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Football
19 Panthers Named to MVFC Silver Anniversary Team
Complete Release in PDF Format ST. LOUIS - Founded in 1985 as the Gateway Football Conference, the Missouri Valley Football Conference is celebrating its 25th season of FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) football during the 2009 season. As part of a season-long celebration, the conference is paying tribute to its all-time greats by selecting a Silver Anniversary Team. The University of Northern Iowa, which has more conference championships (14) and playoff appearances (14) than any other team in league history, has the most players on the Silver Anniversary Team, with 19. Western Illinois, which has the second-most in both categories, also has the second-most honorees on the team (16). All nine current members, plus two past members, have representation on the team. Team composition for the league’s Silver Anniversary Team was determined by a committee and fan voting. Nearly 2,500 votes were cast on-line from July through mid-October. The conference office, with consultation from institutional personnel, compiled the list of honorees on the ballot. In addition, fans voted to determine an Offensive and Defensive MVP of the league’s “All-Select NFL Team.” (the full team was announced in July). UNI’s Kurt Warner, currently with the Arizona Cardinals, and Western Illinois’ Rodney Harrison, who retired this season after an illustrious career, were tabbed Offensive and Defensive MVPs, respectively. Warner, a four-time Pro Bowler, two-time NFL MVP, and Super Bowl XXXIV MVP, entered the 2009 campaign ranked No. 3 all-time in career passer rating, completing 2,327-of-3,557 passes for 28,591 career yards and 182 career TDs. Harrison, meanwhile, is the only player in NFL history with 30+ sacks and 30+ interceptions, is a two-time Pro Bower, and played on four Super Bowl teams in his career. Among the 67 players selected to the Silver Anniversary Team, 24 earned first-team honors three times, including UNI’s Ty Talton, who remains the only student-athlete in league history to receive first-team designation four-straight seasons. During the league’s first 24 seasons, eight student-athletes won back-to-back Offensive or Defensive Player of the Year plaudits, and each of those players is represented. LB Boomer Grigsby of Illinois State remains the only player in league history to win the MVFC’s top honor three times, and he headlines a list of four Redbirds on the Silver Anniversary Team. In the league’s first 24 seasons, league members have combined for two national championships, four national championship game appearances, and 14 national semifinal trips. Valley Football student-athletes and coaches have earned 19 different National Player or Coach of the Year designations, and the league had a myriad of student-athletes who collected All-America honors and earned national academic distinction. UNI's MVFC Silver Anniversary Members
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