Dreamweaver Marketing Associates News and Views: SlipperyRockUniversity

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Monday, March 24, 2014

Rock's Bell Earns Honor

Rock's Bell receives PSAC-West Player of the Week honor

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Slippery Rock University junior catcher/designated hitter Alex Bell was named Monday as the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division baseball “Player of the Week” for the week ending March 16, 2014.

Bell batted .625 and had a .688 slugging percentage with 10 hits, including a double, in 16 at bats in four games played last week.

A Pittsburgh native and Upper St. Clair High School graduate, Bell also walked five times to record a .727 on base average, collected nine RBIs and scored seven runs.

Bell currently leads The Rock’s everyday players in hitting with a .442 average as well as in runs batted in with 20.

A first-year member of The Rock program after playing two seasons at Division I St. Bonaventure University, Bell is one of two SRU players who have hit a home run this spring and ranks fourth on the team in doubles with three.

Bell was the second Rock player to earn a PSAC-West Player of the Week honor this spring. Junior outfielder Adam Urbania earned the honor March 3.

The Rock take a 10-4 win-loss record into a pair of games scheduled for Tuesday at Jack Russell Memorial Stadium in Clearwater, Fla.

Bob McComas
Sports Information Director
Slippery Rock University
1 Morrow Way - Room 201 Old Main
Slippery Rock, Pa. 16057
Office: 724.738.2777
Fax: 724.738.4761
Cell: 724.421.5658
Email: robert.mccomas@sru.edu
www.sru.edu

A ROCK SOLID Education

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates. Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping. Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business. www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Monday, March 3, 2014

The Rock Lock Up Home Playoff Game

Rock men lock up home playoff game with 73-69 win at Seton Hill

GREENSBURG, Pa. – The Slippery Rock University men’s basketball team assured itself of a home Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference postseason tournament home game with a 73-69 win Saturday afternoon over hosting Western Division rival Seton Hill University.

The win improved The Rock’s season record to 19-8 overall and 10-5 in PSAC-West action and guaranteed the Green and White no worse than a fourth-place finish in the division standings.

If The Rock, who host nationally-ranked (Pa.) in the regular-season finale Wednesday (8 p.m. tipoff) in Morrow Field House, remain in the No. 4 spot, they will host Seton Hill in a first-round postseason game March 1.

Should The Rock finish third in the division standings, they would host either Pitt-Johnstown or California (Pa.) in first-round action. The latter two teams are currently tied for sixth place and the final PSAC-West postseason berth.

With the loss Saturday, Seton Hill dropped to 15-10 overall and 7-8 in division action. The Griffins are assured of a fifth-place finish in the division standings.

Maurice Lewis-Briggs

Senior point guard Josh Martin scored a team-high 23 points, one point shy of his season-high mark, to lead The Rock’s winning effort Saturday. Senior center Maurice Lewis-Briggs added 17 points and a team-high seven rebounds, redshirt junior guard Antonio Butler contributed 15 points and senior swingman Tabari Perry added eight points and five rebounds.

Tabari Perry

Butler scored on a layup with 0:37 left to play to put The Rock up by a 70-68 score and came back on the next possession to hit a pair of free throws to ultimately ice the win.

Malachi Leonard scored a game-high 25 points and snared five rebounds to lead Seton Hill’s attack, while Max Kenyi added 12 points and six rebounds.

Leonard entered the game as the PSAC’s top rebounder with a 9.1 per game average and was tied with Lewis-Briggs for seventh place among conference scorers with a 17.0 points per game average.

The Rock made 24 of 51 (48%) shots from the field and four of eight attempts from 3-point range.

The winning margin came from the foul line, where SRU sank 21 of 27 (78%) shots.

Seton Hill made 29 of 56 (52%) of its field goal attempts with a 4-for-14 (29%) efficiency from long range. The Griffins made seven of nine (78%) free throws.

SRU enjoyed a 33-23 rebounding advantage, but was on the high end of a 14-12 turnover comparison.

The Rock trailed by three points (32-29) at halftime and did not take their lead until the 18:45 mark in the second half when a pair of free throws by Lewis-Briggs put the Green and White on top by a 35-34 score.

Three lead changes later, The Rock scored eight unanswered points to take a 49-43 lead with 13:15 left to play.

