Ball State Football Announces All-Century Team Sponsored by Gainbridge
November 22, 2024 | Football
MUNCIE, Ind. – Thirty-two former Ball State football stars have been named to the Ball State Football All-Century Team sponsored by Gainbridge, as determined by fan balloting throughout the 2024 college football season. The All-Century Team celebrates the 100th season of Ball State football, and the 100th anniversary of a program that began in 1924.
Spurred by over 1,000 votes by alumni and fans during the season's opening weekend in September, All-Century Team balloting was conducted on BallStateSports.com and weighed the merits of 110 former standouts who earned first-team all-conference or All-America accolades, or who were chosen in the NFL Draft.
All-Century Team voting closed on Tuesday, Nov. 19, prior to Saturday's home game against Bowling Green (2:00 p.m.) which is the final home date of the 2024 season. The 32 members of the All-Century Team will be honored throughout Saturday's game at Scheumann Stadium, the site where most of the players performed while wearing Ball State's cardinal and white.
The leading vote-getter in fan balloting was 1990s running back Corey Croom who later starred with the New England Patriots. Other favorites in the online poll included defensive back Shafer Suggs, running back Timmy Brown, quarterback Nate Davis, wide receiver Willie Snead, defensive lineman Keith McKenzie, punter Brad Maynard and kicker Steven Schott.
With the exception of Schott, a 2012 hero whose 42-yard, game-winning field goal as time expired beat Indiana, each of the other eight top vote-getters spent time in the NFL. Brown, Maynard, McKenzie and Snead each reached the Super Bowl.
The All-Century Team sponsored by Gainbridge is comprised of 12 offensive players, 12 on defense, three specialists and five honorable mention selections. Among the honorable mention picks are Blaine Bishop and Antonio Phillips, defensive backs who were inadvertently left off the original list of nominees and, for technical reasons, not added to the voting website after balloting was underway. Bishop spent a decade in the NFL as a defensive back with the Houston Oilers, Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles. Phillips was an integral part of the Cardinals' only bowl champion, returning an interception 53 yards for the first of four first-quarter touchdowns in Ball State's 2020 Arizona Bowl rout. Phillips twice led Ball State in interceptions and played in the 2021 East-West Shrine Game.
The three-month voting period produced a balanced team of All-Century honorees who represent eight different decades dating to Brown, who played at Ball State from 1956-58 before playing with the Philadelphia Eagles.
* Nineteen of 32 representatives on the All-Century Team were drafted by NFL teams or spent time in the NFL.
* A pair of defensive backs, Suggs and Maurice Harvey, played on the Cardinals' first teams in the Mid-American Conference, in the mid-1970s.
* The greatest representation on the All-Century team came from the 1990s, with 10 of 32 selections. Nine of 32 came from recent teams in the 2010s and 2020s.
* MAC championship teams from 1996 and 2008 each feature six representatives on the All-Century Team, the most from any season.
* Besides Phillips, three honorees played on Ball State's Arizona Bowl team from 2020: linebacker Brandon Martin and wide receiver Justin Hall.
* The All-Century Team tight end, Darius Hill starred from 2005-08 and was a 2008 national semifinalist for the Mackey Award, presented to the country's top tight end. Current tight end Tanner Koziol is the Cardinals' only other player ever to earn that distinction, and he enters play Saturday just 11 catches from breaking Hill's career record for catches by a tight end.
In concert with Ball State Athletics, the All-Century Team voting website was created by The Digital Corps, a collaborative program within Ball State's department of Information Technology. Ball State Athletics extends sincere thanks to The Digital Corps for exclusive design and management of the BallStateSports.com/100 voting site.
