Countdown To Cal Poly

[Vet70]

Or you could just put it into your signature and you're covered...

Thanks for the suggestion. Done.

[Christopher Moen]

Well, my friends, I can think of a player who went 2nd in the 1st round. Getting impatient by any chance?

Just noticed that those guys who were drafted in the second round (and second overall), were on teams that made the Super Bowl.

[Mr Pep Band]

Saturday

Sunny, with a high near 78. West wind 5 to 7 mph.

Perrrrrrrrfect

[Vet70]

Day 1 in The Countdown To Cal Poly is here at last and in a way, this final offering from your humble scribe ends on the ultimate cliffhanger. The season opener tomorrow is a very big deal to me, but so is every Bison game. No one can be certain how the season will unfold and I know all of us want that 7th FCS Championship title in 8 years. Well, I guess that isn't really true for those readers who are not Bison fans. Anyway, about the only thing we can count on is the normal ups and downs that are sure to come. We all know there will be disappointments of one kind or another and the Bison at some point will be tested. Buckle up, like every season I have the feeling that this year is going to be a wild ride.



**In 2006 the Bison won their 1st and only Great West Conference title.
**Carson Wentz was drafted as the 2nd overall pick in the 1st round by the Eagles in 2016. He is better off in Philadelphia than he ever would be in LA, and he should thank his lucky stars the Browns are idiots.
**Henry Luke Bolley (1865-1956) founded the NDSU football program and was its very 1st Head Coach. He was at the helm from 1894-1899 and finished with a mark of 7-8-1 (.468). Prior to that he developed the football program at Purdue and was their 1st quarterback. In 1890 he was hired as one of the first three faculty members at the newly established North Dakota Agricultural College and specialized in Plant Pathology. When he first arrived Bolley wanted to play UN_ but couldn't find enough players. I guess he was relying on walk-ons and the idea of scholarships had not been invented yet. Finally, in 1894 he was able to put together a squad and beat UN_ twice, 24-6 and 20-4. Compiling a final record that season of 2-0, it was NDSU's 1st undefeated season. He coached until 1899 and retired after 55 years of teaching in 1945. He must have been a real glutton for punishment or a saint. Maybe both. For Bison football and his contributions to University Bolley was a true Founding Father. I somehow think Henry would be very proud if he knew what he started.


There have been several great players that have worn #1 on their Bison uniforms, and I already profiled three of them previously: Shamen Washington (day 31, post #74), Jeff Bentrim (day 35, post #57) and Chris Board (day 36, post #57). Today there are two more #1's I want to mention. Richard Lewis (2000-2001) was a transfer punt returner/wide receiver from Whapeton and was another one of those very fast track guys. He still holds several top 5 spots in the NDSU record book: Game: #5, average gain per reception (37.7). Season: #1 punt return yards (428) and TD's (3); and #4 punt returns (27) and #5 (26); and #5 punt return average (15.85). Career: #1 punt return TD's (4); #3 average punt return (14.3) and punt return yards (758); #4 average yards catch (20.17) and number of punt returns (53); and #5 Kick return TD's (1, tie). Lewis did get a tryout with the Green Bay Packers as a UFA kick returner but evidently was cut before he got a chance to play. I couldn't find any pictures of Richard while he was at NDSU, but I did find several of him during his time at his Green Bay practices.




The very last #1 and the final player in The Countdown To Cal Poly thread (standing ovation please) is cornerback Marcus Williams (5-11, 192 pounds; 2009-2013). His profile is a nice way to wrap things up. I thought Marcus was an extremely good player who had speed, agility, and many other football skills. It seems to me that he took a lot of chances in his coverage; most of the time it would pay off but at others, it would cost him. Another issue was sometimes he didn't seem to wrap up when he was tackling. I remember during one UNI game at the Domer he chased David Johnson (I believe it was David) and tried to take him down by bumping him That didn't turn out too well. At any rate, he has a number of well-deserved spots in the NDSU record books:
Game: #2 longest interception return (98 yards), and #4 longest kick return (98).
Season: #1 (tie) interception TD returns (3; or if you prefer, the infamous term "pick 6") and interception return yards (274; and #2 ,142); #2 (tie) interceptions (7 twice); average kick return yards (34.17); #3 passes defended (22, 15 breakups & 7 interceptions) ; kick return yards (745).
Career: #1 interception yards (603), interceptions (21), kick return TD's (tie,2), and passes defended (60, 39 of them pass breakups);#3 kick returns (44), kick return yards (1,209) and average kick return yards (27.48).