The Rock had a nine-point, 57-48, lead with 11 minutes left, only to see Seton Hill go on a 14-4 run to take a short-lived 62-61 lead at the 4:20 mark.

The lead changed hands four times in the next two-plus minutes before a Lewis-Briggs free throw knotted the count at 68-68 with 1:41 remaining.

Butler’s layup with 0:37 left gave The Rock a 70-68 lead and opened a 5-1 Rock run down the stretch to ice the win.

Notes: The Rock are one win away from reaching the 20-win mark for the second consecutive season, the fourth time in six campaigns under current head coach Kevin Reynolds and only the seventh in school history … Wednesday’s game will be White Out Night and also men’s basketball Senior Night at Morrow Field House. The Rock’s four seniors (Lewis-Briggs, Martin, Perry and guard Sa’Quan Davis) will be honored prior to the opening tipoff. Special White Out Night t-shirts are on sale at the SGA Bookstore in the Robert M. Smith Student Center for $5. White Out Night is co-sponsored by the Bookstore and The Grove apartment complex … The Rock’s first-round PSAC tournament game will tipoff at 7 p.m. March 1, according to Paul Lueken, SRU’s director of athletics.

Marlon Tyree Commits to SRU

Rock sign all-state performer/Big 33 Challenge participant

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Slippery Rock University Head Football Coach George Mihalik announced Monday former Erie Cathedral Prep High School standout Marlon Tyree has signed a letter of intent with The Rock.

A 6-foot-2, 180-pound defensive back, Tyree was named last week to the Pennsylvania roster for the 57th annual Big 33 Classic all-star game.

Tyree is the third Cathedral Prep product to join The Rock's 2014 recruiting class. He joined fellow DB Will Monono and linebacker J.T. Joint on the Green and White roster.

That trio helped Cathedral Prep win the 2012 Class AAA state championship and advance to the state semifinals last fall.

Tyree verbally accepted a scholarship offer from reigning Mid-American Conference champion Bowling Green State University, a Football Bowl Subdivision program, and then-head coach Dave Clawson last July.

In the wake of Clawson's departure for Wake Forest and the hiring of former Eastern Illinois coach Dino Babers as BGSU's head coach, the non-binding offer to Tyree was withdrawn.

[http://www.rockathletics.com/images/2014/2/24/Marlon%20tyree%20action.jpg]
Before deciding upon Bowling Green and ultimately The Rock, Tyree reportedly received scholarship offers from Buffalo, Kent State, Massachusetts, Robert Morris and Temple.

Tyree was named to the Pennsylvania Football Writers' All-State first team and Pennsylvania Football News second-team all-state team as well as first-team All-District 10 honors in his senior season.

Tyree recorded 61 total tackles (33 solo), one interception, which he returned 66 yards, two tackles for loss and one pass breakup in his final scholastic season. He also caught a 17-yard TD pass on offense and averaged 14.5 yards on 11 punt returns.

With the addition of Tyree, The Rock have added 16 recruits to their roster for the 2014 season. The Green and White announced the addition of 15 recruits on National Signing Day (Feb. 5).

The Big 33 Football Classic, which pits the best high school players from Pennsylvania against Maryland's top players, will be played June 14 at HersheyPark Stadium and broadcast live on the NFL Network.

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Rock's Kengor Honored Again

Rock's Kengor earns 1st-team NCBWA Division II Preseason All-America honor

AUSTIN, Texas – Slippery Rock University senior shortstop Will Kengor was named Thursday as a first-team member of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Division II Preseason All-America team.

The preseason honor came on the heels of Kengor’s selection last spring as a third-team NCBWA postseason All-American.

Kengor (ken-JUR) also earned second-team Daktronics All-America and third-team Rawlings/American Baseball Coaches Association All-America honors in his junior season.

A native of Pittsburgh and graduate of Central Catholic High School, Kengor led the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference and ranked second among all NCAA Division II hitters with a .449 batting average last spring. Kengor's average was 33 points higher than his closest PSAC rival in 2013 and was the fourth-best single-season mark in Rock history.

A left-hand-hitting leadoff hitter for The Rock, Kengor led the PSAC and tied for second nationally with eight sacrifice flies and ranked second in the PSAC in total hits (79) and on base percentage (.502), third in triples (5), fourth in slugging percentage (.597) and sixth in doubles (16). His hits total was the seventh-best in Rock history. In addition, Kengor led SRU in runs batted in (28) and stolen bases (12 of 15) in 2013.

