryan Schraeder 6-7 319 Sr. Valdosta St. David Dean Wichita, Kan. (Maize)
QB Dane Simoneau 6-3 227 Sr. Washburn Craig Schurig Salina, Kan. (Sacred Heart)
RB David Carter 5-10 225 Jr. Morehouse Rich Freeman Marietta, Ga. (Sprayberry)
RB Joe Glendening 5-10 188 Jr. Hillsdale Keith Otterbein East Grand Rapids, Mich. (East)
RB Jonas Randolph*** 5-10 185 Sr. Mars Hill Tim Clifton Daleville, Ala. (Daleville)

Defense
Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
DL Brandon Williams* 6-3 325 Jr. Missouri Southern St. Bart Tatum Kirkwood, Mo. (Rockwood Summit)
DL Aston Whiteside 6-2 285 Sr. Abilene Christian Chris Thomsen Vernon, Texas (Vernon)
DL Todd Storm 6-3 250 Sr. Michigan Tech Tom Kearly Calumet, Mich. (Calumet)
DL Tim Green 6-1 215 Jr. Lincoln (Pa.) O.J. Abanishe Fanwood, N.J. (Scotch Plains)
LB Deon Lacey 6-2 208 Jr. West Alabama Will Hall Brighton, Ala. (Hueytown)
LB Chad Kilgore 6-1 230 Sr. Northwest Missouri St. Adam Dorrel Orrick, Mo. (Excelsior Springs)
LB Nate Dreiling 6-4 228 So. Pittsburg St. Tim Beck Hutchinson, Kan. (Hutchinson)
DB Dontae Smith 6-1 176 Sr. East Central Tim McCarty Deland, Fla. (Deland)
DB Jeremy Jones 5-10 189 Sr. Wayne St. (Mich.) Paul Winters Grand Rapids, Mich. (Rockford)
DB Rontez Miles 6-1 210 Jr. California (Pa.) John Luckhardt Braddock, Pa. (Woodland Hills)
DB Marvin Matthews 6-0 197 Jr. St. Cloud State Scott Underwood Roseville, Minn. (Roseville Area)

Specialists
Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
P Gregg Berkshire 6-2 210 Sr. Ashland Lee Owens Ashland, Ohio (Ashland)
PK Greg Zuerlein 6-0 190 Sr. Missouri Western St. Jerry Partridge Lincoln, Neb. (Pius X)
AP Dominique Fitzgerald 6-0 180 Sr. Winston-Salem St. Connell Maynor Danville, Va. (George Washington)
*-2010 AFCA All-American
**-2009 AFCA All-American
***-2009 & 2010 AFCA All-American

— MWSU Sports Information —

Northwest’s Kilgore earns All-America honors

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Northwest Missouri State senior linebacker, Chad Kilgore was named American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) All-America Team announced on Tuesday.

Kilgore led the Bearcats in tackles for the second straight season with 123 which was third best in the MIAA. The Orrick, Mo., native also led Northwest with 11.5 tackles for loss and finished with five games of 11 or more tackles. He finished with 2.5 sacks and one interception on the season as well.

The senior helped lead Northwest to the playoffs all four season and the eighth consecutive overall. The Bearcats finished the season 11-3 falling in the National Quarterfinals to Pittsburg State, who will play in the National Championship game this Saturday. Kilgore and the Bearcats claimed the 2009 national title as a sophomore starter on the Northwest defense.

With Kilgore’s honor, Northwest has the longest current streak with a player selected to the AFCA Division II Coaches’ All-America Team at 16 straight seasons, from 1996 to present. The Bearcats have been represented 17 times by 13 different players, fourth most in NCAA Division II.

The AFCA’s Division II All-America Selection Committee is made up of three head coaches from each of the AFCA’s nine districts, one of whom serves as a district chairman, along with another head coach who serves as the chairman of the selection committee. The coaches in each district are responsible for ranking the top players in their respective districts prior to a conference call between the district chairmen and the committee chairman on which the team is chosen.

