Since 1984, when Eastern became a member of the NCAA Championship Subdivision (FCS), 92 Eastern football players have either signed free agent contracts or have been drafted by National Football League (NFL) or Canadian Football League (CFL) teams. Eleven have been drafted by the NFL and five drafted by the CFL to go along with four NFL draftees between 1965-74. Eastern has also enjoyed a recent influx of players into other existing or now-defunct leagues. They include the newest version of the re-booted United States Football League (USFL), as well as the Arena Football League (AFL), arenafootball2 (af2), United Football League (UFL) and Indoor Football League (IFL). Prior to that, several played in the World League, which became NFL Europa before it folded. The list below shows EWU’s professionals in the 2022-23 season and the team they are currently with.
Professionals in 2022-23 (most recent team listed) - As of July 20, 2023
***B.C. Lions – Tristen Taylor – Off. Tackle – EWU Letterwinner in 2016-17-19-20-21
***Michigan Panthers (USFL) – Talolo Limu-Jones – Wide Receiver – 2017-18-19-20-21
Chicago Bears (NFL) – Nsimba Webster – Wide Receiver – 2015-16-17-18
Los Angeles Rams (NFL) – Cooper Kupp – Wide Receiver – 2013-14-15-16
San Francisco 49ers (NFL) – Samson Ebukam – Outside Linebacker – 2013-14-15-16
New England Patriots (NFL) – Kendrick Bourne – Wide Receiver – 2013-14-15-16
Buffalo Bills (NFL) – Taiwan Jones – Running Back/Cornerback – 2008-09-10
***Hamilton Tiger-Cats (CFL) – Andrew Boston – Wide Receiver – 2018-19-20-21
***British Columbia Lions (CFL) – Victor Gamboa – Cornerback – 2014-15-16-17
B.C. Lions – Vernon Adams Jr. – Quarterback – 2012-13-14
British Columbia Lions (CFL) – T.J. Lee III – Cornerback – 2010-11-12-13
Hamilton Tiger-Cats – Bo Levi Mitchell – Quarterback – 2010-11
New Jersey Generals – Eric Barriere – Quarterback – 2017-18-19-20-21
***Not on roster as of July 20, 2023.
Cooper Kupp Ends Historic, Storybook Season a Super Bowl LVI Champion and MVP
A video game season or something out of a storybook that you can only dream of, however you phrase it, the 2021-22 National Football League season for
COOPER KUPP was historic. He earned the NFL’s triple crown after leading the league in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947) and receiving touchdowns (16), becoming the league’s fourth receiving triple crown winner since 1970, joining Steve Smith (2005), Sterling Sharpe (1992) and Jerry Rice (1990). Additionally, Kupp was crowned the 2021 AP Offensive Player of the Year, adding a Super Bowl ring and MVP to his resume.
In addition, he won multiple NFC Offensive Player of the Month awards and was named to the Pro Bowl after being named a unanimous first team All-Pro. He is the only Eagle to receive All-Pro honors behind Michael Roos.
Jerry Rice is only other wide receiver in NFL history to win the receiving triple crown, Offensive Player of the Year and Super Bowl MVP in their career, and Kupp accomplished all of that and more in a single season. Ironically Kupp won the Jerry Rice Award as a freshman in 2013 which is awarded to the top freshman nationally in the FCS.
He is the only player in NFL history to total 1,900 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns in a single season. Additionally, he had 13 100-yard receiving games which is an NFL and Rams record (11 in the regular season, second all-time). In all, his combined 2,425 receiving yards throughout the regular season and postseason are the most in NFL history. Counting the postseason, he hauled in 22 touchdowns and 178 catches.
Kupp came just five receptions short of the NFL’s single-season reception record and 18 yards short of the single-season receiving yards record, putting together the second-most in a single season for each category in NFL history. Kupp was the league’s leader in receptions by 22, receiving yards by 331 and receiving touchdowns by two. He broke the Rams’ franchise records for receptions and receiving yards, and was a touchdown short of matching the receiving touchdown records.
On February 13, 2022, Kupp made history as the first-ever Big Sky Conference player to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl, scoring not once, but twice. His efforts crowned the LA Rams Super Bowl LVI Champions with a 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Kupp caught eight of his 10 targets for a team-high 92 yards and two touchdowns. His second score would be the game-winner as quarterback Matthew Stafford found Kupp in the corner of the endzone to give the Rams the lead with 90 seconds left in regulation. To set up that play, Kupp converted on fourth-and-1 on the Rams 30-yard line after a seven-yard completion.
In the playoffs, Kupp scored at least once in every postseason game during the Super Bowl run, finishing with 33 catches and 478 yards plus six touchdowns. The 33 catches are the most in a single postseason. In the divisional round against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he had a 44-yard catch that set up the game-winning field goal. His 478 receiving yards is second all-time to Larry Fitzgerald (546 in 2008).
Kupp was the fifth Eagle to play in a Super Bowl, joining Kendrick Bourne (San Francisco 49ers, LIV in 2020), offensive tackle Ed Simmons (Washington Redskins, XXVI in 1992), safety Kurt Schulz (Buffalo Bills, XXVIII in 1994) and outside linebacker Samson Ebukam (Los Angeles Rams, LIII in 2019). He joins Simmons as the only champion, and is the first EWU and Big Sky Conference player to score in a Super Bowl and win MVP.
At the Super Bowl, after Kupp caught the go-ahead touchdown pass – and made four other key plays – during a game-winning drive in the waning minutes of the victory over the Cincinnati Bengals, he explained his unlikely path to Super Bowl glory.
“It is just part of my journey,” Kupp said. “I was supposed to go to Eastern Washington and I met so many great friends and so many guys from my time at Eastern that were standing up there with me at my wedding. Lifelong friendships, even people, just the community in Cheney, Washington, I was just able to make relationships there. It was just a special place for me to be.”
From the Big Sky Conference in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision, to the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL, three letters have marked the definitive moments of his career. M-V-P.
He won that in the Super Bowl, he had that distinction in the FCS and he won that accolade in the Big Sky. He won a few MVP honors on Eastern’s team too, but that wasn’t nearly as compelling as the performances and accomplishments at Roos Field and beyond.
“I was surrounded by some really good people, some receivers and coaches that taught me a ton, challenged me and pushed me,” he added from the Super Bowl dais, with his son Cypress Stellar on his lap. “That was just where I was supposed to be so I do not hold any regrets or feel any grudge towards anyone. I am just thankful for the path I have been on.”
Bourne Becomes Fourth Eagle to Play in a Super Bowl
Destiny has certainly been on the side of the San Francisco 49ers and former Eastern Washington University wide receiver Kendrick Bourne
Like he did as an Eagle,
KENDRICK BOURNE established some more history when his San Francisco 49ers played the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV in Miami, Fla., on Feb. 2, 2020. He finished with two catches for 42 yards, and was targeted four times in the 31-20 loss. He caught a pass for 26 yards in the third quarter to the 11-yard line of the Chiefs, setting up a touchdown to give San Francisco a 20-10 lead. He had another grab for 16 late in the game, but KC scored the final 21 points of the game in the fourth quarter. He was the first player from the Big Sky Conference to catch a pass in the Super Bowl since 2014.
Bourne became the just the fourth Eagle to play in a Super Bowl, joining offensive tackle
ED SIMMONS (Washington Redskins, XXVI in 1992), safety
KURT SCHULZ (Buffalo Bills, XXVIII in 1994) and outside linebacker
Samson Ebukam (Los Angeles Rams, LIII in 2019). Simmons was the only champion among those four, starting the game as one of the notorious “Hogs” for the Redskins in their 37-24 triumph over the Buffalo Bills.
