Eleven Butler Players Earn Mention On The 2008 All-PFL Team

Freshman Grant Hunter receives first team All-League recognition
Freshman Grant Hunter was named to the first team and 10 of his teammates were selected second team or honorable mention on the 2008 All-Pioneer Football League Team, selected by league coaches. Hunter, a defensive end, led the PFL in quarterback sacks (14), while finishing second in the league in tackles for loss (18). His 14 sacks tied the second-highest total ever by a Butler football player, trailing only the school-record 17 quarterback sacks by Scott Cook in 1983. Hunter finished his first competitive season with the Bulldogs with 27 solo tackles, 15 assists, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one pass breakup. His 14 sacks resulted were for 97 yards lost.

The Bulldogs, who tied for fourth in the final PFL standings, placed three players on the All-PFL second team. Senior placekicker Jordan Quiroz was tabbed second team All-PFL for the second straight year and was named on the All-League team for the third consecutive year. He set a Butler single season record with 42 successful PAT kicks this season, and he finished his career in second place on Butler's all-time list for kick-scoring with 175 points.
Senior linebacker Mike Bennett and junior wide receiver Dan Bohrer also earned second team All-PFL recognition. Bennett was Butler's third-leading tackler this season with 61 stops, and he finished his Butler career with 230 stops. Bohrer set a Butler single season record for touchdown receptions with 11, and he finished second in the PFL in both receptions (71) and receiving yards (971).

Seven additional Bulldogs, including record-setting quarterback Matt Kobli, were awarded honorable mention on the All-League squad. Kobli set a Butler single season mark for touchdown passes with 23, and he posted the second-highest single season passing total in Butler history with 2,518 yards. Sophomore Tadd Dombart was given honorable mention on the All-League team as both a defensive back and as a return specialist. Also receiving honorable mention were freshman running back Dionte Wiggins, senior offensive lineman Rob Noel, sophomore offensive lineman Donny Gilmore, junior linebacker Derek Guggenburger and junior defensive back Spencer Summerville. Butler finished the 2008 campaign with a 6-5 record, the Bulldogs' first winning season since 1997.

The Bulldogs, picked to finish in a tie for seventh in the PFL preseason poll, posted a 4-4 league record and wound up tied with Drake and Morehead State in the final league standings.

Big Play's work on Ball State broadcasts a big upgrade.

Big Play Radio Sports and Ball State Athletics have worked together to upgrade the broadcast quality of Cardinal Athletics to state of the art digital quality. As expected, there were a few early challenges, but the upgrade has largely been a big success.

“There are always some bugs to work out, and unexpected challenges that arise when doing what amounts to an overhaul of a major radio network,” stated Brian Giffin, Big Play Radio Sports President and the architect of the project. “The upgrades have brought about a significantly better sound and more entertaining element to the BSU broadcasts. It is even more exciting to be a part of this process when you factor in that the football Cardinals are off to a great start and could wind up having a historic year in terms of on-field success.”

The upgrades will also be in place for the Cardinals basketball, both men's and women's seasons. “This is a continuing process” Giffin continued, “We fully expect the quality of all the broadcasts to get even better as we fine tune the new equipment and connection methods.”

In addition to Ball State, BPRS has provided technical assistance to a number of sports entities, including the NFL Atlanta Falcons and MLB Minnesota Twins.

Ball State Football and Basketball airs on 104.1 FM WLBC Muncie (flagship), and ESPN 1380 in Ft. Wayne as well as XL950 in Indianapolis.