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Contact: Gary Holden, Sports Info. Director
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November 22, 2004


Venable Named to 2004 AFCA Aztec Bowl Squad
DB is Ferrum's Third Aztec Bowl Participant

Ferrum, Va. – Ferrum College senior defensive back Darren Venable (Covington, Va./Covington) has accepted an invitation to play for the American Football Coaches Association’s Division III all-star team in the 2004 Aztec Bowl, to be played December 11 in Cancun, Mexico.

Venable will represent the United States against the Mexican National Team December 11 in Cancun, Mexico.  He is one of 42 NCAA Division III seniors from around the country who will make up this year’s team.  Previously, Ferrum has had two players play in the Aztec Bowl, Tone’ Dancy in 2000 and Timmy Carter in 2001.  Both were named to the ACFC’s Division III All-America Team.

Venable was a three-time All-USA South selection for the Panthers. This season, he led Ferrum with 97 tackles, including 13 for a loss, and had four sacks and three interceptions, one of which he returned for a touchdown.  He earned Defensive Player of the Year this season in the USA South, an unprecedented third consecutive honor.  Venable has earned All-American honors the past two seasons.  In 2002, he was a third team selection by the Don Hansen Football Gazette.  In 2003, he earned the same honor and was also selected to the College Sports Information Directors All-America team.

Former Central (Iowa) College Head Coach Ron Schipper will coach the team for the eighth consecutive year.  This year’s game is scheduled to kick off at 4 p.m. CST on December 11 at Estadio Cancun 86 in Cancun.  The Aztec Bowl is the traditional season-ending game for Mexico’s college football season. The game has been played 33 times since 1947 with the last seven contests featuring the United States-Mexico match-up. The United States is 6-1 in the series. Mexico’s lone victory came in last year’s game, which was also played in Cancun.

Chitwood Sports Media of Jefferson, Texas will again provide a live webcast of the Aztec Bowl in 2004. Along with the game webcast on December 11, announcers Charlie Chitwood and Ned Fratangelo will provide 90-minute preview shows on December 8, 9 and 10. The preview shows will originate from the Team USA hotel and will begin each night at 6:30 p.m. CST.

The preview shows, game webcast, and post-game results can all be accessed via the AFCA’s website at www.afca.com and via the Aztec Bowl website at www.aztecbowl.com.

Aztec Bowl Alumni: Two former Team USA members, London Fletcher and Clint Kriewaldt, are currently playing in the National Football League. Fletcher, who played at John Carroll University and was a member of the 1997 U.S. team, is a linebacker with the Buffalo Bills.  Kriewaldt was the Detroit Lions’ 1999 fifth-round draft pick out of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and played in the 1998 Aztec Bowl. He is currently a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The AFCA was founded in 1922 and currently has more than 10,000 members around the world ranging from the high school level to the professional ranks. According to its constitution, the AFCA was formed, in part, to “maintain the highest possible standards in football and in the coaching profession” and to “provide a forum for the discussion and study of all matters pertaining to football.

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