COOPER KUPP was added to that list following the 2021 season after not only playing in the game, but earning MVP honors as well for the Los Angeles Rams.
In Super Bowl LIII following the 2018 season, Ebukam had four tackles in a 13-3 loss to New England, while
Kupp was injured and unable to play. Former Eagle
AARON NEARY was also with the Rams for the game in Atlanta, Ga., but was inactive after serving as a practice squad player in the 2018 season for the Rams. Schulz made a touchdown-saving tackle on the game’s opening kickoff in the Super Bowl in 1994 after playing most of the 1993 season with a calf injury suffered in the preseason.
In his third season with the 49ers, Bourne finished the 2019 regular season with 30 catches for 358 yards and a career-high five touchdowns. In the 2019 playoffs, he had three catches for 40 yards and the first touchdown of the day versus Minnesota. He added a catch for six yards in a 37-20 win versus Green Bay in the NFC Championship Game. Bourne was a non-drafted free agent, but made the 49ers roster in 2017 and played in 11 games. He then played in all 16 in 2018 and had 42 catches.
His progress has also shadowed the success of the team, which won more games in 2019 (13 in the regular season, two in the playoffs) since the last three teams combined – a combined total of 12 victories from 2016-18. In 2016, the 49ers were 2-14, with both wins coming against the Los Angeles Rams. As a result, the 49ers fired head coach Chip Kelly and general manager Trent Baalke.
In the first season of the head coach/general manager tandem of Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch – and Bourne’s rookie year – the 49ers were 6-10. After a 0-9 start, they won six of their last seven, having largely turned around the season after they acquired quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from the New England Patriots on October 30, 2017. Bourne was also a factor, catching no passes in the first three games he played in San Francisco’s first eight games that season, but having16 receptions for 257 yards in the final eight.
San Francisco slipped to 4-12 in 2018 during an injury-plagued season. But in week 15 the 49ers were able to upset the Seattle Seahawks 26-23 in overtime at home, snapping a 10-game losing streak to them that dated back to 2013 Playoffs.
In 2019, the 49ers began the season 8–0 for the first time since 1990, and their final 13–3 record was their best finish since 2011. The 49ers were attempting to win their sixth Super Bowl championship, in hopes of tying with the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers for the most Super Bowl championships. San Francisco also won titles in Super Bowls XVI (1982), XIX (1985), XXIII (1989), XXIV (1990), and XXIX (1995).
Prolific Cooper Kupp is FCS Player of the Decade
Former Eagle wide receiver and current Los Angeles Ram
COOPER KUPP was named on Dec. 30, 2019, as the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Player of the Decade by STATS, which selected a prestigious team of 31 players on its 2010’s All-Decade squad.
Kupp established 15 FCS, 11 Big Sky and 26 EWU records during an illustrious 52-game career (2013-16) in which his 428 receptions, 6,464 receiving yards, 73 touchdown catches and 124.3 receiving yards per game set all-time marks in the subdivision. He was a four-time first-team All-American and won two top FCS awards presented by STATS, the 2013 Jerry Rice Award (freshman) and the 2015 Walter Payton Award (offensive).
Cooper Kupp AND Samson Ebukam Join Los Angeles Rams
Los Angeles became an instant Eagle fan favorite when the Rams used their original third-round selection in the NFL Draft to pick
Cooper Kupp on the evening of April 28, 2017, then traded up to choose
Samson Ebukam in the fourth round the next morning.
Kupp and his new receivers coach, Eric Yarber, share a bit of Big Sky Conference history. A standout at the University of Idaho from 1984-85, Yarber was the only wide receiver in league history to be named Offensive MVP until Kupp received the honor in both 2015 and 2016. The award has been presented since 1974, but Yarber was the first receiver to win it when he caught 75 passes for 1,103 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior in 1985.
Kupp won his award in 2015 with a season that saw him catch 114 passes (Big Sky record) for 1,642 yards and 19 touchdowns. He bettered that season with 117 grabs for 1,700 yards and 17 scores as a senior when he shared the award with teammate Gage Gubrud. Kupp eventually broke 15 FCS, 11 Big Sky and 29 EWU records in his illustrious 52-game Eastern career, and added a collegiate all-division mark.
“Cooper Kupp is a great, great receiver,” said Yarber, who caught 129 passes for 1,920 yards and 17 touchdowns in two seasons for the Vandals. “He’s making plays against Division I-AA (FCS), then goes into Pac-12 games and makes plays all over the field. He’s a great football player and has a great football IQ. He has good hands, he’s good getting in and out of breaks and he’s very good above the neck. He’s faster and quicker than a lot of people think. He’s just a complete football player.”
“I think I bring versatility,” Kupp said on a conference call following the draft. “I’m a guy that’s going to know the offense inside and out. I know exactly what I need to be -- a guy that can be reliable and be able to get first downs.”
“His above-the neck approach, in terms of the way that he sees the game, it’s almost through the quarterback’s perspective,” head coach Sean McVay said. “You can see he’s always got a plan at the line of scrimmage with how he’s going to work versus different coverages and where the holes are in that coverage. And he’s got great hands.”
“He knows coverages, and if you know coverages you’re a little quicker in your routes,” added Yarber.
Rams’ general manager Les Snead acknowledged Kupp’s 40 time at the NFL Combine may not have been the most impressive (4.62 seconds). But the GM said he has plenty of measurables that stack up next to successful players.
Kupp ran a 4.56 time in the 40-yard dash on EWU’s Pro Day, and also improved his 3-cone drill to 6.53, which would have been the top time at the Combine. He had the ninth-fastest at the Combine at 6.75 seconds, while his 20-yard shuttle time of 4.08 was the fifth-best.
“His three-cone [drill] and the short-shuttle — they’re elite,” Snead said. “They match up with some of the elite slot receivers in our league.”
The Rams had their next selection late in the fourth round, but a trade gave them the 125th pick overall. About 15 hours after Kupp was taken by with the 69th pick overall, Ebukam was gobbled up by the Rams as well, as an outside linebacker.
Just shy of 6-foot-2 and weighing 240 pounds, Ebukam had impressive Pro Day numbers to go along with his imposing size. His vertical jump of 39 inches, broad jump of 10’10” and 40 time of 4.45 were eye-opening. He bench-pressed 225 pounds 24 times.
“He’s athletic,” linebackers coach Joe Barry told therams.com. “A kid that comes from a really good program — they’ve done great things up at Eastern Washington. So we’re really excited about him.”
“When (Cooper) got picked I was like, ‘Yeah, that’s the perfect team,’” said Ebukam. “Then I thought to myself, what are the chances I get picked by the same team? And it just happened and I was like, ‘Woah, Eagles really do stick together.’ That’s awesome.”
“(Los Angeles) was my first visit too,” he added of the hectic last month when he impressed scouts with his Pro Day workout at EWU a month before the draft. “I was just ecstatic. I had a gut feeling that it would be them to take me and I’m just blessed.”
“(Cooper) just grinds basically kind of like I did,” added Ebukam. “We worked out sometimes and (I thought he) is the only person that I know on the team that can work as hard as me and not complain.”
NFL All-Pro Offensive Tackle Michael Roos . . . retires after 10 seasons
Michael Roos – Offensive Tackle – 2001-02-03-04 . . . drafted in the 2nd round (41st) by the Tennessee Titans in the 2005 NFL Draft.
