"... I couldn’t help but think of how many people had helped me along the way. One of those people I wanted to personally thank for opening doors was Jimmy Raye. This book tells how some of those doors got pushed open. I’m sure you will enjoy reading about the journey!" - Tony DungyFerris State
Ferris State celebrating stories of redemption
One Ferris State offensive star overcame a troubled past, including legal transgressions that landed him in jail and cost him his football scholarship to Michigan State. Now Jayru Campbell is a Bulldogs’ phoenix. The junior quarterback won the Harlon Hill Award -- the Heisman...
Georgian follows opportunity trail to Ferris
College football mines hundreds of prospects from the talent-rich South, where the sport is religion, to play for northern schools at all levels. An experience on their own attracts some. Others were overlooked by schools closer to home. Adrian Green of Cedar Grove High in...
Army and Navy always live up to expectations
The Army-Navy Game never disappoints.That’s what two of us told the other as three old friends from Big Rapids, Mi., gathered for the 119th Army-Navy Game Saturday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. For me, it was my fourth Army-Navy Game but first outside the press box...
How to feel better about a Duke rout
My guys at Ferris State, who earned an exhibition game invitation from Duke as the defending NCAA Division II basketball champion, should feel more confident in themselves after watching Duke dismantle Kentucky on television. The numerical comparisons of Duke routing Ferris on...
Coach K postgame concerns included Ferris
DURHAM, N.C. – Mike Krzyzewski’s post-game concerns ranged beyond grading his No. 4-ranked basketball team’s performance as the Blue Devils prepared for their season opener with Kentucky on Nov. 6 in the Champions Classic. The venerable Coach K wanted to know if the Bulldogs,...
Ferris treasures experience visiting Duke
DURHAM, N.C. — If anyone wonders what Ferris State was doing on the court with Duke in a 132-48 exhibition game loss Saturday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium, it was coach Mike Krzyzewski’s idea.Coach K has been inviting the reigning NCAA Division II champion for the past nine...
Thomas Sirk doubles up on pro day chances
DURHAM, N.C. -- Thomas Sirk is sending a message for NFL scouts: Good things come in pairs. Sirk played quarterback at two colleges, Duke and East Carolina. He earned two degrees, a bachelor’s in political science and masters in liberal arts. Now he’s trying to show NFL scouts...
Another chapter to story of Gideon Smith
The remarkable story of Gideon Smith has taken him to the footsteps of the National Football Foundation's College Football Hall of Fame.Smith broke barriers throughout his life. He was the first black college football player at two Michigan schools, Ferris State and Michigan...
Vander Laan takes his career to Waldorf Astoria
NEW YORK – Ferris State University quarterback Jason Vander Laan demonstrated how far an NCAA Division II football player can take a career his career.Vander Laan sat on a dais Tuesday morning at the elegant and historic Waldorf-Astoria Hotel for a press conference. He was one of...
NFL scouts find way to Big Rapids to see Vander Laan
BIG RAPIDS, Mich. – A New York Jets scout was here Thursday for practice. An Indianapolis Colts representative visited a couple weeks ago.Just about every NFL team has sent a scout the past couple years to Ferris State’s campus, which is not an easy place to reach in the Middle...