To wrap up things on Marcus below is a list of his awards while he was at NDSU. As you can see from these accolades and his top 5 ranking in a number of categories detailed above he was a very good player along several dimensions.
* 2011, 2012, 2013 College Football Performance.com DB Watch List
* 2012, 2013 American Football Coaches Association FCS All-America Team
* 2012 Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player of the Year
* 2011, 2012, 2013 Walter Camp FCS All-America Team
* 2011, 2012, 2013 Associated Press FCS All-America First Team
* 2011, 2012, 2013 The Sports Network All-America First Team
* 2011, 2012, 2013 College Sporting News FCS Fabulous 50
* 2011, 2012 College Sports Journal FCS All-America Team
* 2011, 2012, 2013 All-Missouri Valley Football Conference First Team
* 2011, 2012 MVFC Defensive Player of the Week
* 2011, 2012 MVFC Special Teams Player of the Week
* 2012 The Sports Network Buck Buchanan Award Watch List
* 2012 The Sports Network Preseason All-America First Team
* 2012 College Sporting News Preseason All-America Team
* 2012 College Sports Journal Preseason All-America Team
* 2011 College Football Performance.com FCS Defensive Back of the Year
* 2011, 2012 CollegeSportsMadness.com FCS All-America Team
* 2011, 2012 CollegeFootballPerformance.com National Defensive Player, DB of the Week; Kick Returner of the Week; Honorable Mention DB
* 2011, 2012 MVFC Preseason Team
* 2011, 2012 Phil Steele’s FCS College Preview All-MVFC First Team
* 2011 College Sporting News FCS Weekly All-Star
* 2011 CollegeSportsMadness.com National, MVFC Player of the Week
* 2010 MVFC All-Newcomer Team
* 2010 All-MVFC Honorable Mention




My work here is done and there is nothing more tomorrow except for the season opener against Cal Poly. I guess that will have to be everyone's consolation prize. So, as I started this thread on day 50/51, here is to the possibility of 14>1 having to change his screen name again and seven of eight FCS National Championships.

Thanks to everyone who read my daily crap (not the Bison stuff), those who posted and the individuals who sent me corrections. I especially appreciate the assistance of THEsocalledfan who began by busting my chops over the day 50/51 fiasco. Throughout this process, journey, quest, and adventure he has had a sharp eye for detail and caught several facts and figures that needed to be changed.

So after over 7 weeks, like the 1967 song by The Doors, "This Is The End". All I can say is the last 1 to read this post, please turn out the lights.

[Nel360]

It has been a very educational read. Thanks for doing this. Go Bison!!!

[tuffenuff]

Thank you for your Countdown posts. I enjoyed each and every one of them.

[runtheoption]

Vet70: Thank you for this thread. I know you have some extra time on your hands, but would you mind sharing an estimate of how long it took you to do all this research?

And, thank you for your service.

[89MTBISON]

Thank you Vet! Your countdown has been my first stop in the morning. Job well done. Go Bison!

[THEsocalledfan]

Great thread vet. I appreciate the thank you, but you did the work. Unfortunately, any good countdown ends with "liftoff" or "zero" or "GET UP BISONNATION, ITS GAMEDAY!" so now you have to think of something to post for tomorrow.

[Vet70]

BisonVet: Thank you for this thread. I know you have some extra time on your hands, but would you mind sharing an estimate of how long it took you to do all this research?

And, thank you for your service.

Thanks on both accounts. Most of the actual research was done by the hard labor of others. The statistics and data were taken from NDSU, tony's Bisonville Fan Guide, and a Wikipedia article on Bison Football. I hate Wiki articles, but it seemed pretty solid and I took Ronald Regan's approach to the Soviet Union of "trust but verify". But maybe it was research, after all, There is a saying among academics: "One source is plagiarism and two research". I also got on the Google (Bush 43) and read various articles and some of the player photos were easier to find than others. All the smart ass comments were mine and in no way is BV responsible. I know that is hard to believe. Typing took some time as I use the Biblical method, "Seek And Ye Shall Find." My computer "skills" presented a challenge at times and often confirmed my position that technology is great when it works. Actually, most of the time I think technology sucks. How much time? You wouldn't believe me if I told you. Let's just say it reinforces a lesson I forget from time to time, never volunteer.