Ball State Football's All-Century Team sponsored by Gainbridge:
>> QUARTERBACK (1)
Nate Davis QB 2006-07-08
2008 MAC Offensive Player of the Year … 2008 first-team All-MAC, 2007 second-team All-MAC … No. 2 in Ball State history with 9,233 passing yards and 74 career passing TDs … ranks second in Cardinal history with 20 250-yard passing games … engineered Cardinals to unbeaten (12-0) regular season in 2008 … fifth-round draft pick of San Francisco 49ers in 2009 … elected to Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021.
>> RUNNING BACK (3)
Corey Croom RB 1989-90-91-92
1991 first-team All-MAC, 1992 first-team All-MAC … No. 5 in single-game rushing yards with 242 against Miami (Ohio) in 1992 … rushing leader for the Cardinals in 1991 and 1992 … No. 5 in career rushing attempts with 722 for 2,725 yards in his career … part the 1989 MAC Championship team … 1989 California Raisin Bowl participant.
Timmy Brown RB 1956-57-58
1958 All-American … rushing leader for the Cardinals in 1957 and 1958 … holds the Ball State record for most points scored in a game with 25 against Illinois State in 1958 … drafted to the Green Bay Packers in 1959 in the 27th round … played in three Pro Bowls as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles … made All-Pro in 1963 and 1965 … played in Super Bowl III with the Baltimore Colts in 1969 … elected to the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1976.
Michael Blair RB 1993-94-95-96
1993 MAC Freshman of the Year … 1993 first-team All-MAC, 1995 second-team All-MAC, 1996 second-team All-MAC … tied No. 1 in Ball State history with four single-game rushing TDs … tied No. 3 in career rushing TDs with 31 … rushing leader for the Cardinals in 1995 and 1996 … part of the 1993 and 1996 MAC Championship teams … 1993 and 1996 Las Vegas Bowl participant.
>> WIDE RECEIVER (2)
Willie Snead WR 2011-12-13
2012 first-team All-MAC, 2013 first-team All-MAC … 2013 Fred Biletnikoff semifinalist … led the Cardinals in receiving yards in 2012 and 2013 … No. 1 in career 100-yard games with 13 … No. 2 in career touchdowns with 26 … No. 1 in receiving yards, receptions, touchdowns and 100-yard games in a single season in 2013 … 2012 Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl participant … 2013 GoDaddy Bowl participant.
Justin Hall WR/KR 2017-18-19-20-21
2019 first-team All-MAC, 2020 first-team All-MAC, 2021 first-team All-MAC, 2017 second-team All-MAC, 2021 second-team All-MAC … 2017 Freshman All-American … 2021 Paul Hornung finalist … No. 1 in Ball State history in career receiving yards with 3,385 … No. 1 in career all-purpose yards with 5,359 … No. 1 in career receptions … led the Cardinals in receiving yards in 2017, 2019 and 2020 … a part of the 2020 MAC Championship team.
>> TIGHT END (1)
Darius Hill TE 2005-06-07-08
2007 first-team All-MAC … 2007 John Mackey semifinalist … No. 1 in Ball State history with 31 career touchdowns … No. 2 in touchdowns in a single season with 11 in 2007 … tied No. 4 in 100-yard games in a single season with four in 2006 … No. 7 in career receiving yards with 2,473 … 2007 International Bowl participant.
>> OFFENSIVE LINE (5)
Robert Brewster OL 2005-06-07-08
2007 first-team All-MAC, 2008 first-team All-MAC … part of the historical undefeated (12-0) regular season 2008 team … 2007 International Bowl participant … 2008 GMAC Bowl participant.
Todd Wright OL 1988-89-90
1989 first-team All-MAC, 1990 first-team All-MAC … part of the 1989 MAC Championship team … 1989 California Raisin Bowl participant … elected to the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012.
Jose Munoz OL 1991-92-93
1993 first-team All-MAC … part of the 1989 and 1993 MAC Championship teams … 1989 California Raisin Bowl participant … 1993 Las Vegas Bowl participant.