Retirement Comes After 10 Seasons: Roos Field gets to see a lot more of Michael Roos now. The former Eastern Washington and Tennessee Titans offensive tackle announced his retirement from the National Football League on Feb. 26, 2015, after his 10th season as a pro was ended by a knee injury the previous Oct. 5 that required surgery. He earned All-Pro accolades in 2008, 2010 and 2011, and started in the Pro Bowl in February of 2009. In his last 13 seasons as a football player, Roos started every game he played – a total of 226 games. His last 35 starts were at EWU from 2002-04 when he originally became an offensive lineman.
He credited several EWU coaches in his retirement statement on Instagram: “After 10 years as a Tennessee Titan I have decided to retire from football. I have given this decision much consideration. I feel fortunate to have played this long coming from a tight end turned defensive end turned offensive tackle from Eastern Washington University. I want to thank my coaches Mike Woodward (high school); Aaron Best, Paul Wulff, Beau Baldwin (EWU); Jeff Fisher, Mike Munchak, Ken Whisenhunt, Bruce Matthews (Titans); and all the coaches who made me a better player and man. To all the men I’ve shared the field with: I’m honored to have called you teammates. We have made memories for many lifetimes. I’m excited to begin the rest of my life, and I am grateful to do so now, while I am fully healthy. Although I don’t know what adventure the future holds, I know there will be family, friends, travel, whiskey, cigars and beer. All a man can ask for, and more. Thank you Titans fans for your support all these years. Cheers!!”
Known for his generosity to EWU, Roos has been a regular visitor to Eastern games in the past 10 years when the NFL schedule allowed. Eastern honored Roos by retiring his jersey at EWU’s Homecoming game on Oct. 24, 2009, versus Montana State. Roos and his wife, Katherine, pledged $500,000 to help EWU install a red Sprinturf surface in 2010 at Eastern’s football stadium, and EWU has won 31 of 36 games at “The Inferno” since then. As a tribute to his giving legacy, Eastern re-named Woodward Field to “Roos Field” in fall 2010 upon completion of the project. In addition, he was inducted into the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame on Oct. 1, 2016, and he and Katherine were recognized with the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame Service and Contribution Award.
Tennessee Titans: Since Roos became an offensive lineman as a sophomore at Eastern Washington University in 2002, he started every football game he played from 2002-14 as a collegian or professional. That streak that was at 226 games when he suffered a knee injury on Oct. 5, 2014, and subsequently announced his retirement on Feb. 26, 2015. He started 190 of a possible 190 games he could have played in until an appendicitis attack and subsequent surgery ended that streak in October 2012. Besides 35 EWU starts to end his collegiate career, he started 40 preseason NFL Games (10 seasons, 2005-14), 148 regular season NFL Games (10 seasons, 2005-14), 2 NFL Playoff Games (2007 & 2008) and 1 NFL Pro Bowl Game (February 2009). At the conclusion of the 2011 season, his 112-game active starting streak ranked second in the NFL among all offensive tackles, trailing only Detroit’s Jeff Backus (176). In his first nine seasons in Tennessee (2005-13), the Titans allowed the third-lowest number of sacks in the NFL (244), ranking only behind Indianapolis and New Orleans.
In 2011, he was named to the
Sporting News All-Pro team. He was part of a unit that allowed just 24 sacks to rank second in the NFL. He made his 100th regular season start against Cleveland on Oct. 2, 2011, and the Titans did not allow a sack and helped Chris Johnson rush for 101 yards.
In 2010, he was a member of an offensive front that opened holes for Titans’ ball carriers to gain 1,727 rushing yards. In 2009, he was a second team All-Pro selection by Associated Press as he blocked for the NFL’s second-best rushing attack (162.0 yards per game). He helped open holes for Johnson, who became just the sixth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards. Tennessee’s offensive line allowed only 16 sacks and helped the team finish with the second-most rushing yards in franchise history with 305 versus Jacksonville on Nov. 1.
The 2008 season was a season of firsts for Roos as Associated Press selected him as one of two offensive tackles on its 2008 All-Pro team. He was one of just two NFL offensive tackles selected to the first team (the other was Jordan Gross of Carolina). In addition, he earned his first Pro Bowl invitation and started in the game played on Feb. 8, 2009. In November 2008, Roos was selected to the mid-season NFL All-Pro team selected by Sports Illustrated and writer Paul Zimmerman.
Among the many former Eagles who have played in the NFL, none have ever been invited to the Pro Bowl, let alone win All-Pro honors. However, Kurt Schulz (Buffalo Bills) was an alternate in 2001 and both he and Ed Simmons (Washington Redskins) earned all-division accolades during their 10- and 11-year NFL careers, respectively.
Roos allowed just one sack in 16 regular season games in the 2008 season, and was part of an offensive line that allowed a NFL-low and franchise-record 12 sacks in 2008. He played a key role in opening holes for the league’s seventh-ranked rushing attack that featured Pro Bowler Chris Johnson (1,228 yards, nine TDs) and LenDale White (773 yards, 15 TDs to rank third in the NFL). Tennessee rushed for a franchise-record 332 rushing yards in Week 7 at Kansas City.
The Titans won the 2008 AFC South Division title with a 13-3 record – the best record in the NFL during the regular season. Tennessee then received a first-round bye in the playoffs before their season came to an end with a 13-10 loss to Baltimore. In May 2008, Roos signed a six-year, $43 million contract extension with the Titans.
Besides being a stellar season for Roos, 2008 was also a season of continued improvement for the Titans. Roos helped the Titans go from a 4-12 record as a rookie in 2005 to an 8-8 mark in 2006 as the Titans just missed the playoffs. In 2007, the Titans finished 10-6 and advanced to the NFL Playoffs for the first time since 2003. Tennessee won its final three regular season games in 2007, including a 16-10 victory over defending Super Bowl Champion Indianapolis on the final day of the regular season. Roos started his 96th-consecutive game when the Titans lost in the first round to San Diego on Jan. 6, 2008. Earlier in the season, Roos helped the Titans rush for what was then a club-record 282 yards in a 13-10 win over Jacksonville.
Drafted in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft (41st pick overall), Roos started all 16 games as a rookie at right tackle for the Titans. The following season, Roos moved to left tackle when 13 year-veteran Brad Hopkins retired in the off-season. Roos started all 16 games at left tackle as he helped the Tennessee rushing attack rank third in the AFC and fifth in the NFL with 2,214 rushing yards, while posting a franchise record 4.7-average yards per carry for the season. Roos also helped pave the way for running back Travis Henry to rush for 1,211 yards and Vince Young to become the first rookie quarterback in NFL history to exceed 500 rushing yards.
Said Titans General Manager Floyd Reese at the end of the 2005 season: “He showed the versatility to play both left or right, and very seldom are you going to find a lot of guys like that. That is quite a bill to fill.”
2005 NFL Draft: Roos became the highest draft choice in school history when Tennessee selected him in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft. He was the 41st selection overall, the third offensive tackle selected and the first FCS player taken. In addition, he was the first Big Sky Conference player selected and the highest since 1989. He was the only player in the 2005 draft class to start all 112 regular season games from 2005 through 2011, and none started every game from 2005-2010. At the time he was drafted, Roos had played just six seasons of football, starting as a senior at Mountain View High School in fall 1999. He moved to the United States from Estonia in 1992.
At Eastern: Roos came to Eastern as a tight end after graduating from Mountain View High School in 2000. After redshirting one season, he played the 2001 season on the defensive line before starting 35-straight Eagle games at left offensive tackle. As a senior in 2004, he earned five different All-America honors and was the I-AA.Org Lineman of the Year after helping Eastern to a 9-4 record and the quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs. Roos played in a pair of prestigious college all-star games – the East-West Shrine Game and Senior Bowl – and was also invited to the NFL Scouting Combine. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008 and a public vote selected him as the top offensive lineman in school history. In addition, Eastern honored Roos by retiring his jersey at EWU’s Homecoming game on Oct. 24, 2009, versus Montana State. And as a tribute to his giving legacy, Eastern re-named Woodward Field to “Roos Field” in fall 2010 upon completion of the Red Turf project that he and his wife Katherine pledged $500,000 toward.
