Fresno State Athletics
Seven Former Bulldogs to Play in AFC/NFC Championship
1/18/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Jan. 18, 2008
FRESNO, Calif. - Seven former Bulldog football players will be on a roster on one of the four teams competing to go to the Super Bowl on Sunday. In the AFC Championship the Chargers will try to face off against the undefeated New England Patriots in New England. In the NFC Championship game the New York Giants will take on the Green Bay Packers at Green Bay.
"We are certainly proud of all of the Bulldogs in the NFL," said head football coach Pat Hill. "I think our program develops player to achieve at a high level and having this many guys still in the NFL playoffs is proof of that. We have some guys who've been major contributors all season all over he NFL and it will be good to once again have some Bulldogs represent Fresno State in the Super Bowl."
The seemingly unstoppable Patriots offense can partly be attributed to the three-year veteran Logan Mankins. Mankins and James Sanders joined the Patriots in the 2004 draft, Mankins in the first round and Sanders in the fourth. Since Mankins joined the team in 2004 he has started in every game and was selected for the 2008 Pro Bowl after just three seasons. Mankins earned second-team All-America honors and first-team All-WAC in 2004 for the Bulldogs. Mankins was also the only offensive lineman to get team MVP honors.
"All of the talk this season about being undefeated has been insane," said Mankins. "We just keep focused every week. Just like Pat Hill used to say, this is the biggest game of the week. We've had the mentality all season."
Sanders also received First-Team All-WAC honors while he attended Fresno State as a strong safety in 2003 and 2004. In three seasons he recorded 238 tackles as a Bulldog and as a freshman earned First-team Freshman All- American selection by the Football Writers of America and third-team honors from The Sporting News. Sanders has started in every game this year for the Patriots recording 71 tackles and two interceptions.
Steven Spach is the third Bulldog on the Patriots roster. Spach was signed as a free agent this year in a reserve role on tight end. Spach is best remembered at Fresno State for his game-winning touchdown in the MPC Computers Bowl in 2004.
"I'm new to all of the undefeated hype but I'm really excited to be a part of this organization," said Spach
Former Bulldogs Billy Volek and Lorenzo Neal may or may not get the chance to play for the championship. Volek, a back-up quarterback for Phillip Rivers made the game-winning touchdown as he carried the ball down the field with 3-for-4 for 48 yards against the defending Super Bowl champions, the Indianapolis Colts. Volek has been practicing all week with Rivers out and is expected to start in Sundays match-up against the Patriots.
Volek, Pat Hill's first quarterback at Fresno State threw 57 touchdown passes and just 12 interceptions during his college career. As a senior, he had 30 scores and just three interceptions as he led Fresno State to a WAC title. Volek is a Fresno native that was recruited out of Clovis West.
Neal, who was not only a standout at Fresno State has made quite the career for himself in his 15 years in the NFL. Neal finished his collegiate career as the second-leading rusher in Fresno State history with 2,405 yards. He scored 27 rushing touchdowns and caught 59 passes for 500 yards and two additional scores. He was a two-time All Big-West Conference choice in football and earned All-America honors in wrestling as a junior heavyweight.
Neal has been a lead blocker for 10 straight 1,000-yard rushers in the NFL and a Pro Bowl starter the last two seasons. He paved the way for LaDainain Tomlinson's MVP season in 2006 as the Chargers rushed for a team-record 2,578 yards. Neal who has been hurt for most of the 2007 season resumed practicing last week and may play in the AFC Championship game.
Tyrone Culver was the fourth Bulldog to be drafted by the Green Bay Packers. He is currently on injury reserve and will not play on the championship game. As a rookie sixth-round draft pick, Culver played in 14 games in 2006, contributing in the secondary as the Packers' 'dime' defensive back and on special teams.
At Fresno State Culver was a four-year letter winner and two-year starter where he earned first-team All-WAC honors in 2005.Culver finished his college career with 178 tackles (101 solo), six tackles for loss, four sacks, three fumbles recoveries, two forced fumbles and five interceptions among 14 passes broken up.
Derrick Ward also won't see playing time as he was put on injury reserve after he broke his leg against the Chicago Bears. Originally a seventh round draft choice by the New York Jets in 2004, he then signed to the Giants later that year. Ward, who is in his fourth year, leads the Giants in rushing with 602 yards despite missing the previous four games with ankle and groin injuries.
In 1999 Ward was one of the premier freshmen in the WAC and was selected Freshman All-America by the Football News, Ward played the middle part of the season with a broken right hand and still finished as the team's leading rusher with 147 carries for 875 yards and a team-high seven touchdowns. Was struggling with a knee injury in his second year which took him out of half the season.
With 22 former Bulldogs currently active in the NFL, seven of them will get a shot at a ring on Sunday.