Danny Pinter OL 2016-17-18-19
2019 first-team All-MAC … 2019 John Magnabosco Award winner for most outstanding player … 2018 and 2019 Dave McClain Leadership Award winner … 2017 Ray Louthen Award winner for most improved player … 2020 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl participant.
Tony Roush OL 1993-94-95-96
1995 first-team All-MAC, 1996 first-team All-MAC … part of 1993 and 1996 MAC Championship teams … 1993 and 1996 Las Vegas Bowl participant.
>> DEFENSIVE LINE (4)
Keith McKenzie DL 1993-94-95
1995 first-team All-MAC … part of the 1993 MAC Championship team … 1993 Las Vegas Bowl participant … tied No. 1 in career quarterback sacks with 25 … led the Cardinals in sacks in 1994 and 1995 … elected to the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006.
Damon Hummel DL 1995-96-97-98
1996 first-team All-MAC, 1998 second-team All-MAC … part of the 1996 MAC Championship team … 1996 Las Vegas Bowl participant … tied for most sacks for the Cardinals in the 1998 season with three … No. 8 in career tackles for loss with 42.
Anthony Winbush DL 2014-15-16-17
2017 first-team All-MAC … 2017 John Magnabosco Award winner for most outstanding player … 2013 GoDaddy Bowl participant … tied No. 1 in career quarterback sacks with 25 … No. 2 in career forced fumbles with nine … led the Cardinals in sacks three years in a row from 2015-2017.
Ralph Wize DL 1987-88-89
1989 first-team All-MAC … part of the 1989 MAC Championship team … 1989 California Raisin Bowl participant.
>> LINEBACKER (4)
Greg Garnica LB 1986-87-88-89
1987 MAC Defensive Player of the Year, 1988 MAC Defensive Player of the Year, 1989 MAC Defensive Player of the Year … 1989 first-team All-MAC, 1986 second-team All-MAC, 1988 second-team All-MAC … part of the 1989 MAC Championship team … 1989 California Raisin Bowl participant … Ball State football career tackles leader with 689 … holds the Ball State record for most forced fumbles in a single game with three … No. 1 in career solo tackles with 401 … led the Cardinals in interceptions in 1988 and 1989 … elected to the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2002.
Tim Walton LB 1985-86-87-88
1988 first-team All-MAC … No. 5 in career tackles with 480 … No. 2 in career solo tackles with 296 … tied No. 6 in career tackles for loss with 43 … led the Cardinals in sacks in 1987 … elected to the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013.
Aaron Gralak LB 1993-94-95-96
1996 first-team All-MAC … part of the 1993 and 1996 MAC Championship teams … 1993 and 1996 Las Vegas Bowl participant … tied No. 1 in career solo tackles with 218 … led the Cardinals in tackles in 1996.
Brandon Martin LB 2017-18-19-20-21
2020 MAC Defensive Player of the Year … 2020 first-team All-MAC … part of the 2020 MAC Championship and Arizona Bowl Championship team … 2021 Camellia Bowl participant … led the Cardinals in tackles in 2020 with 90.
>> DEFENSIVE BACK (4)
Shafer Suggs DB 1972-73-74-75
1975 MAC Defensive Player of the Year … 1975 first-team All-MAC …tied No. 1 in interceptions in a single season with eight in 1974 … tied No. 2 in career interceptions with 14 … No. 3 in career passes defended with 40 … led the Cardinals in passes defended three years in a row from 1973 – 1975 … participated in the College All-Star game in 1976 … participated in the East-West Shrine Bowl in 1976 … participated in the 1976 Senior Bowl … elected to the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1987 … elected to the MAC Hall of Fame in 1989.
Sean Baker DB 2008-09-10-11
2008 MAC Freshman Player of the Year … 2008 Freshman All-American … 2011 first-team All-MAC, 2010 second-team All-MAC … Ball State career interceptions leader with 18 … 2007 International Bowl participant … 2008 GMAC Bowl participant … part of the undefeated (12-0) regular season 2008 team … tied for the record for most interceptions in a single game with three against Akron in 2008 … No. 4 in career passes defended with 39.