Prior to being named to the three All-America teams last spring, Kengor was named to first-team All-Atlantic Region honors by the ABCA, Daktronics and the NCBWA and was a first-team All-PSAC-Western Division selection.

Kengor became eligible for NCBWA Preseason All-America status this spring by earning a spot on the organization’s Preseason All-Atlantic Region Team.

Seven other members of the 2014 Rock squad earned a spot on the “Other Players to Watch” list in the NCBWA’s preseason all-region balloting. That group included pitchers Jon Anderson, John Kovalik, Ryan Oglesby and Kyle Schneider; outfielders Adam Urbania and Jake Weibley and utility player Kevin Jovanovich.

As a team, The Rock was ranked seventh in this year’s NCBWA Division II Preseason Atlantic Region poll.

SRU compiled a 31-21 final record, earned a fourth-place finish in the PSAC-Western Division final standings and made a conference-best, eighth-consecutive appearance in the PSAC's postseason tournament in 2013.

Coach Messer

Veteran head coach Jeff Messer welcomes back six everyday starters and five top pitchers from last spring’s team.

The 2014 Rock schedule is scheduled to open Feb. 22 with a noon doubleheader vs. Walsh University at VA Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe.

SRU Baseball Named 3 in Poll

Rock baseball team picked third in PSAC West preseason poll

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Slippery Rock University earned the No. 3 spot in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division preseason baseball rankings released Tuesday by the conference office.

The Rock finished behind conference newcomer Seton Hill and Mercyhurst in voting by the division's head coaches.

Seton Hill received three of the eight first-place votes cast, while The Rock and Mercyhurst each received two No. 1 nods. The other first-place vote was cast for California, which finished fourth in the preseason voting.

Trailing the top four teams in the PSAC West preseason poll were, in order, defending division champion Gannon, Indians (Pa.), Pitt-Johnstown and Clarion.

The Rock, California, Gannon and Mercyhurst earned the four PSAC West berths in last year's state tournament

Coach Jeff Messer

Veteran SRU head coach Jeff Messer welcomes back six everyday starters and five of his top pitchers from last year's team, which compiled a 31-21 win-loss record and earned a conference-best eighth consecutive berth in the conference tournament.

Defending regional champion Shippensburg earned the No. 1 spot in the PSAC Eastern Division preseason poll, followed by Millersville, defending conference champion East Stroudsburg and West Chester.

Shippensburg and Millersville each received three first-place votes in the PSAC East poll, while East Stroudsburg and Mansfield each picked up one No. 1 nod.

Mansfield finished seventh in the PSAC East voting, trailing the top four teams as well as Kutztown and Bloomsburg. Lock Haven, which moved from the PSAC West to the PSAC East when the conference added Seton Hill and Pitt-Johnstown at the start of the 2013-14 academic year, was picked to finish last in this year's PSAC East competition.

The complete PSAC preseason baseball polls were as follows:

Western Division
1. Seton Hill (3)
2. Mercyhurst (2)
3. SLIPPERY ROCK (2)
4. California, Pa. (1)
5. Gannon
6. Indiana, Pa.
7. Pitt-Johnstown
8. Clarion

Eastern Division
1. Shippensburg (3)
2. Millersville (3)
3. East Stroudsburg (1)
4. West Chester
5. Kutztown
6. Bloomsburg
7. Mansfield (1)
8. Lock Haven

McCombie Racks 4th Honor

Rock's McCombie collects fourth All-America honor

LIBERTY, Mo. – Slippery Rock University senior punter James McCombie was named Thursday to D2Football.com honorable mention All-America honors.

The All-America honor was the fourth received by McCombie, who the Don Hansen NCAA Division II All-America Team committee named last week to first-team honors.

Earlier, McCombie was named to second-team All-America honors by Daktronics and third-team honors by Beyond Sports Network.

In addition, McCombie previously received first-team all-region honors from the Hansen committee and Daktronics and first-team All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division status in voting by the division's head football coaches.

A native of Nicktown, Pa., and graduate of Bishop Carroll High School in Ebensburg, McCombie ranked first in the PSAC and fifth among NCAA Division II punters last fall with a per-punt average of 43.2 yards.