2011 AFCA Division II Coaches’ All-America Team

Offense

Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)

WR Trevor Kennedy 6-0 200 Sr. Mercyhurst Marty Schaetzle Akron, Ohio (Firestone)

WR Tyler Steffan 6-4 210 Jr. Mary Myron Schulz Dickinson, N.D. (Dickinson)

OL Garth Heikkinen 6-4 305 Jr. Minnesota-Duluth Bob Nielson Duluth, Minn. (Central)

OL Amini Silatolu* 6-3 320 Sr. Midwestern St. Bill Maskill Tracy, Calif. (West)

OL Kyle Thornton 6-4 345 Sr. North Alabama Terry Bowden Dallas, Texas (St. Mark’s)

OL Rob Stoner 6-2 295 Sr. Edinboro Scott Browning Edinboro, Pa. (General McLane)

OL Ryan Schraeder 6-7 319 Sr. Valdosta St. David Dean Wichita, Kan. (Maize)

QB Dane Simoneau 6-3 227 Sr. Washburn Craig Schurig Salina, Kan. (Sacred Heart)

RB David Carter 5-10 225 Jr. Morehouse Rich Freeman Marietta, Ga. (Sprayberry)

RB Joe Glendening 5-10 188 Jr. Hillsdale Keith Otterbein East Grand Rapids, Mich. (East)

RB Jonas Randolph*** 5-10 185 Sr. Mars Hill Tim Clifton Daleville, Ala. (Daleville)

Defense

Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)

DL Brandon Williams* 6-3 325 Jr. Missouri Southern St. Bart Tatum Kirkwood, Mo. (Rockwood Summit)

DL Aston Whiteside 6-2 285 Sr. Abilene Christian Chris Thomsen Vernon, Texas (Vernon)

DL Todd Storm 6-3 250 Sr. Michigan Tech Tom Kearly Calumet, Mich. (Calumet)

DL Tim Green 6-1 215 Jr. Lincoln (Pa.) O.J. Abanishe Fanwood, N.J. (Scotch Plains)

LB Deon Lacey 6-2 208 Jr. West Alabama Will Hall Brighton, Ala. (Hueytown)

LB Chad Kilgore 6-1 230 Sr. Northwest Missouri St. Adam Dorrel Orrick, Mo. (Excelsior Springs)

LB Nate Dreiling 6-4 228 So. Pittsburg St. Tim Beck Hutchinson, Kan. (Hutchinson)

DB Dontae Smith 6-1 176 Sr. East Central Tim McCarty Deland, Fla. (Deland)

DB Jeremy Jones 5-10 189 Sr. Wayne St. (Mich.) Paul Winters Grand Rapids, Mich. (Rockford)

DB Rontez Miles 6-1 210 Jr. California (Pa.) John Luckhardt Braddock, Pa. (Woodland Hills)

DB Marvin Matthews 6-0 197 Jr. St. Cloud State Scott Underwood Roseville, Minn. (Roseville Area)

Specialists

Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)

P Gregg Berkshire 6-2 210 Sr. Ashland Lee Owens Ashland, Ohio (Ashland)

PK Greg Zuerlein** 6-0 190 Sr. Missouri Western St. Jerry Partridge Lincoln, Neb. (Pius X)

AP Dominique Fitzgerald 6-0 180 Sr. Winston-Salem St. Connell Maynor Danville, Va. (George Washington)

*-2010 AFCA All-American **-2009 AFCA All-American ***-2009 & 2010 AFCA All-American

— NWMSU Sports Information —

Jayhawks name Grunhard offensive line coach

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Kansas head football coach Charlie Weis announced here Tuesday the addition of Tim Grunhard to the Jayhawk coaching staff. Grunhard will join the KU program as the offensive line coach, effective Jan. 1.

Grunhard will join the KU staff after serving as the head coach of Bishop Miege High School in Shawnee Mission, Kan. He led the Stags to five-straight district titles and the 2009 Class 4A state title in his six seasons at the helm of the program. Under Grunhard’s tutelage, six Bishop Miege players have gone on to earn Division I scholarships.

Prior to coaching at Miege, Grunhard enjoyed an 11-year NFL career, all of which were as a member of the Kansas City Chiefs. He was a second-round draft pick in 1990 and was the anchor of the Chiefs offensive line throughout his career, earning a spot in the 1999 Pro Bowl. Grunhard started 164 games for Kansas City, which still ranks third in franchise history.

A native of Chicago, Grunhard is a 1990 graduate of Notre Dame where he was a standout offensive lineman and was a member of the 1988 Irish National Championship team.

— KU Sports Information —

Kansas’ Robinson earns national honor

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Kansas forward Thomas Robinson has been named the Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association for games ending the week of Sunday, Dec. 11. The USBWA’s weekly honor is presented by Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook and will be handed out each Tuesday through Feb. 21 this season.

As the Big 12 Conference Player of the Week, Robinson was nominated for the weekly award, which was chosen by a representative of the USBWA board of directors from a list of Division I conference players of the week. Robinson is the first recipient of the national accolade for the 2011-12 season.