Top Years of Eastern Washington University NFL Draft Choices/Undrafted Free Agents . . . .
All four of the Eagle players who entered into the NFL in 2017 earned All-America honors in 2016 in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision. Cooper Kupp and Samson Ebukam were only the second pair of Eagles drafted in the same year, but were easily the highest duo drafted. Five times now at least four Eagles have been drafted or signed free agent contracts in the same year, with five signed in 1987 and four each in 1992, 2007, 2013 and 2017. A fifth player in 2013 was extended a free agent tryout but didn’t receive a contract as a UDFA (see list below).
1987 (5) – OT
Ed Simmons (6th round, Washington), WR
Craig Richardson (11th round, Kansas City), DT
Mike Kingston (UDFA, New York Jets), TE
Eric Riley (UDFA, New York Jets), LB
Bill Altena (UDFA, St. Louis).
2017 (4) – WR
Cooper Kupp (3rd round, Los Angeles Rams), OLB
Samson Ebukam (4th round, Los Angeles Rams), WR
Kendrick Bourne (UDFA, San Francisco), WR
Shaq Hill (UDFA, Houston).
2013 (4) – WR
Brandon Kaufman (UDFA, Buffalo), WR
Greg Herd (UDFA, Dallas), WR
Nicholas Edwards (UDFA, Minnesota), QB
Kyle Padron (UDFA, Oakland), OT *
Will Post (Atlanta). *Had tryout at rookie camp but did not sign UDFA.
2007 (4) – DL
Keith Grennan (UDFA, San Diego), OL
Harrison Nikolao (UDFA, Cincinnati), K
Brett Bergstrom (UDFA, New Orleans), S
Brandon Keeler (UDFA, Arizona)
1992 (4) – S
Kurt Schulz (7th round, Buffalo), OT
Kevin Sargent (UDFA, Cincinnati), TE
Tony Lenseigne (UDFA, San Diego), OG
Gary Needham (UDFA, Seattle)
Eastern Washington’s NFL Draft Choices (18)
In the 2017 NFL Draft, Cooper Kupp became the 17th player in school history to be drafted and Samson Ebukam was the 18th, easily becoming the highest-drafted duo in school history. The only other duo in school history to both be drafted came in 1987 when offensive tackle Ed Simmons was picked in the sixth round by Washington and Craig Richardson was chosen in the 11th round by Kansas City. Since 1994 when the draft was reduced to seven rounds, EWU has not had multiple choices. It’s happened seven times by Big Sky Conference schools in 23 previous seasons since 1994, including a pair of Southern Utah Thunderbirds in 2016.
Michael Roos Offensive Tackle Letter Winner at EWU 2001-02-03-04
Drafted in the 2nd round (41st overall) by the Tennessee Titans in the 2005 NFL Draft.
Cooper Kupp Wide Receiver 2013-14-15-16
Drafted in the 3rd round (69th overall) by the Los Angeles Rams the in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Samson Ebukam Defensive End 2013-14-15-16
Drafted in the 4th round (125th overall) by the Los Angeles Rams the in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Taiwan Jones Running Back 2008-09-10
Drafted in the 4th round (125th overall) by the Oakland Raiders in the 2011 NFL Draft
Matt Johnson Safety 2008-09-10-11
Drafted in the 4th round (135th overall) by Dallas in the 2012 NFL Draft.
Tom Ackerman Offensive Guard 1992-93-94-95
Drafted in the 5th round (145th overall) by New Orleans in the 1996 NFL Draft.
Dan Curley Tight End 1998-99-00-02
Drafted in the 5th round (148th overall) by St. Louis in the 2003 NFL Draft.
Trent Pollard Offensive Tackle 1990-91-92-93
Drafted in the 5th round (132nd pick overall) by Cincinnati in the 1994 NFL Draft.
Bob Picard Wide Receiver 1968-69-71-72
Drafted in the 6th round (132nd pick overall) by Philadelphia in the 1973 NFL Draft.
Jeff Mickel Offensive Tackle 1985-86-87-88
Drafted in the 6th round (163rd pick overall) by Minnesota in the 1989 NFL Draft.
Ed Simmons Offensive Tackle 1983-84-85-86
Drafted in the 6th round (164th pick overall) by Washington in the 1987 NFL Draft.
Lamont Brightful Wide Receiver/Returner 1998-99-00-01
Drafted in the 6th round (195th overall) by Baltimore in the 2002 NFL Draft.
Scott Garske Tight End 1971-72-73
Drafted in the 7th round (179th pick overall) by Pittsburgh in the 1974 NFL Draft.
Kurt Schulz Defensive Back 1988-89-90-91
Drafted in the 7th round (195th pick overall) by Buffalo in the 1992 NFL Draft.
Jake Rodgers Offensive Tackle 2013-14
Drafted in the 7th round (225th pick overall) by Atlanta in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Dave Svendsen Wide Receiver 1966-67-68
Drafted in the 11th round (281st pick overall) by Los Angeles in the 1969 NFL Draft.
Craig Richardson Wide Receiver 1983-84-85-86
Drafted in the 11th round (298th pick overall) by Kansas City in the 1987 NFL Draft.
Dick Nearents Tackle 1956-57-58
Drafted in the 18th round (205th pick overall) by Green Bay in the 1959 NFL Draft.
Seattle Seahawks Training Camp
Because of the excellent facilities and weather Eastern Washington University has to offer, the preseason training camp for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League took place on the EWU campus from 1997-2006. Thousands of spectators as well as members of the media converged on Cheney throughout the month of practices. Seattle also had training camp at Eastern from 1976-85.
Current & Recent Pros . . . .
Eric Barriere – Quarterback – 2017-18-19-20-21
Had a free agent tryout with the Denver Broncos of the NFL in 2022
After attending a mini-camp tryout with the Denver Broncos, Barriere signed with the Michigan Panthers out of the United States Football League (USFL) on May 20, 2022. He ended up playing the last two games for the Panthers, completing 14-of-24 passes for 118 yards with a touchdown and interception. He also ran the ball twice for 13 yards, with all of his statistics coming in a narrow 25-23 loss to the New Jersey Generals on June 11, 2022. The USFL was in its inaugural season in the Spring of 2022, providing a 12-week (10 regular season weeks, two postseason) alternative to the National Football League (NFL) during the offseason. The Panthers finished 2-8 and did not earn a playoff berth. Barriere left Eastern as the all-time leader in yards of total offense (15,394), passing yards (13,809) and passing touchdowns (121) which are also Big Sky Conference records. He holds EWU all-time records in completions (1,007), attempts (1,623), rushing yards by a quarterback (1,585), touchdowns responsible for (143) and points responsible for (882), among many other categories. His 42 starts (in 51 games) at the quarterback position is the second-highest mark in school history. He won the prestigious Walter Payton Award in the 2021 season, also finishing as the runner-up in 2020-21 and fifth in 2019. Barriere had 17 games with 400 or more yards of total offense, also an Eastern record, and he won Big Sky Conference Player of the Week honors 12 times. He was named the Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Year in each of his final two seasons. Barriere was named All-American by eight different publications in 2021. He ended his career ranked 11th in rushing touchdowns (22), third in yards of total offense per game (301.8), fifth in completion percentage (62.0%) and fourth in passing efficiency rating (154.5) in EWU history.