Cory Gilliard DB 1993-94-95-96
1995 first-team All-MAC, 1996 first-team All-MAC, 1994 second-team All-MAC … part of the 1993 and 1996 MAC Championship team … 1993 and 1996 Las Vegas Bowl participant … tied No. 10 in career solo tackles with 218 … led the Cardinals in tackles in 1995 … participated in the Blue-Gray Game and East-West Shrine Bowl in 1996.
Raphael Ball DB 1994-95-96
1996 first-team All-MAC … part of the 1993 MAC Championship team … 1993 Las Vegas Bowl participant … led the Cardinals in interceptions in 1996 … No. 9 in career passes defended with 30.
>> PUNTER (1)
Brad Maynard P 1993-94-95-96
1996 MAC MVP … 1996 MAC Defensive Player of the Year … 1994 All-American, 1995 All-American, 1996 All-American … 1994 first-team All-MAC, 1995 first-team All-MAC, 1996 first-team All-MAC, 1993 second-team All-MAC … part of the 1993 and 1996 MAC Championship teams … 1993 and 1996 Las Vegas Bowl participant … first punter in the history of college football to be named an NCAA Division IA conference MVP after being named the MAC's Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in 1996.
>> PLACEKICKER (1)
Steven Schott K 2009-10-11-12
2012 first-team All-MAC … 2012 Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl participant … No. 2 in points scored in a single season with 125 in 2012 … tied No. 1 in field goals scored in a single season with 25 in 2012 … tied for the fourth longest field goal at 52 yards vs EMU in 2012.
>> RETURN SPECIALIST (1)
Dante Love WR 2005-08
2007 first-team All-MAC, 2006 second-team All-MAC, 2008 second-team All-MAC … Ball State career No. 2 all-purpose yards leader with 5,337 … tied No. 2 for single-game receptions with 14 against Indiana in 2007 … led the Cardinals in receiving yards in 2006 and 2007 … part of the undefeated (12-0) regular season 2008 team … 2008 GMAC Bowl participant.
>> HONORABLE MENTION (5)
Blaine Bishop DB 1990-91-92
1990 first-team All-MAC, 1992 second-team All-MAC … finished his career with the Cardinals with 243 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 12 sacks and one interception … drafted by the Houston Oilers in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft … four-time NFL Pro Bowl participant and three-time All-Pro … played in Super Bowl XXXIV as a member of the Tennessee Titans … named to the NFL Top 100 players list by The Sporting News in 1998 … elected to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2018 … elected to the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003.
Jahwan Edwards RB 2011-12-13-14
2013 second-team All-MAC … No. 1 in Ball State history with 4,558 career rushing yards … No. 1 in rushing TDs with 51 … No. 1 in career rushing attempts with 884 … No. 2 in career 100-yard games with 18 … led the Cardinals in rushing yards four years in a row from 2011-2014 … participated in the 2012 Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl and 2013 GoDaddy Bowl.
Maurice Harvey DB 1975-76-77
1976 first-team All-MAC, 1977 first-team All-MAC … part of the 1976 MAC Championship team … No. 1 in forced fumbles in a single season with seven in 1977 … led the Cardinals in tackles in 1976 … participated in the East-West Shrine Bowl in 1977 … elected to the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1988 … elected to the MAC Hall of Fame in 1992.
Antonio Philips DB 2017-18-19-20
2019 first-team All-MAC, 2020 second-team All-MAC … a key part of the 2020 MAC championship team and the Cardinals' first bowl game victory over San Jose State in the Arizona Bowl … 53-yard interception return for TD sparked four Ball State TDs in the opening minutes of the 2020 bowl win … 2021 East-West Shrine Bowl participant … interception leader for the Cardinals in 2018 and 2020 … 2019 Ray Louthen Award recipient for most improved player.