McCombie had 12 punts that traveled 50 or more yards last fall, headlined by a career-best-tying 74-yarder in the season opener at Northwood. McCombie also had 13 of his 53 punts land inside the opponents' 20-yard line this fall and only nine result in touchbacks.

A park and resource management major at SRU, McCombie finished his four-year career as The Rock's first-team punter with a 40.5 yards per punt average. McCombie had six punts that traveled 60 or more yards, 34 punts that traveled 50 or more yards and 67 that landed inside the opponent's 20-yard line during his 208-punt college career.

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Rock Men Beat Pitt Johnstown, Lock Playoff Berth

Rock men beat UPJ, lock up PSAC playoff berth

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Slippery Rock University’s men’s basketball team made a jaw-dropping 95.7% of its free throws Saturday afternoon en route to an 88-77 win over visiting Pitt-Johnstown in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division action in Morrow Field House.

SRU sank its first six charity tosses before senior guard Sa’Quan Davis missed the first of a two-shot opportunity at the midway mark of the second half.

The Rock then coolly canned the final 16 shots from the foul line to finish the game with a 22-of-23 efficiency that is believed to be the best in program history.

SRU’s hot shooting touch wasn’t confined to just the charity stripe, though. The Green and White also made 48% (28 of 58) of its field-goal attempts and a 48% (10 of 21) showing from 3-point range in the process of improving its season records to 17-7 overall and 8-4 in PSAC West action.

Most importantly, Saturday’s win assured The Rock of a fourth consecutive appearance in the conference tournament and the fifth postseason trip in six seasons under head coach Kevin Reynolds’ leadership.

The top six teams in the division standings at the conclusion of regular-season play Feb. 26 advance to the conference’s single-elimination tournament.

The Rock currently stand alone in fourth place in the division standings and travel to third-place Mercyhurst (12-9, 8-3 PSAC-West) for a 7:30 p.m. game Wednesday.

Like The Rock, Pitt-Johnstown (12-10 overall, 5-7 PSAC West) also shot the basketball well from the field Saturday. The Mountain Cats made 46% (27 of 59) of their action shots and hit 40% (6 of 15) of their 3-point attempts, but struggled from the foul line, where they made 17 of 25 (68% ).

The Rock also held a 36-31 advantage in rebounds to offset 10 turnovers, compared to nine miscues for the guests.

Senior center Maurice Lewis-Briggs again led The Rock effort with team-high totals of 17 points and eight rebounds. Lewis-Briggs was 5-for-5 on foul shots.

Junior guard Antonio Butler contributed 16 points, all of which came in the second half of action, with six rebounds and a 4-for-4 showing from the foul line in a substitute role and junior forward Kelvin Dixon had 14 points with a 7-for-7 performance at the foul line.

Senior swingman Tabari Perry chipped in 10 points (2-for-2 at the foul line), sophomore swingman Erik Raleigh scored nine points (1-for-1 at the line) and six rebounds, while Davis added nine points and six assists with a 3-for-4 effort at the foul line.

Ian Vescovi scored a game-high 23 points for Pitt-Johnstown while Bill Luther added 13 points and Matt Palo chipped in 11 points and a team-high six rebounds.

The Rock appeared to have the game well in hand midway through the first half of action thanks to a 17-2 run that gave the hosts a 24-10 lead with 9:30 left before the intermission.

But UPJ refused to go quietly and outscored SRU by a 25-17 margin in the final nine-plus minutes of the first half to trim the margin to six points, 41-35, at halftime.

The guests carried their momentum over the start of the second half of action as they scored the first 10 points to take a 45-41 lead with 17:15 left to play.

Five lead changes and four lead changes later, The Rock regained the lead for good on a layup by Lewis-Briggs with 7:30 remaining.

That basket started a 7-0 Rock run that pushed SRU’s lead to six, 64-58, one minute later before Pitt-Johnstown made its final run and trimmed the gap to three points, 68-65, with 4:15 left.

The Rock sank 10 consecutive free throws and had two layups and two 3-point shots in the final four minutes to ice the win.

SRU’s next home game is Feb. 19, when Edinboro comes to town for an 8 p.m. game.

Phil Longo Named OC at Sam Houston State U

Phil Longo named as OC at Sam Houston State

HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Phil Longo, Slippery Rock University’s football offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the past two seasons, was named Monday as offensive coordinator at Sam Houston State University.