Andrew Boston – Wide Receiver – 2018-19-20-21
Had a free agent tryout with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL in 2022
Boston signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on May 19, 2022, but was released less than a month later on June 5. In his four seasons as an Eagle, Boston racked up 188 receptions (eighth in school history) for 2,621 yards (10th) and 20 touchdowns (T-11th) in 45 career games (35 as a starter). He had an average of 4.18 receptions per game, which placed him in the top seven in EWU history. The 2021 season saw Boston earn second team All-Big Sky honors and was also named second team All-Big Sky by Phil Steele Publications. He played in all 13 games during the 2021 season, starting in 11. He caught 69 passes (tied for second in the Big Sky) for a total of 969 yards (fourth). Boston’s 14 receptions against Montana (12/3/21) is tied for a school record in the FCS Playoffs, alongside teammate Talolo Limu-Jones, and it ranks as the sixth-highest mark for any game in EWU history. In the preseason, he was named by Phil Steele Publications as a third team All-Big Sky Conference selection.
Talolo Limu-Jones – Wide Receiver – 2017-18-19-20-21
Signed a free agent tryout with Carolina Panthers of the NFL in 2022
Limu-Jones signed a free agent contract with the Memphis Showboats on December, 13th, 2022. After the 2022 NFL Draft, Limu Jones signed as a free agent with the Carolina Panthers, but was released on June 6, 2022. At Eastern, Limu-Jones appeared in 53 games for the Eagles (19 as a starter), which is tied for the sixth-most games played in school history. He hauled in 161 career receptions (15th) for 2,722 yards (seventh) and 21 touchdowns (10th) – an average of 16.9 per reception (tied for seventh). He averaged a touchdown every 7.7 career catches. Jones had 16 receptions of at least 40 yards in his career, including six as a junior in 2019, three in the abbreviated 2020-21 campaign, and six in the 2021 fall season.
Tristen Taylor – Off. Tackle – 2016-17-19-20-21
Had a free agent tryout with the Chicago Bears of the NFL in 2022
Taylor had a free agent tryout with the Chicago Bears in 2021. At Eastern, Taylor played in and started more games than any other player in Eastern Washington history during his career, starting in all 60 of his appearances over six seasons. In 2021, Taylor earned second team All-America honors from the American Football Coaches Association, and he was selected as a member of the All-America third team by Hero Sports, Stats Perform and Phil Steele Publications. He was an All-Big Sky Conference first team selection after playing in and starting all 13 games for the Eagles.
Nsimba Webster – Wide Receiver – 2015-16-17-18
Signed a free agent contract with the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL in 2019
After playing for the Los Angeles Rams in his first two seasons in the NFL, Webster was signed by the San Francisco 49ers off waivers on July 21, 2021, then was released on Aug. 31. The very next day, he was signed by the Chicago Bears and eventually played in six games. He returned four punts for 13 yards with a long of six yards, and also had six tackles on kick coverage teams. He was subsequently signed by the Bears to a reserve/future contract on Jan. 11, 2022. He has played 27 total games in his two-year career as mostly a special teams player. Entering the 2022 season, he has regular season career totals of 18 kickoff returns for 404 yards (22.4 average), 36 punt returns for 216 yards (6.0 per return) and 18 tackles. Webster played in all 16 regular season games for the Los Angeles Rams in the 2020 season, He helped the Rams finish 10-6 in the regular season in 2020, good for second in the NFC West Division and a No. 6 seed in the playoffs. He returned 16 kickoffs for 347 yards (21.7 average) and 25 punts for 185 yds (7.4), and also had 10 tackles on special teams. In two playoff games, he had six kickoff returns for 158 yards (26.3 average), including a long of 36 in a victory over Seattle and a 38-yarder in a loss to Green Bay. He also had a pair of tackles on special teams. Webster was signed as an undrafted free agent on April 29, 2019, by the Los Angeles Rams, but was waived on Oct. 12. However, three days later he was signed to the practice squad and on Nov. 16, Webster was added to the active roster. He played his first regular season game in the NFL on Nov. 17, and had his first punt return in a 28-12 win over the Seattle Seahawks. Webster played in five regular season games total to help the Rams to a 9-7 record in the West Division of the National Football Conference. He finished with seven punt returns for a total of 18 yards and had a long of 14 yards against Arizona. He also added two kickoff returns for a total of 57 yards and a long return of 30 yards against the Arizona Cardinals. During the preseason, Webster had 15 catches for 150 yards which led all Rams receivers. In his very first preseason game, Webster had three receptions for 27 yards and continued to improve. He had four receptions for 38 yards in his next preseason game, and four more for 48 yards in the third. He took advantage of the opportunity to start at receiver in the last preseason game by having four receptions for 38 yards and a touchdown against the Houston Texans. He also returned three punts for 28 yards (long of 12) and three kickoffs for 70 (long of 28) in the preseason to show his versatility. In his 44-game career (26 as a starter) at Eastern, Webster caught 156 passes to rank 15th in school history, good for 2,233 yards to rank 17th and 18 touchdowns to equal the 16th-most all-time at EWU. He closed his career with four catches for 92 yards in the NCAA Division I Championship Game against North Dakota State (1/5/19), and finished his career with eight 100-yard performances. Webster earned first team All-Big Sky honors in 2018 (as selected by the league’s head coaches) as a senior. He was third in FCS in receiving yards (1,379 to rank eighth in school history), 19th in receiving yards per game (91.9) and 27th in catches (5.67 per game with a total of 84 to rank as the ninth-most in all-time at EWU). He had a record-setting performance in EWU’s 50-19 win over Maine (12/15/18) in the semifinals of the FCS Playoffs. He had nine catches for 188 yards and four touchdowns, with his four TD catches equaling EWU’s school record shared by three other players and also tying the FCS Playoff record. It was his second-most yards in his career, ranking behind the 212 he had on 10 catches in EWU’s 2018 opener versus Central Washington (9/1/18) to rank as the ninth-most in school history. In his junior season in 2017, Webster earned third team All-Big Sky honors (as selected by the league’s head coaches). He graduated from Deer Valley HS in California in 2014 along with his twin brother, Nzuzi Webster, who also played as an Eagle. Like the Webster twins, former Eagle and NFL veteran Taiwan Jones also attended Deer Valley. Nsimba Webster measured in at 5-foot-9 and 176 pounds at EWU’s Pro Day, some 20 pounds heavier than Rams’ receivers coach Eric Yarber when he played at Idaho in 1984 and 1985. Yarber was just 5-8 1/2 and 152 pounds as a senior at Idaho, and he was taken in the 12th round of the NFL Draft by the Washington Redskins. He played in 14 games in two seasons with the Redskins, catching one pass for five yards. Yarber has been with the Rams since 2017 – the year Cooper Kupp joined the team as a fourth-round draft choice.
Victor Gamboa - Cornerback – 2014-15-16-17
Signed a free agent contract with the Ottawa Redblacks of the CFL in 2018
Gamboa is a free agent after playing the 2019 and 2021 seasons for the B.C. Lions in the Canadian Football League (the Covid-19 pandemic wiped out the 2020 season). In 2021, he played in two games and had nine tackles, including a team-leading seven in the team’s regular season opener against Saskatchewan. But he missed the rest of the season with a torn biceps tendon injury. He returned for the 2022 season, but was released on May 30, the day after he recovered a fumble in a preaseason game. He originally signed with the team on May 18, 2019. Gamboa had a prolific training camp in 2019 with the Lions that was enough to earn himself a roster spot at the cornerback position. Gamboa made his CFL regular season debut in week two against Edmonton when he also recorded his first career tackle. Over the course of the 2019 season, Gamboa started in six out of the seven games he played and tallied eight tackles, one forced fumble and had his first interception versus Saskatchewan on Nov. 2, 2019. Gamboa had a season-high three tackles against the Calgary Stampeders. He originally signed with Ottawa on May 17, 2018, and attended preseason training camp, but he was released on June 9. He returned to EWU for commencement ceremonies on June 16. Gamboa is from Tacoma, Wash., and graduated from Washington High School in 2013. He played in 42 games as an Eagle from 2014-17, including 27 as a starting cornerback. He concluded his career with 159 total tackles, seven interceptions and 16 passes broken up. He had two interceptions as a freshman in 2014 at Southern Utah, and a career-high eight tackles that same season versus Montana. As a senior, he had an interception that helped seal EWU’s 31-19 home win over Montana State.