Andre Ramsey OL 2005-08
2008 first-team All-MAC … part of the undefeated (12-0) regular season 2008 team … 2007 International Bowl participant … 2008 GMAC Bowl participant.
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Spurred by over 1,000 votes by alumni and fans during the season's opening weekend in September, All-Century Team balloting was conducted on BallStateSports.com and weighed the merits of 110 former standouts who earned first-team all-conference or All-America accolades, or who were chosen in the NFL Draft.
All-Century Team voting closed on Tuesday, Nov. 19, prior to Saturday's home game against Bowling Green (2:00 p.m.) which is the final home date of the 2024 season. The 32 members of the All-Century Team will be honored throughout Saturday's game at Scheumann Stadium, the site where most of the players performed while wearing Ball State's cardinal and white.
The leading vote-getter in fan balloting was 1990s running back Corey Croom who later starred with the New England Patriots. Other favorites in the online poll included defensive back Shafer Suggs, running back Timmy Brown, quarterback Nate Davis, wide receiver Willie Snead, defensive lineman Keith McKenzie, punter Brad Maynard and kicker Steven Schott.
With the exception of Schott, a 2012 hero whose 42-yard, game-winning field goal as time expired beat Indiana, each of the other eight top vote-getters spent time in the NFL. Brown, Maynard, McKenzie and Snead each reached the Super Bowl.
The All-Century Team sponsored by Gainbridge is comprised of 12 offensive players, 12 on defense, three specialists and five honorable mention selections. Among the honorable mention picks are Blaine Bishop and Antonio Phillips, defensive backs who were inadvertently left off the original list of nominees and, for technical reasons, not added to the voting website after balloting was underway. Bishop spent a decade in the NFL as a defensive back with the Houston Oilers, Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles. Phillips was an integral part of the Cardinals' only bowl champion, returning an interception 53 yards for the first of four first-quarter touchdowns in Ball State's 2020 Arizona Bowl rout. Phillips twice led Ball State in interceptions and played in the 2021 East-West Shrine Game.
The three-month voting period produced a balanced team of All-Century honorees who represent eight different decades dating to Brown, who played at Ball State from 1956-58 before playing with the Philadelphia Eagles.
* Nineteen of 32 representatives on the All-Century Team were drafted by NFL teams or spent time in the NFL.
* A pair of defensive backs, Suggs and Maurice Harvey, played on the Cardinals' first teams in the Mid-American Conference, in the mid-1970s.
* The greatest representation on the All-Century team came from the 1990s, with 10 of 32 selections. Nine of 32 came from recent teams in the 2010s and 2020s.
* MAC championship teams from 1996 and 2008 each feature six representatives on the All-Century Team, the most from any season.
* Besides Phillips, three honorees played on Ball State's Arizona Bowl team from 2020: linebacker Brandon Martin and wide receiver Justin Hall.
* The All-Century Team tight end, Darius Hill starred from 2005-08 and was a 2008 national semifinalist for the Mackey Award, presented to the country's top tight end. Current tight end Tanner Koziol is the Cardinals' only other player ever to earn that distinction, and he enters play Saturday just 11 catches from breaking Hill's career record for catches by a tight end.
In concert with Ball State Athletics, the All-Century Team voting website was created by The Digital Corps, a collaborative program within Ball State's department of Information Technology. Ball State Athletics extends sincere thanks to The Digital Corps for exclusive design and management of the BallStateSports.com/100 voting site.
Ball State Football's All-Century Team sponsored by Gainbridge:
>> QUARTERBACK (1)
Nate Davis QB 2006-07-08
2008 MAC Offensive Player of the Year … 2008 first-team All-MAC, 2007 second-team All-MAC … No. 2 in Ball State history with 9,233 passing yards and 74 career passing TDs … ranks second in Cardinal history with 20 250-yard passing games … engineered Cardinals to unbeaten (12-0) regular season in 2008 … fifth-round draft pick of San Francisco 49ers in 2009 … elected to Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2021.