Robinson, a 6-10 junior from Washington, D.C., averaged 23.5 points and nine rebounds for the week and scored 21 points, including 10 of his team’s last 12, as the Jayhawks defeated then-No. 2 Ohio State, 78-67, on Saturday. He had 26 points and 11 rebounds in an earlier 88-80 win over Long Beach State. For the week, Robinson made 17-of-23 field-goal attempts (74 percent) and was 13-18 from the free-throw line.

This is the third season that the USBWA has selected a national player of the week. The weekly Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week is added to the Oscar Robertson Trophy watch list, which will be released at mid-season.

Since the 1958-59 season, the USBWA has named a National Player of the Year. In 1998, the award was named in honor of the University of Cincinnati Hall of Famer and two-time USBWA Player of the Year Oscar Robertson. It is the nation’s oldest award and the only one named after a former player.

At the conclusion of the regular season, the USBWA will name finalists for the award, which is voted on by the entire membership of the USBWA. The winner of the 2012 Oscar Robertson Trophy will be announced and presented by its namesake, Oscar Robertson, at the USBWA’s annual awards breakfast on Fri., March 30 in New Orleans, site of the 2012 NCAA Men’s Final Four.

— KU Sports Information —

Northwest announces 2012 football schedule

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Northwest Missouri State has filled open dates for its 2012 and 2013 football schedule that were created when the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) left the MIAA.  The 2012 football schedule will feature a season-opening game against the East Central (Okla.) Tigers at Bearcat Stadium.

The opening date has not yet been set with the possibility of a Thursday (Aug. 30) or Saturday (Sept. 1) game still to be determined.  The 2013 opener will feature Saginaw Valley (Mich.) State University.  SVSU was a NCAA playoff qualifier this season.

The Bearcats will host five home games during the 2012 season and six home games in 2013. .

“We feel very fortunate to fill these open dates and have complete schedules for the next two seasons,” said Northwest Director of Athletics Wren Baker.  “Our administrative team has worked diligently to make sure we have quality D2 opponents while also having the optimum number of home games.  Game days in Maryville are important to our fans and local businesses.”

The landscape of the MIAA will also drastically change as the league expands to 15 teams with the addition of Central Oklahoma, Lindenwood, Nebraska-Kearney, and Northeastern State (Okla.) for the 2012 season. Southwest Baptist also returns to the league as a football member after playing as an independent for the last three seasons.

The five dates fans can see the Bearcats in Maryville, include Sept. 15 against Fort Hays State and Sept. 29 against Northeastern State, which will also be Family Weekend.  The Bearcats close out the final two games of the season at home in November starting with Emporia State on Nov. 3 for Homecoming and the regular season finale against rival Missouri Western on Nov. 10.

Northwest will travel to Central Missouri and Nebraska-Kearney on Sept. 8 and 22, respectively. In October the Bearcats will travel on Oct. 6 to Central Oklahoma, Oct. 20 to Missouri Southern, and will be at Washburn on Oct. 27.

The Bearcats will host their annual spring game April 14 at Bearcat Stadium. Time and details of the spring game will be released at a later date.

2012 Football Schedule

Aug. 30 or Sept. 1    vs. East Central (Okla.)
Sept. 8    at Central Missouri
Sept. 15   vs. Fort Hays State
Sept. 22   at Nebraska-Kearney
Sept. 29   vs. Northeastern State (Okla.)
Oct. 6     at Central Oklahoma
Oct. 13    vs. Pittsburg State (at Kansas City)
Oct. 20    at Missouri Southern
Oct. 27    at Washburn
Nov. 3     vs. Emporia State
Nov. 10    vs. Missouri Western

— NWMSU Spoorts Information —

Jayhawks’ Robinson named Big 12 Player of the Week

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Kansas junior forward Thomas Robinson has been named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player for the second time this season. Robinson earned the most recent honor for games Dec. 5 – 11 in voting by a panel of media covering the conference.

Robinson averaged 23.5 points and nine rebounds as Kansas defeated Long Beach State (88-80) and No. 2 Ohio State (78-67). The Washington, D.C., native opened the week with a career-high 26 points and 11 rebounds versus LBSU (Dec. 6) before following with 21 points, including 10 of his team’s final 12 points, in the Jayhawks’ victory over the Buckeyes (Dec. 10). He shot 73.9 percent (17-of-23) from the floor on the week while connecting at a .722 clip (13-of-18) from the free-throw line.

Robinson, who won the honor for the first time on Nov. 28, has three 20-point efforts this season and has also recorded a Big 12-best seven double-doubles. He is the only player in the league averaging double figures in both points (17.8) and rebounds (11.4).

Kansas (7-2) is in final exams this week and will next play Davidson on Monday, Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. (Central) in the M&I Kansas City Shootout at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo.

— KU Sports Information —

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