July 12, 2004

Football Tabbed by Lindy’s

Four Lopers Preseason All-Americans

            Kearney, NE – The Nebraska-Kearney football team has received high praise from Lindy’s College Football Preview magazine. 

            Lindy’s, in its 23^rd year of publication, putouts a college football annual each summer.

             UNK is ranked 11^th in the Preseason Division II Top 25 poll, the highest ranking for any RMAC team and any Division II team in Nebraska.

            RMAC-members Mesa State (17^th) and Chadron State (21^st) are also in the poll, as is Nebraska-Omaha (22^nd). Defending national champion Grand Valley State of Michigan is picked No. 1.

            Also, two of the Lopers games – August 28^th at UNO and October 16th at Chadron – are some of the “key” contests in all of Division II this year. 

            Additionally, four Lopers earned preseason All-American honors from the magazine. Earning first-team honors were senior running back Mike Miller (Littleton, Colo.) and junior right tackle James Poynter (Plainview).

            Making the second team were junior wide receiver Richie Ross (Lincoln) and sophomore place kicker Jessup Pfeifer (Northglenn, Colo.).

            Miller is UNK’s all-time leading rusher (3,838 yards) and can become one of Division II’s all-time leading rushers with another 1,000-yard campaign this fall. 

            Poynter earned honorable mention All-RMAC honors last year, his first as a starter. He joined Ryan Bachman, now with the Houston Texans, as the only UNK offensive linemen to earn all-league honors. 

            Ross had 75 catches for a school-record 1,482 yards and 11 TD’s in 2003 while Pfeier ranked second in the nation in field goals per game at 1.8. A true freshman in2003, Pfeifer also had 85 kicking points, the second most by a Loper for a single season.

            Other RMAC players to make the All-American team were Western State running back Chaumont Bouknight (1^st), Mesa State offensive linemen Brian Trautment (1^st), Chadron State defensive linemen Casey Halderman (2^nd) and Adams State linebacker Adam McGurk (2^nd).

            UNK reports to fall camp the weekend of August 6^th with its first game later in the month at UNO.

            Visits www.lindyssports.com for more information.