>> RUNNING BACK (3)
Corey Croom RB 1989-90-91-92
1991 first-team All-MAC, 1992 first-team All-MAC … No. 5 in single-game rushing yards with 242 against Miami (Ohio) in 1992 … rushing leader for the Cardinals in 1991 and 1992 … No. 5 in career rushing attempts with 722 for 2,725 yards in his career … part the 1989 MAC Championship team … 1989 California Raisin Bowl participant.
Timmy Brown RB 1956-57-58
1958 All-American … rushing leader for the Cardinals in 1957 and 1958 … holds the Ball State record for most points scored in a game with 25 against Illinois State in 1958 … drafted to the Green Bay Packers in 1959 in the 27th round … played in three Pro Bowls as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles … made All-Pro in 1963 and 1965 … played in Super Bowl III with the Baltimore Colts in 1969 … elected to the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1976.
Michael Blair RB 1993-94-95-96
1993 MAC Freshman of the Year … 1993 first-team All-MAC, 1995 second-team All-MAC, 1996 second-team All-MAC … tied No. 1 in Ball State history with four single-game rushing TDs … tied No. 3 in career rushing TDs with 31 … rushing leader for the Cardinals in 1995 and 1996 … part of the 1993 and 1996 MAC Championship teams … 1993 and 1996 Las Vegas Bowl participant.
>> WIDE RECEIVER (2)
Willie Snead WR 2011-12-13
2012 first-team All-MAC, 2013 first-team All-MAC … 2013 Fred Biletnikoff semifinalist … led the Cardinals in receiving yards in 2012 and 2013 … No. 1 in career 100-yard games with 13 … No. 2 in career touchdowns with 26 … No. 1 in receiving yards, receptions, touchdowns and 100-yard games in a single season in 2013 … 2012 Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl participant … 2013 GoDaddy Bowl participant.
Justin Hall WR/KR 2017-18-19-20-21
2019 first-team All-MAC, 2020 first-team All-MAC, 2021 first-team All-MAC, 2017 second-team All-MAC, 2021 second-team All-MAC … 2017 Freshman All-American … 2021 Paul Hornung finalist … No. 1 in Ball State history in career receiving yards with 3,385 … No. 1 in career all-purpose yards with 5,359 … No. 1 in career receptions … led the Cardinals in receiving yards in 2017, 2019 and 2020 … a part of the 2020 MAC Championship team.
>> TIGHT END (1)
Darius Hill TE 2005-06-07-08
2007 first-team All-MAC … 2007 John Mackey semifinalist … No. 1 in Ball State history with 31 career touchdowns … No. 2 in touchdowns in a single season with 11 in 2007 … tied No. 4 in 100-yard games in a single season with four in 2006 … No. 7 in career receiving yards with 2,473 … 2007 International Bowl participant.
>> OFFENSIVE LINE (5)
Robert Brewster OL 2005-06-07-08
2007 first-team All-MAC, 2008 first-team All-MAC … part of the historical undefeated (12-0) regular season 2008 team … 2007 International Bowl participant … 2008 GMAC Bowl participant.
Todd Wright OL 1988-89-90
1989 first-team All-MAC, 1990 first-team All-MAC … part of the 1989 MAC Championship team … 1989 California Raisin Bowl participant … elected to the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012.
Jose Munoz OL 1991-92-93
1993 first-team All-MAC … part of the 1989 and 1993 MAC Championship teams … 1989 California Raisin Bowl participant … 1993 Las Vegas Bowl participant.
Danny Pinter OL 2016-17-18-19
2019 first-team All-MAC … 2019 John Magnabosco Award winner for most outstanding player … 2018 and 2019 Dave McClain Leadership Award winner … 2017 Ray Louthen Award winner for most improved player … 2020 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl participant.