Cooper Kupp – Wide Receiver – 2013-14-15-16
Drafted in the 3rd round (69th overall) by the Los Angeles Rams in the 2017 NFL Draft
2022 Season: Kupp and the Los Angeles Rams agreed to terms on June 8, 2022, on a three-year extension worth up to $80 million. Kupp is now under contract with the Rams through 2026. With two seasons remaining on his previous contract, the 28-year-old Kupp is due $14.8 million in 2022 and $14.6 million in 2023, but after a season for the ages in 2021 he’s getting a hefty raise beyond that. The $26.7 million per year Kupp is due to make from 2024-2026 would put him at No. 4 annually among his fellow wide receivers (at the time of the agreement).
Career: In just five NFL seasons, Kupp already has 433 receptions for 5,517 yards and 40 touchdowns in 71 regular season games played (57 as a starter). Entering 2022, he’s had 92 or more catches for three consecutive seasons and racked up 970-plus yards in each of those years.
2021 Season: On February 13, 2022, Kupp made history as the first-ever Big Sky Conference player to score a touchdown in the Super Bowl, scoring not once, but twice. His efforts crowned the LA Rams Super Bowl LVI Champions with a 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. Kupp caught eight of his 10 targets for a team-high 92 yards and two touchdowns. His second score would be the game-winner as quarterback Matthew Stafford found Kupp in the corner of the endzone to give the Rams the lead with 90 seconds left in regulation. To set up that play, Kupp converted on fourth-and-1 on the Rams’ 30-yard line after a seven-yard completion. Kupp earned the NFL’s triple crown after leading the league in receptions (145), receiving yards (1,947) and receiving touchdowns (16) in the regular season, becoming just the league’s fourth receiving triple crown winner since 1970. Additionally, Kupp was crowned the 2021 AP Offensive Player of the Year and then added a Super Bowl ring and MVP to his resume. He is the only player in NFL history to total 1,900 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns in a single season. Additionally, he had 13 100-yard receiving games which is an NFL and Rams record (11 in the regular season, second all-time). In all, his 2,425 receiving yards throughout the regular and postseason is the most in an NFL single season. Kupp came just five receptions short of the NFL’s single-season reception record and 18 yards short of the single-season receiving yards record, putting together the second-most in a single season for each category in NFL history. Kupp was the league’s leader in receptions by 22, receiving yards by 331 and receiving touchdowns by two. He broke the Rams’ franchise records for receptions and receiving yards, and was a touchdown short of matching the receiving touchdown records. Counting the postseason, he hauled in 22 touchdowns and 178 catches. He won multiple NFC Offensive Player of the Month awards and was named to the Pro Bowl after being named a unanimous first team All-Pro. He is the only Eagle to receive All-Pro honors besides Michael Roos. In the playoffs, Kupp scored at least once in every postseason game during the Super Bowl run, finishing with 33 catches and 478 yards plus six touchdowns. His 478 receiving yards is second all-time to Larry Fitzgerald (546 in 2008) and the 33 catches are the most in a single postseason. In the first playoff game for the Rams versus Arizona, he caught five passes for 61 yards and a touchdown that put the Rams up 28-0. In the final 35 seconds of the divisional round against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he had consecutive catches of 20 and 44 yards which set up a game-winning field goal. He finished the game with nine receptions for 183 yards and a 70-yard touchdown that gave Los Angeles a 17-3 lead early in the second quarter. Against San Francisco in the NFC Championship Game, Kupp caught both of LA’s touchdowns to send the Rams to their fifth Super Bowl appearance in franchise history, He finished the game with 11 receptions for 142 yards, including 25 yards for a first down catch on a third-and-3 play during the game-winning drive for the Rams.
2020 & 2019 Seasons: Kupp was selected by the NFL in summer of 2020 as No. 89 on the league’s list of the Top 100 players of 2020. Earlier, he had changed his Los Angeles Rams jersey from No. 18 back to the No. 10 he wore for EWU. He finished the 2020 regular season with 92 catches for 974 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games (12 as a starter), and returned five punts for 50 yards. He ranked 11th in the NFL in catches and 22nd in yards (sixth and 13th, respectively, in the NFC). Three times he had at least 100 yards, all with at least nine catches. He caught 11 passes for 145 yards in a 27-24 win versus Tampa Bay on Nov. 23, 2020. Twice he caught 11 passes in games for over 100 yards in each. He helped the Rams finish 10-6 in the regular season in 2020, good for second in the NFC West Division and a No. 6 seed in the playoffs. In a 30-20 playoff win over Seattle, he had four catches for 78 yards, but did not play the next week when Los Angeles was eliminated by Green Bay. Kupp received the 2019 Ed Block Courage Award by the Rams after concluding his third season as a starting wide receiver. The honor is “given to a player who is a role model of inspiration, sportsmanship, and courage.” He also received a prestigious award in 2019 when he was picked as the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Player of the Decade by STATS, which selected a prestigious team of 31 players on its 2010’s All-Decade squad it announced on Dec. 30, 2019. In 2019, Kupp started 14 of the 16 regular season games for the 9-7 Rams, finishing tied for second in the NFL in receiving touchdowns (10), ninth in receptions (94), and 12th in receiving yards (1,161). Kupp had five games in the 2019 season in which he had over 100 receiving yards. Against the Cleveland Browns on Sept. 28 he caught 11 passes for 101 yards and two scores. On Oct. 27 versus the Cincinnati Bengals, he had seven receptions for 220 yards, including a 65-yard touchdown. He did not participate in any 2019 preseason games.
2018 & Rookie Season in 2017: Before his second season was cut short by a season-ending knee injury, Kupp caught 40 passes for 566 yards and six touchdowns in the first eight games of the 2019 season for the Rams, who would go on to finish 15-4 after losing to the New England Patriots 13-3 in Super Bowl LIII. Prior to his injury, he and his wife, Anna, and their newborn son, Cooper Jamison, attended the MSU game on Sept. 29, 2018, to watch his brother Ketner Kupp play for EWU. Cooper returned to a venue he caught nine passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns as a sophomore in 2014, and 13 for 154 and a score in his senior year in 2016. In all, Kupp caught 42 passes for 617 yards and seven touchdowns in four victories versus the Bobcats. It was the first time in two years with the Rams that Kupp was able to see the Eagles play. Just two days prior to attending the EWU-MSU game, he caught nine passes for a career-high 162 yards and had the first two-touchdown day of his career versus Minnesota. He had a 70-yard TD reception in the 38-31 victory, giving him 24 catches for 348 yards and four touchdowns in the first four games – all wins – for the Rams. He, Anna and “June” would later watch Ketner play his final collegiate game on Jan. 5, 2019, at the NCAA Division I Championship Game in Frisco, Texas. Cooper quickly established himself as a bonafide star in the NFL as a rookie, earning All-Rookie honors in 2017 from the Pro Football Writers Association. He started six of the 15 regular season games he played, and led the Rams in receiving yards with 869. He finished with 62 total catches and five touchdowns in his first professional season, and had at least two catches in all 15 games. He had a season-best eight catches for 116 yards against New Orleans, and had 118 yards on five catches versus Philadelphia with a long of 64 yards and a 6-yard TD grab. He had four catches for 76 yards and a touchdown in his first regular season NFL game in a 46-9 win over Indianapolis. He made his first regular season start in the NFL on Nov. 5, 2017, against the New York Giants in a 51-17 win in which he had three catches for 54 yards. The Rams went on to finish 11-5 and win the NFC West title, then lost 26-13 to Atlanta in the playoffs. Kupp had eight catches for 69 yards and a touchdown versus the Falcons in his first career postseason game. In the preseason, Kupp caught eight passes for 105 yards and a TD.
