December 20 Notebook
December 20, 2006 03:36 PM | General
December 20, 2006
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| Marc Bulger |
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Marc Bulger is beginning to make his mark in the NFL. Three years ago, Bulger was selected to the Pro Bowl as an alternate when Donovan McNabb couldn’t make the trip to Hawaii because of a rib injury. Bulger wound up throwing four touchdown passes and earning game MVP honors.
This year, the former Mountaineer signal caller is going to Hawaii without an asterisk by his name. Bulger, Tony Romo and starter Drew Brees are the three quarterbacks voted to represent the NFC for the 2007 Pro Bowl. Selections are made by fans, players and coaches.
Bulger has overcome shaky offensive line play to have another outstanding season. The sixth-year Ram is ranked third in the NFL passing yards with 3,665, eighth in touchdown passes with 19, and eighth with a passer rating of 89.5.
“I think people see Marc developing as a veteran quarterback, a guy who really has had to earn his way into this position here every year,” St. Louis Rams coach Scott Linehan was quoted in today’s St. Louis Post-Dispatch. “It’s never easy to be the guy that replaced Kurt (Warner). He’s had some pretty good statistical years, but I think he’s starting to come into his own when it comes to being even a more complete quarterback.”
Bulger becomes the 10th former Mountaineer to make multiple Pro Bowl appearances. The last to do so was punter Todd Sauerbrun who made his third consecutive appearance in 2004.
Linebacker Chuck Howley has the most Pro Bowl appearances with six in 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970 and 1972.
Linebacker Sam Huff made five Pro Bowl appearances in 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962 and 1965 while center Bruce Bosley went to four Pro Bowls in 1961, 1966, 1967 and 1968.
West Virginia’s List of Pro Bowlers
West Virginia’s Top Quarterbacks in the NFL Name Cp Att Yards TD INT Hostetler 1357 2338 16450 94 71 Bulger 1313 2038 15597 90 59 Luck 233 413 2544 13 21 West Virginia’s Top Running Backs in the NFL Name Att Yards Ave TD Murrell 1375 5199 3.8 23 Woodeshick 836 3577 4.3 21 Braxton 741 2890 3.9 25 Marconi 673 2771 4.1 30 Zereoue 553 2137 4.0 10 West Virginia’s Top Wide Receivers in the NFL Name Rec Yards Ave TD Jett 256 4417 17.2 30 Porter 240 3234 13.5 24 Drewery 106 1601 15.1 7 Buggs 110 1572 14.2 4 Braxton 144 1473 10.2 6
He is now involved in the fundraising efforts to finance a major facility upgrades at West Virginia University. “The timing at both places has been pretty good,” Babcock said.
Recently completed projects include a $1.4 million wrestling training center and about $35 million worth of improvements at both Milan Puskar Stadium and the WVU Coliseum.
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| Ed Pastilong |
Director of Athletics Ed Pastilong has designated several capital projects priority status, meaning Babcock and the Mountaineer Athletic Club must raise the money needed to make these important projects a reality.
Over at the Milan Puskar Center, there is the Academic Performance Center and Club Level at a price tag of $2.2 million. Downstairs, a locker room expansion of $4 million is planned. Also, the Milan Puskar Stadium playing surface and additional seats in the Touchdown Terrace section of the stadium is scheduled to begin this winter at a cost of $1 million.
Across town at the WVU Coliseum, Babcock estimates the MAC is about halfway to the targeted fundraising goal of $1.2 million to construct the Academic Performance Center. Approximately $1 million is needed to construct the Coliseum Hall of Traditions and about $1 million must be raised to refurbish baseball’s Hawley Field.
A study is also being done exploring the possibility of expanding the swimming pool to 50 meters.
“I would say that of all of the projects currently on the board we need about $10 million, and that doesn’t include scholarship endowments,” Babcock said.
Although Babcock and his staff are targeting major contributors for these projects, he says there is always strength in numbers.
“We don’t want to discourage someone from giving $1,000 to the football academic center but if they can give it to the annual fund they get the benefits out of that,” he said.
The MAC presently has a membership of approximately 6,000 with $10 million in annual giving. For more information on how you can become a Mountaineer Athletic Club member, log onto http://www.mountaineerathleticclub.com.
West Virginia coach Rich Rodriguez said earlier this week that he couldn’t recall seeing a more impressive wide receiver on film, and that includes Pitt first-rounder Larry Fitzgerald now playing with the Arizona Cardinals.
Have a happy and safe holiday!