Tony Roush OL 1993-94-95-96
1995 first-team All-MAC, 1996 first-team All-MAC … part of 1993 and 1996 MAC Championship teams … 1993 and 1996 Las Vegas Bowl participant.
>> DEFENSIVE LINE (4)
Keith McKenzie DL 1993-94-95
1995 first-team All-MAC … part of the 1993 MAC Championship team … 1993 Las Vegas Bowl participant … tied No. 1 in career quarterback sacks with 25 … led the Cardinals in sacks in 1994 and 1995 … elected to the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006.
Damon Hummel DL 1995-96-97-98
1996 first-team All-MAC, 1998 second-team All-MAC … part of the 1996 MAC Championship team … 1996 Las Vegas Bowl participant … tied for most sacks for the Cardinals in the 1998 season with three … No. 8 in career tackles for loss with 42.
Anthony Winbush DL 2014-15-16-17
2017 first-team All-MAC … 2017 John Magnabosco Award winner for most outstanding player … 2013 GoDaddy Bowl participant … tied No. 1 in career quarterback sacks with 25 … No. 2 in career forced fumbles with nine … led the Cardinals in sacks three years in a row from 2015-2017.
Ralph Wize DL 1987-88-89
1989 first-team All-MAC … part of the 1989 MAC Championship team … 1989 California Raisin Bowl participant.
>> LINEBACKER (4)
Greg Garnica LB 1986-87-88-89
1987 MAC Defensive Player of the Year, 1988 MAC Defensive Player of the Year, 1989 MAC Defensive Player of the Year … 1989 first-team All-MAC, 1986 second-team All-MAC, 1988 second-team All-MAC … part of the 1989 MAC Championship team … 1989 California Raisin Bowl participant … Ball State football career tackles leader with 689 … holds the Ball State record for most forced fumbles in a single game with three … No. 1 in career solo tackles with 401 … led the Cardinals in interceptions in 1988 and 1989 … elected to the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2002.
Tim Walton LB 1985-86-87-88
1988 first-team All-MAC … No. 5 in career tackles with 480 … No. 2 in career solo tackles with 296 … tied No. 6 in career tackles for loss with 43 … led the Cardinals in sacks in 1987 … elected to the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013.
Aaron Gralak LB 1993-94-95-96
1996 first-team All-MAC … part of the 1993 and 1996 MAC Championship teams … 1993 and 1996 Las Vegas Bowl participant … tied No. 1 in career solo tackles with 218 … led the Cardinals in tackles in 1996.
Brandon Martin LB 2017-18-19-20-21
2020 MAC Defensive Player of the Year … 2020 first-team All-MAC … part of the 2020 MAC Championship and Arizona Bowl Championship team … 2021 Camellia Bowl participant … led the Cardinals in tackles in 2020 with 90.
>> DEFENSIVE BACK (4)
Shafer Suggs DB 1972-73-74-75
1975 MAC Defensive Player of the Year … 1975 first-team All-MAC …tied No. 1 in interceptions in a single season with eight in 1974 … tied No. 2 in career interceptions with 14 … No. 3 in career passes defended with 40 … led the Cardinals in passes defended three years in a row from 1973 – 1975 … participated in the College All-Star game in 1976 … participated in the East-West Shrine Bowl in 1976 … participated in the 1976 Senior Bowl … elected to the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1987 … elected to the MAC Hall of Fame in 1989.
Sean Baker DB 2008-09-10-11
2008 MAC Freshman Player of the Year … 2008 Freshman All-American … 2011 first-team All-MAC, 2010 second-team All-MAC … Ball State career interceptions leader with 18 … 2007 International Bowl participant … 2008 GMAC Bowl participant … part of the undefeated (12-0) regular season 2008 team … tied for the record for most interceptions in a single game with three against Akron in 2008 … No. 4 in career passes defended with 39.