NFL Draft & Family Ties: A four-time All-American and two-time FCS Player of the Year for the Eagles, Kupp became the second-highest NFL Draft choice in school history, ranking only behind former 10-year NFL veteran offensive lineman Michael Roos. Roos was the 41st pick overall in the 2005 draft overall when he was taken in the second round by Tennessee, where he spent his entire career. Within his own family, Kupp bested the fifth round of his father, Craig Kupp, who was drafted 135th overall by the New York Giants out of Pacific Lutheran University. Craig’s father, Jake, played at Washington and was drafted in the ninth round (116th overall) by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1964 NFL Draft before going on to a Hall of Fame career with the New Orleans Saints. The Kupp trio is the fifth three-generation NFL family, and only the third family to have three generations selected in the NFL Draft.
At Eastern: Kupp established 15 FCS, 11 Big Sky and 26 EWU records during an illustrious 52-game career (2013-16) in which his 428 receptions, 6,464 receiving yards, 73 touchdown catches and 124.3 receiving yards per game set all-time marks in the subdivision. He was a four-time first-team All-American and won two top FCS awards presented by STATS, the 2013 Jerry Rice Award (freshman) and the 2015 Walter Payton Award (offensive). Kupp was twice the Offensive MVP of the Big Sky Conference and earned first team All-BSC honors all four seasons as an Eagle. He the 2015 winner of the FCS Offensive Player of the Year by both STATS and the FCS Athletic Director’s Association (he repeated as winner of that award in 2016), and he was also presented the 2015 Walter Payton Award as selected by Mickey Charles LLC. In 2016, he was runner-up for the Payton Award, now presented by STATS. He also earned Academic All-America honors three times, and won the Jerry Rice Award in 2013 presented to the top freshman in FCS. He established 15 FCS, 11 Big Sky and 29 EWU records in his illustrious 52-game Eastern career, and added a collegiate all-division mark. With a pair of early catches in the first quarter against Richmond on Dec. 10, he surpassed the NAIA record of 6,177 by Chris George of Glenville State from 1991-94 after surpassing NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, NCAA Division II and NCAA Division III records earlier in the 2016 season. His 6,464 yards, 428 receptions, 73 touchdown catches, 124.3 average yards per game and 1.40 average TDs per game were all FCS records. Kupp averaged a TD reception for every 5.9 catches in his career. He scored at least once in 43 of 52 games he played, and caught at least two passes in every game he played. He had 30 performances of at least eight catches (16 with 10 or more) and a FCS record of 31 with at least 100 receiving yards. More importantly, Kupp led EWU to 41 victories overall in four seasons – 28-4 in the Big Sky Conference -- and five wins in the FCS Playoffs. Eastern advanced to the semifinals in 2016 and 2013, and the quarterfinals in 2014.
Samson Ebukam – Outside Linebacker – 2013-14-15-16
Drafted in the 4th round (125th overall) by the Los Angeles Rams in the 2017 NFL Draft
Career: Ebukam played in San Francisco in 2021 after playing his first four seasons in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams. After helping the 49ers to the NFC Championship Game in the 2021 season, thus far in his five seasons NFL seasons he has played in 81 regular season games in his career and has started 46 of them. He has recorded career totals of 188 total tackles, 15 1/2 sacks, seven forced fumbles, seven pass deflections, one interception, and two defensive touchdowns.
2021: Ebukam signed a two-year contract with the San Francisco 49ers on March 19, 2021, then started 11 of 17 games in the 2021 regular season. He had 38 total tackles, with 4 1/2 sacks, a pass deflection and a forced fumble. He finished with 11 quarterback hits, five hurries, five quarterback knockdowns and 16 pressures. He had four tackles with 1 1/2 sacks against Tennessee late in the season. In the NFC Championship game against his former team, he contributed on a sack late in the game, but Los Angeles was able to kick a field goal for a 20-17 victory. Earlier in the playoffs, he sacked Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers and ended up with a pair of sacks and eight total tackles in three postseason games.
2020 & 2019: In 2020 for Los Angeles, he started 14 of the team’s 16 regular season games at outside linebacker and had 31 tackles, 4 1/2 sacks, a forced fumble and pass deflection. He helped the Rams finish 10-6 in the regular season in 2020, good for second in the NFC West Division and a No. 6 seed in the playoffs. He had a tackle and a forced fumble when the Rams beat Seattle 30-20, and had a tackle the next week with Los Angeles fell to Green Bay 32-18. His efforts throughout the 2019 season helped the Rams place third in the NFC West with an overall record of 9-7. Ebukam played in all 16 games and took over the starting outside linebacker position for five games from Oct. 13 to Nov. 17 while Clay Matthews was sidelined with an injury. Ebukam finished the 2019 season with 45 total tackles, 4 1/2 sacks, and one forced fumble. Against the Baltimore Ravens on Nov. 25, he posted eight tackles and 1 1/2 sacks, and in a win against the Seattle Seahawks on Dec. 8 he logged five tackles and two sacks. He did not participate in any 2019 preseason games.
2018 & Rookie Season in 2017: Ebukam was a starter for the Los Angeles Rams at outside linebacker in the 2018 season, finishing with 40 total tackles, three sacks, an interception, three forced fumbles and a pass broken up. On Nov. 18, 2018, on Monday Night Football, Ebukam scored two defensive touchdowns off turnovers (one fumble, one interception he returned 25 yards) and forced another interception with his pass broken up in a 54-51 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, earning him NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. In the NFC Championship Game against the New Orleans Saints, he recorded three tackles and a forced fumble in a tough 26-23 overtime victory. The only former Eagle to ever start in a Super Bowl, he had four tackles in a 13-3 loss in Super Bowl LIII to the New England Patriots. Ebukam earned his starting position after playing in all 16 regular season and one postseason contest as a rookie in 2017. He finished with 31 tackles, a pair of sacks and a forced fumble while starting two games. He made the first start of his NFL career against Arizona on Dec. 3, 2017, and had a season-high five tackles in the 51-17 win. He also started in the final regular season game of the season against San Francisco and finished with three tackles. He had a sack and forced fumble versus Houston on Nov. 12, and his other sack came against New Orleans two games later. He had one tackle in a 26-13 playoff loss to Atlanta, and in the preseason he played in one game as a starter against Green Bay on Aug. 31, 2017, but had no tackles. One round after Cooper Kupp was taken by the Los Angeles Rams in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Ebukam was selected in the fourth round. He was taken 125th overall, equaling the third-best in school history.