Longo, who served one season as The Rock’s wide receivers coach before being named as offensive coordinator in 2012, joined a Sam Houston State coaching staff led by K.C. Keeler, under whom Longo played as running back from 1988-91 at Rowan University.

As The Rock’s offensive coordinator, Longo installed an “Air Raid,” no-huddle attack that fueled SRU’s run last fall to the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division championship and a berth in the NCAA Division II national playoffs.

Longo’s offensive unit led the 16-team PSAC in scoring (43.3 points per game), passing offense (354.3 yards per game) and total offense (536.5 yards per game).

The Rock attack also ranked fourth nationally in total offense, sixth in passing offense and eighth in scoring offense.

In Longo’s first season as coordinator (2012), The Rock offense averaged 34.8 points (#6 in PSAC) and 407.3 yards (#8 in PSAC) per game.

Prior to joining The Rock coaching staff, Longo served as an assistant coach at Youngstown State, Southern Illinois, Minnesota-Duluth, LaSalle and William Paterson University and as head coach at La Salle College.
Longo and his wife, Tanya, SRU’s head women’s basketball coach, are the parents of daughters Gianna and Macaria.

Tanya Longo is currently in her fourth season as The Rock’s head coach and will return for the 2014-15 season, according to Paul Lueken, SRU’s director of athletics.

Plans for filling Phil Longo’s spot on the coaching staff are being formulated, according to Lueken and Rock Head Football Coach George Mihalik, and will be announced once a decision has been made.

Sam Houston State is a member of the Southland Conference and the NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision. The Bearkats won back-to-back conference championships in 2011 and 2012, have earned berths in each of the last three FCS playoffs and played in the 2011 and 2012 national championship games under former head coach Willie Fritz.

Keeler led Delaware to the 2003 FCS national championship as well as berths in the 2007 and 2010 national championship games.

Monday, February 10, 2014

SRU's Lewis-Briggs Earns Basketball Honor

Rock's Lewis-Briggs earns PSAC West men's basketball weekly honor

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. – Slippery Rock University’s senior center Maurice Lewis-Briggs was named Monday as the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division men’s basketball “Athlete of the Week.”

Lewis-Briggs averaged 23.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game in two PSAC West games last week while shooting 54% from the field and 62% from the foul line.

A 6-foot-8, 240-pound native of Norristown and graduate of Norristown High School, Lewis-Briggs had 29 points and 12 rebounds in last Saturday’s last-second loss at 15th-ranked Indiana (Pa.). Three nights earlier, Lewis-Briggs scored 18 points and snared nine rebounds in a last-minute win over Seton Hill.

Lewis-Briggs sank a pair of free throws with 25 seconds left to play to account for the winning points in the latter game.

A transfer student from Division I Morehead State University, Lewis-Briggs currently leads The Rock in scoring with a 16.6 points per game average and ranks second on the team in rebounding with a 7.5 per game average. He ranks 11th in the PSAC in scoring and ninth in rebounding.

The first Rock men’s basketball student-athlete to earn a PSAC weekly honor this winter, Lewis-Briggs has scored 10 or more points in nine consecutive games and 16 of The Rock’s 20 games.

During that string of nine games in which The Rock won seven games, Lewis-Briggs has averaged 20.3 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.

Lewis-Briggs has also grabbed 10 or more rebounds in five games, all of which came in games he scored 10 or more points. As a result, Lewis-Briggs has recorded a team-high five doubles-doubles this winter.

The high-water marks in Lewis-Briggs’ season thus far have been a 32-point performance in a Dec. 21 win at Cheyney and a 15-rebound effort in the Jan. 3 loss at Millersville.

Behind Lewis- Briggs’ lead, The Rock have compiled a 15-5 overall record this winter. The Green and White currently own a share of first place in the PSAC West standings with a 6-2 division record. SRU is tied with Gannon, Indiana and Mercyhurst for the top spot.

The Rock return to action Wednesday with a 7:30 p.m. division game at Clarion University (3-13 overall, 1-7 PSAC West) before hosting California, Pa. (8-10, 3-5) in a 3 p.m. game Saturday in Morrow Field House.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

SRU's Dean, Papley Earn Spots in All Star Game

SRU's Dean, Papley earn spots in USA Football Bowl all-star game

SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. – Former Slippery Rock University football standouts Quindell Dean and Tony Papley were included on a list of players recently announced by Dennis Wilson, president of the USA Football Network and the Metropolitan New York Football Writers Association, as participants in Monday’s USA Football Bowl all-star game.