Cory Gilliard DB 1993-94-95-96
1995 first-team All-MAC, 1996 first-team All-MAC, 1994 second-team All-MAC … part of the 1993 and 1996 MAC Championship team … 1993 and 1996 Las Vegas Bowl participant … tied No. 10 in career solo tackles with 218 … led the Cardinals in tackles in 1995 … participated in the Blue-Gray Game and East-West Shrine Bowl in 1996.
Raphael Ball DB 1994-95-96
1996 first-team All-MAC … part of the 1993 MAC Championship team … 1993 Las Vegas Bowl participant … led the Cardinals in interceptions in 1996 … No. 9 in career passes defended with 30.
>> PUNTER (1)
Brad Maynard P 1993-94-95-96
1996 MAC MVP … 1996 MAC Defensive Player of the Year … 1994 All-American, 1995 All-American, 1996 All-American … 1994 first-team All-MAC, 1995 first-team All-MAC, 1996 first-team All-MAC, 1993 second-team All-MAC … part of the 1993 and 1996 MAC Championship teams … 1993 and 1996 Las Vegas Bowl participant … first punter in the history of college football to be named an NCAA Division IA conference MVP after being named the MAC's Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in 1996.
>> PLACEKICKER (1)
Steven Schott K 2009-10-11-12
2012 first-team All-MAC … 2012 Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl participant … No. 2 in points scored in a single season with 125 in 2012 … tied No. 1 in field goals scored in a single season with 25 in 2012 … tied for the fourth longest field goal at 52 yards vs EMU in 2012.
>> RETURN SPECIALIST (1)
Dante Love WR 2005-08
2007 first-team All-MAC, 2006 second-team All-MAC, 2008 second-team All-MAC … Ball State career No. 2 all-purpose yards leader with 5,337 … tied No. 2 for single-game receptions with 14 against Indiana in 2007 … led the Cardinals in receiving yards in 2006 and 2007 … part of the undefeated (12-0) regular season 2008 team … 2008 GMAC Bowl participant.
>> HONORABLE MENTION (5)
Blaine Bishop DB 1990-91-92
1990 first-team All-MAC, 1992 second-team All-MAC … finished his career with the Cardinals with 243 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 12 sacks and one interception … drafted by the Houston Oilers in the eighth round of the 1993 NFL Draft … four-time NFL Pro Bowl participant and three-time All-Pro … played in Super Bowl XXXIV as a member of the Tennessee Titans … named to the NFL Top 100 players list by The Sporting News in 1998 … elected to the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2018 … elected to the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003.
Jahwan Edwards RB 2011-12-13-14
2013 second-team All-MAC … No. 1 in Ball State history with 4,558 career rushing yards … No. 1 in rushing TDs with 51 … No. 1 in career rushing attempts with 884 … No. 2 in career 100-yard games with 18 … led the Cardinals in rushing yards four years in a row from 2011-2014 … participated in the 2012 Beef 'O' Brady's Bowl and 2013 GoDaddy Bowl.
Maurice Harvey DB 1975-76-77
1976 first-team All-MAC, 1977 first-team All-MAC … part of the 1976 MAC Championship team … No. 1 in forced fumbles in a single season with seven in 1977 … led the Cardinals in tackles in 1976 … participated in the East-West Shrine Bowl in 1977 … elected to the Ball State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1988 … elected to the MAC Hall of Fame in 1992.
Antonio Philips DB 2017-18-19-20
2019 first-team All-MAC, 2020 second-team All-MAC … a key part of the 2020 MAC championship team and the Cardinals' first bowl game victory over San Jose State in the Arizona Bowl … 53-yard interception return for TD sparked four Ball State TDs in the opening minutes of the 2020 bowl win … 2021 East-West Shrine Bowl participant … interception leader for the Cardinals in 2018 and 2020 … 2019 Ray Louthen Award recipient for most improved player.
Andre Ramsey OL 2005-08
2008 first-team All-MAC … part of the undefeated (12-0) regular season 2008 team … 2007 International Bowl participant … 2008 GMAC Bowl participant.
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