Dec. 5, 2006

Seven members of the top-ranked Grand Valley State football team have earned Daktronics All-Region honors for their performance on the field. QB Cullen Finnerty (Brighton, Mich.) and DE Mike McFadden (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage) were the leading vote getters in their respective positions to lead the first team offense and defense.

Joining Finnerty on the first team offense were junior OL Brandon Barnes (Detroit, Mich./Pershing) and senior WR Eric Fowler (New Haven, Mich.). Juniors LB Anthony Adams (Troy, Mich.) and CB Brandon Carr (Flint, Mich./Carman-Ainsworth) were first team defense performers along with McFadden this year in anchoring a Laker defense that ranks first in sacks per game (3.69) and has allowed just 14.5 points per game. Senior DL Derrick Jones (Barstow, Calif./Victor Valley) was named to the all-region second team defense after registering a team-high 17 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks.

Senior QB Cullen Finnerty
2006 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year...First-Team All-GLIAC QB for the second straight year...completed 164-of-280 passes for 2,630 yards and 34 touchdowns, while rushing for 440 yards and seven scores on 104 carries. He accounted for 3,070 yards of total offense and 41 touchdowns on the season... Led the Nation in pass efficiency rating (173.14) and TD-Pass Completion Ratio (1-4.8), while ranking second in TD passes (34)...Finnerty led the GLIAC in pass efficiency rating (173.14) and TD passes (34), while ranking second in total offense (236.2 ypg) and third in passing yards per game (202.3)...Cullen was named the GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week twice during the 2006 campaign and four times in his career...Set a Superior Dome single-game record with six TD passes vs. Northern Michigan...Averaged 13 completions in 22 attempts for the 2006 season...Averaged 16.0 yards per completion...The all-time winningest quarterback in college football history with a career record of 50-4...One of four players in NCAA all-division history to pass for over 10,000 yards and rush for over 2,000 yards...Cullen moved into third all-time in D-II career total offense with 12,558 yards, 10th in career passing TDs with 104 and 11th in career passing yards (10,315)... Accounted for over 130 career Tds...Named the 2005 GLIAC Offensive Back of the Year and First-Team All-GLIAC QB...2003 GLIAC Freshman of the Year.

Senior WR Eric Fowler
2006 First-Team All-GLIAC honoree...Leads the nation in yards per reception (20.0 ypc), receiving yards (1,380) and receiving Tds (20)...Ranks 2nd in the country in receiving yards per game (106.2) and 13th in points per game (9.2)...Leads the nation in TD-to-receptions ratio, averaging a TD every 3.5 receptions...Caught a TD pass in 12 of 13 games this season and has two TD catches in 7-of-13 games...Broke the 100-yard receiving mark seven times, including a career-high 176 receiving yards on seven catches with three going for touchdowns vs. Northern Michigan...1,380 receiving yards ranks first in Laker annals for a single-season...Ranks fourth in school history with 134 receptions, while his 2,387 receiving yards ranks second.

Junior OL Brandon Barnes
2006 GLIAC Offensive Lineman of the Year and a First-Team All-GLIAC honoree for the second straight year...Key member of an offense that allowed just 18 QB sacks this season...Main contributor to an offense that averaged 171 yards per game rushing and 215 yards per game passing.

Senior DL Mike McFadden
McFadden earned the GLIAC Defensive Lineman of the Year award for the second straight season. In addition, McFadden was a First-Team All-GLIAC honoree for the second straight year...Mike tallied 49 tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss (-44 yards) and 5.5 sacks (-32 yards) in 11 games played. McFadden was named the GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts at Ferris State when he recorded six tackles, two tackles-for-loss (-5 yards), a QB sack and recovered a fumble. McFadden became the NCAA D-II all-time record holder for career quarterback sacks with 34.5 and moved into fourth all-time in D-II career tackles for loss with 56.5. Mike ranks 15th in career tackles for loss per game (1.11) in Division II history. In addition, McFadden tied the NCAA college football all division record for consecutive games with a sack with 17 earlier this season -- a streak that included the final game of 2004, all 13 games in 2005 and the first three games in 2006...2005 Gene Upshaw Award winner as the nations top DII interior lineman...AFCA First-Team All-American......Don Hansen's Football Gazette Defensive Lineman of the Year...Don Hansen's Football Gazette First-Team All-Amereican...D2Football.Com First-Team All-American...Daktronics First-Team All-American...Associated Press All-American...Daktronics First-Team All-Northwest Region...GLIAC Defensive Lineman of the Year...First-Team All-GLIAC...GVSU Defensive Lineman of the Year.