The game will be played Monday at Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Ala.

The all-star game invitations were the latest additions to a treasure chest of honors received by Dean and Papley.

Dean earned a second-team All-America citation from Beyond Sports Network as well as second-team Daktronics All-Super Region 1, third-team Don Hansen Football Gazette all-region and first-team Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division honors.

A 6-foot-1, 235-pound strongside linebacker from Uniontown, Dean was the No. 2 tackler on last fall’s Rock squad with 76 total takedowns (43 solo, 33 assisted). Dean ranked ninth in the PSAC in tackles for loss with a team-high 14.5 for -47 yards.

Dean also intercepted two passes, one of which he returned for a touchdown in the NCAA Division II first-round national playoff game at Winston-Salem State, batted down six passes and recorded two quarterback hurries.

Dean ended the regular season ranked 24th on SRU's career tackles list with 239, 18th in career solo tackles with 125 and 14th in career tackles for loss with 32 for -155 yards.

A fourth-year member of The Rock program after being redshirted as a true freshman at Division I Toledo, Dean recorded nine career quarterback sacks, one shy of being included in the school's top 25 in that category.

Like Dean, Papley earned first-team All-PSAC-West honors last fall. Papley also garnered a third-team Don Hansen Football Gazette All-Super Region 1 citation.

A 6-foot-1, 260-pound nose tackle and native of Slippery Rock, Papley recorded 65 total tackles (25 solo, 40 assisted), including 12 tackles for loss (-29 yards) and two quarterback sacks (-11 yards).

Papley also intercepted one pass, broke up two others, recorded three quarterback hurries and recovered a fumble in his final collegiate campaign.

Dean and Papley were key components of a Rock defense that finished the 2013 season ranked fourth nationally in pass defense efficiency, fifth in third-down conversion and 25th in rushing defense.

The all-star game participants were part of an 18-man senior class that led The Rock to a 9-3 final record, the PSAC West championship, a conference runner-up finish and SRU’s first NCAA Division II national playoff berth since 1999.

As sophomores in 2011, Dean and Papley helped The Rock record an 8-3 record, win the PSAC West title for the first time since 2000 and claim conference runner-up honors. The duo was part of a defensive unit that ranked third nationally in rushing defense, fourth in total defense, ninth in pass defense efficiency, 10th in interceptions and 11th in third-down conversion.

In 2012, The Rock defense ranked 10th nationally in third-down conversion and 25th in pass defense efficiency.

About the USA Football Bowl:

The USA Football Bowl started in 1995 as the Division III Senior All-Star Classic and later became known as the Aztec Bowl for 10 years and was played in Mexico, Wilson said. In 2010, the event absorbed the Division II Cactus Bowl. NAIA, NCCAA and USCAA senior All-Americans were awarded to the game’s talent pool in 2011, followed in 2012 by the addition of FCS seniors. FBS seniors joined the talent pool for the first time in 2014.

With the announcements in November 2013 of the demise of the Texas vs. The Nation, Casino del Sol and Raycomm Bowl all-star games, the USA Football Bowl, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, is one of four remaining post-season senior all-star games recognized by the national broadcast and print media, football writers' associations and professional football franchises, according to Wilson.

The other universally recognized senior all-star games are the East-West Shrine Game in St. Petersburg, Fla., which will be held for the 89th time; the third annual NFLPA Collegiate Bowl in Carson, Calif. and the 46th Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala.

The USA Football Bowl will draw top players from all four levels of NCAA competition (Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Championship Subdivision, Division II and Division III), as well as players from NAIA, National Christian College Athletic Association and United States Collegiate Athletic Association programs, according to Wilson.

The game will be included in five days of activities that will also feature an awards banquet Sunday and a USA Professional Football Leagues Testing Combine that will be conducted Tuesday by NFL, CFL and AFL coaches and scouts, Wilson said.

The USA Football Bowl will have a live online radio broadcast on the National Gridiron Network and a tape-delayed national television broadcast, Wilson said. Typically, the game is aired two days later on ESPNU and/or the NFL Channel, according to Wilson.

Each of the teams in this year’s USA Football Bowl game will have 66 players, according to Wilson.