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December
2004 Football News Archive |
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Adell Givens Named
Second Team Freshman All-American (12/07/2004) |
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Ball
State Football Hands Out Post Season Awards For 2004 Season (12/12/2004) |
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FROM BALL STATE
SPORTS INFORMATION
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| John
Magnabosco Award - Ball State's Most Valuable Player |
| Dante
Ridgeway (Decatur, Ill./Douglas MacArthur H.S.),
a junior wide receiver on the 2004 Ball State University
football team, was named the school’s John Magnabosco Award
winner as the Cardinals’ most valuable player at the team’s
postseason banquet Sunday.
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| Ridgeway,
who was one of three finalists for the Fred Biletnikoff Award as
the nation’s most outstanding receiver, leads the country in
receptions per game (9.55), receiving yards per game (127.18)
and total receiving yards (1,399). He set
Ball
State
’s single-season receptions record with 105, breaking the
previous mark of 89, which he set in 2003. Ridgeway also
set the
Ball
State
single-season receiving yardage record, breaking the previous
mark of 1,075 which he set in 2003. In addition, Ridgeway’s
105 catches this year broke the Mid-American Conference
record of 103. Ridgeway currently ranks first among
active NCAA Division IA players in career receiving yards per
game (86.6) plus is second in career catches per game (6.9),
fourth in career catches (238), sixth in career receiving yards
(3,030) and tied for ninth in career touchdowns (22). Ridgeway
was also named to the 2004 All-MAC First Team, which is selected
by the league’s 14 head coaches.
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| The John
Magnabosco Award is named in honor of
Ball
State
’s head football coach from 1935-52. Magnabosco is the
winningest football coach in
Ball
State
history with 68 victories.
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| John
Hodge Award - Ball State's Most Outstanding Freshman |
| Adell
Givens (Hamilton, Ohio/Hamilton H.S.),
a true freshman tailback who was named to the All-MAC First Team
plus was named the league’s Freshman of the Year, received the
John Hodge Award, which goes to Ball State’s most outstanding
freshman. Givens, the first freshman named to the All-MAC
First Team since
Marshall
wide receiver Josh Davis in 2001, led the Cardinals and ranks
third in the conference with 96.3 rushing yards per game. Givens
rushed for 963 yards on 202 carries with six touchdowns in 2004.
He ranks 28th in the nation in rushing and has the fourth
highest rushing average among the nation’s freshmen. Givens
became the first true freshman to start a game at tailback for
the Cardinals since Bernie Parmalee in 1987. Givens rushed
for over 100 yards in each of the last five games in which he
played in 2004. With five 100-yard games, he is tied for sixth
for most 100-yard games in a single season at
Ball
State
. |
| The
Hodge Award is given in memory of John Hodge, who was chairman
of
Ball
State
’s
Cardinal Varsity Club in 1974 and died in 1977. The CVC is an
organization of benefactors to
Ball
State
’s
intercollegiate athletics program. |
| Ball
State Academic Award |
| Blair
Kramer (
Maumee
,
Ohio
/
St. John’s
Jesuit H.S.), a junior defensive end for the Cardinals,
was the recipient of the team’s Academic Award. Kramer,
who owns a 3.647 grade-point average on
Ball
State
’s 4.0 scale, started all 11 games for the Cardinals this
season. He managed 22 tackles, tied for team-high honors with
seven tackles for loss, tallied a team-best four sacks and had
one fumble recovery on the season.
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| Bill
Meitzler Award - Scout Team Players Of The Year |
| Dan
Gerberry (Canfield, Ohio/Austintown Fitch H.S.),
Bryant Haines (
Piqua
,
Ohio/Piqua H.S.)
and Kenny Meeks (
Muncie
,
Ind./Central H.S.)
were the recipients of the Bill Meitzler Scout Team Player of
the Year awards. Gerberry received the award on offense,
while Haines and Meeks shared the defensive award.
The scout team awards are given in honor of Meitzler, who was a
lifelong supporter of
Ball
State
football and died in 1997 |
| Mark
Hays Award - Ball State Senior Inspiration Award |
| Justin
Beriault (
Indianapolis
,
Ind.
/Warren Central H.S.), a senior member of the 2004 squad,
received the Mark Hays Inspiration Award for the second straight
season. Beriault, an All-MAC First Team selection the
last two seasons, led the Cardinals in tackles with 125. He
ranks second in the MAC and 10th in the country in total tackles
with only the bowl games remaining in the 2004 season. Beriault,
who started 45-of-46 games in his four-year career, also added
five tackles for loss, one interception, one pass breakup and
one fumble recovery this season.
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| The Mark
Hays Inspiration Award is given by Mr. and Mrs. Kermit Hays in
memory of their son, Mark, who was a
Ball
State
student and passed away while a student at the university. The
Hays’ family have been longtime supporters and friends of
Ball
State
football.
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| Bill
Reynolds Award - Ball State's Special Teams Award |
| Reggie
Hodges (
Champaign
,
Ill.
/Centennial H.S.), who was a senior punter for the
Cardinals this season, received the Bill Reynolds Special Teams
Award. Hodges ranks second in the MAC and 26th in the
nation in punting with a 42.59 average. He had 73 punts for
3,109 yards and pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line 25
times this season. Hodges’ 3,109 punt yards in 2004
ranks as the second highest single-season mark in
Ball
State
history, while the 73 punts ranks as the third highest
single-season total. He set the
Ball
State
career record with 254 punts, while his 10,210 career punt yards
rank second in
Ball
State
annals.
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| The
Reynolds Award is given in honor of Bill Reynolds, who spent 31
years as a volunteer in the
Ball
State
athletics department with an emphasis on the football program
before his death in 2000.
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| Ray
Louthen Award - Ball State's Senior Contribution Award |
| Mark
Franklin (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian H.S.),
Jeff Ramsey (Fairfield, Ohio/Fairfield H.S.), Conrad
Slaughter (St. Louis, Mo./Ladue H.S.) and Nick Tabacca
(Columbus, Ohio/Hilliard Davidson H.S.) were each honored
with the Ray Louthen Senior Contribution Award.
Franklin
, a tight end, played in all 11 games this season and in
all 35 in his final three years. Ramsey and Tabacca
anchored
Ball
State
’s offensive line in 2004. They each started all 11 games and
in the last three seasons have blocked for
Ball
State
’s all-time leading rusher, Marcus Merriweather, and the
school’s all-time leading receiver, Dante Ridgeway. Slaughter,
a defensive tackle, started all 11 games this year, started 35
games in his four seasons and played in all 46 games in his
career.
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| The Ray
Louthen Award is given in honor of
Ball
State
’s former head football coach (1962-67), athletics director
(1970-81) and baseball coach (1959-70). Louthen, who passed away
recently, was an instrumental figure in
Ball
State
’s move to NCAA Division I and joining the Mid-American
Conference.
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|
Dante Ridgeway Named To
Several All-American
Teams (12/13/2004)
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