Junior LB Anthony Adams
2005 First-Team All-GLIAC performer...Leads the team in total tackles with 77...Has 9.5 tackles for loss (-27), recovered four fumbles, has three pass breakups, two forced fumbles and recorded a safety...Notched 2.0 tackles and a TFL (-2) at Ferris State (10/28)...Named the GLIAC, D2football.com and Don Hansen's Football Gazette Defensive Player of the Week vs. Northwood (10/21). Tallied a season-high 11 tackles, two tackles for loss (-2) and recovered a GVSU single-game record three fumbles. Returned one fumble 11 yards for a TD vs. Northwood...Named the GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week vs. Indianapolis (10/14). Notched a season-high 10 tackles and two TFL (-4)...Leader of a defensive unit that yielded 292.7 yards of total offense per game, including 102.2 via the ground...Recorded 246 total tackles and 36 tackles for loss in his career.

Junior CB Brandon Carr
2006 First-Team All-GLIAC...Has 60 total tackles, a team-high five interceptions and 13 pass deflections...Notched six tackles and a pass deflection vs. Saginaw Valley State (11/40)... Recorded eight tackles, a TFL and a pass deflection vs. Northwood (10/21)...Picked off a pass and tallied two pass deflections vs. Mercyhurst (10/7)... Notched seven tackles and picked off a pass versus Michigan Tech (9/21)...Recorded 143 total tackles, eight interceptions and 21 pass deflections in his career.

Senior DL Derrick Jones
2006 First-Team All-GLIAC honoree...Led the team in tackles for loss (17.0) and QB sacks (9.5).

2006 Daktronics, Inc. Division II All-Northwest Region Football Team
First Team Offense
QB Cullen Finnerty - Sr. - Grand Valley State
RB Stefan Logan - Sr. - South Dakot
RB Joique Bell - Fr. - Wayne State
WR Weston Dressler - Jr. - North Dakota
WR Eric Fowler - Sr. - Grand Valley State
TE Zac Herold - Sr. - Nebraska-Omaha
OL Ben Hochstein - Jr. - Nebraska-Omaha
OL Brandon Barnes - Jr. - Grand Valley State
OL Mitch Bregelmann - So. - North Dakota
OL Christian Morton - Jr. - South Dakota
OL Chris Zimmerman - Sr. - Winona State
PK David Chudzinksi - Jr. - Wayne State
AP Ryan Chappell - Fr. - North Dakota

First Team Defense
DL Mike McFadden - Sr. - Grand Valley State
DL Jake Visser - So. - Ferris State
DL Adam Wolff - Sr. - North Dakota
LB Charleston Hughes - Sr. - Northwood
LB Anthony Adams - Jr. - Grand Valley State
LB Steve Brennan - Sr. - North Dakota
LB John Tackmann - Sr. - Winona State
CB Jordan Davis - Sr. - South Dakota
CB Brandon Carr - Jr. - Grand Valley State
S Josh Jones - So. - MSU Moorhead
S Jon Horn - Sr. - Northwood
P Coby Sadler - Sr. - Central Washington

Second Team Offense
QB Zach Miller - Jr. - Nebraska-Omaha
RB Kyle Kasperbauer - Sr. - Nebraska-Omaha
RB Zach Molacek - Sr. - Wayne State (Neb.)
WR Greg Aker - Sr. - Minnesota Duluth
WR Tyrone Ruffin - So. - Concordia-St. Paul
TE Kevin Boss - Sr. - Western Oregon
OL Justin Guy - Jr. - Bemidji State
OL John Keaveny - Jr. - Bemidji State
OL Mark Knudsen - Sr. - Minnesota Duluth
OL Nick Urbran - So. - Winona State
OL Dan Warnemunde - Sr. - Concordia-St. Paul
PK Mike Salerno - So. - Winona State
AP Melvin Matlock - Sr. - Minnesota State

Second Team Defense
DL Jared Enger - Sr. - North Dakota
DL Derrick Jones - Sr. - Grand Valley State
DL Mark Majerus - Sr. - MSU Moorhead
LB Bobby Danenhauer - Sr. - Nebraska-Omaha
LB Rudy Jones - Sr. - Northern State
LB Kenny Onatolu - Sr. - Nebraska-Omaha
LB Dan Ullsperger - Sr. - North Dakota
CB Shawn Cunningham - Jr. - Winona State
CB Deqwan Young - Jr. - St. Joseph's
S Todd McClellan - Sr. - Western Washington
S Adam Peterson - Sr. - Wayne State (Neb.)
P Mike Salerno - So. - Winona State