At Eastern: An All-American in 2016, a Freshman All-American in 2013 and a three-time All-Big Sky selection, Ebukam had 24 sacks in his career to rank sixth in school history. He finished with 188 total tackles in 53 games (38 as a starter). One of six Eagle co-captains for the 2016 season, he received second-team All-Big Sky honors in both 2014 and 2015, and first team accolades in 2016. In addition, four times he earned Big Sky All-Academic honors. He played in eight career playoff games and had 23 tackles with 4 1/2 sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. In his four seasons playing for Eastern, the Eagles won 41 games overall and were 28-4 in the Big Sky Conference. Ebukam earned four All-America honors as a senior in 2016, including prestigious first team accolades from the American Football Coaches Association. He also earned third team accolades from Associated Press, STATS and Hero Sports. He started all 14 games at “buck” defensive end, finishing with a team-high 9 1/2 sacks. He had totals of 71 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, eight quarterback hurries, two passes broken up and an interception.
Kendrick Bourne – Wide Rec. – 2013-14-15-16
Signed a free agent contract with the San Francisco 49ers in 2017
Career: Becoming the fourth Eastern player to ever play in a Super Bowl, Bourne has played five seasons in the NFL -- 2021 with New England and the previous four with San Francisco. He enters the 2022 season with 192 receptions for 2,569 yards and 16 touchdowns in 75 career regular season games (18 starts). He’s also rushed 12 times for another 125 yards -- all in 2021 with the Patriots.
2021: After playing first four seasons in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers, Bourne was signed by the New England Patriots on March 15, 2021, to a three-year, $22.5 million deal. He has started five of the 17 games he played, and finished the regular season with 55 receptions for 800 yards (14.5 yards per reception) and five touchdowns. He rushed 12 times for 125 yards and completed his only passing attempt for 25 yards. He had a career-long 75-yard reception for a TD at Dallas on Oct. 17, 2021. In the playoffs at Buffalo on Jan. 15, 2022, he had seven receptions for 77 yards and a pair of scores, plus rushed once for 14 yards.
2020/2019/2018/2017: In 2020, he caught 49 passes for 667 yards and two scores, ranking second on the team in both receptions and yards. He had four catches for 86 yards in a 41-33 loss at Dallas on Dec. 20, 2020, including a 45-yard touchdown on a Hail Mary pass on the game’s final play. He had eight catches for 81 yards against Seattle on Nov. 1, 2020, and the 49ers would go on to finish 6-10. Following the 2019 season, he signed a one-year, $3,259,000 contract. He saw action in every game for the 13-3 San Francisco 49ers during their successful 2019 season, finishing with 30 catches for 358 yards and five touchdowns. His performance throughout the season helped the 49ers finish first in the Western Division of the National Football Conference and make an appearance in Super Bowl LIV on Feb. 2, 2020. In the Super Bowl, He finished with two catches for 42 yards, and was targeted four times in the 31-20 loss. He caught a pass for 26 yards in the third quarter to the 11-yard line of the Chiefs, setting up a touchdown to give San Francisco a 20-10 lead. He had another grab for 16 yards late in the game, but KC scored the final 21 points of the game in the fourth quarter. During the NFC Divisional Playoff game in a 27-10 victory over Minnesota on Jan. 11, Bourne had three receptions for 40 yards and a touchdown. He added a catch for six yards in a 37-20 win versus Green Bay in the NFC Championship Game to advance to the Super Bowl. Bourne had four receptions for 42 yards in a 27-24 overtime loss against the Seattle Seahawks, and one week later he had three catches for 31 yards and a TD versus the Arizona Cardinals in a 36-26 victory. Bourne’s career high in receiving yards came in a 9-0 win over the Washington Redskins on Oct. 20 in which he caught three passes for 69 yards. Over the course of the preseason Bourne played in all four games and had at least one reception per game. He finished the preseason with six receptions for 87 yards and two touchdowns.
2018 & Rookie Season in 2017: Bourne saw action in all 16 games for the San Francisco 49ers in the 2018 season, finishing with 42 catches for 487 yards and four touchdowns. Bourne scored his first NFL touchdown on Sept. 16, 2018, against the Detroit Lions in a 30–27 victory. In week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers, he recorded his second touchdown in the 29–27 loss. He had a career-high seven catches for 71 yards versus Arizona on Oct. 28, then had a season-high 73 yards on four catches in the final game of the season on Dec. 23. An undrafted free agent, as a rookie Bourne caught six passes for 113 yards in four 2017 preseason games – include the fourth game as a starter – to earn a roster spot for the regular season. His first preseason game as a 49er yielded four catches for 88 yards and a 46-yard touchdown catch. During the regular season, he played in just three of San Francisco’s first eight games and had no catches. But in the last eight he had 16 receptions for 257 yards with a non-scoring long catch of 54 yards. That grab came against Tennessee on Dec. 17, 2017, when he finished with season highs of four catches and 85 yards. His first career catch was a 25-yard reception against Arizona on Nov. 5, 2017, which led to the only touchdown of the day for the 49ers in the 20-10 loss.
At Eastern: A three-time All-Big Sky selection, Bourne ended his EWU career with a streak of 39 straight games with at least one reception. He played in 53 career games, including 32 as a starter to rank second on the team among offensive players (Cooper Kupp started all 52 of the games he played in his career). Bourne combined with Kupp for FCS records for combined career catches (639) and combined career yards (9,594). Bourne had 211 career receptions for 3,130 yards and 27 touchdowns, and finished his career ranked in the top seven in all three categories in school history. Bourne’s touchdowns and receptions are both seventh all-time in school history, and he finished fifth in yards. He had 11 performances with at least 100 yards receiving with six of them coming in his senior season. In five career games in the FCS Playoffs, he had 24 catches for 348 yards and a TD. In his four seasons playing for Eastern, the Eagles won 41 games overall and were 28-4 in the Big Sky Conference. As a senior in 2016, Bourne was selected to the Hero Sports All-America third team and the Big Sky Conference coaches selected him as a second team All-Big Sky selection. He started 13 games at wide receiver, and finished with 79 catches for 1,201 yards and seven touchdowns. His catches were the 11th-most in school history and his yards rank 13th.
Vernon Adams Jr. – Quarterback – 2012-13-14
Signed a free agent contract with the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL in 2016
Career: Adams enters the 2022 season (Covid-19 wiped out the entire 2020 season) with six seasons and 62 games of experience in the Canadian Football League. He has completed 484 of his 781 pass attempts (62 percent) for 6,694 yards, 42 touchdowns and 24 interceptions. A threat to run the ball as well, he has rushed 195 times for 945 yards and 19 touchdowns.
2021 & 2019: Adams signed a two-year extension with the Montreal Alouettes on January 28, 2020, and in 2021 he started eight games. He completed 59.4 percent of his passes (142-of-239 for 1,949 yards, 14 touchdowns and nine interceptions, and rushed for another 298 yards on 51 carries. He injured the non-throwing shoulder in win over Ottawa Redblacks on Oct. 11, ending his season. His 14 passing TDs were still tied for second in the CFL. In a game versus Ottawa on Sept. 3, 2021, Adams completed 18-of-23 passes for 288 yards, four TD and no picks in a 51-29 win in which he also rushed for 35 yards on seven carries. He had a season-high 382 passing yards versus Toronto in a three-point loss. The Alouettes went 7-7 (4-4 with Adams playing) and lost in the Eastern Semi-Final to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats with Adams still sidelined with his shoulder injury. During the 2019 season, Adams started 15 games for Montreal, leading the Alouettes to a 10-5 record and earning himself East Division All-Star honors. Montreal finished the season with a 10-8 record in the East Division and reached the East semifinal game of the playoffs. Adams led the league in completions of 30-plus yards (28) and was tied for first for the most touchdown drives (43). He ended the season second in TD passes (24) and fourth in passing yards (3,942) while completing 283 of his 431 passes for 65.7 percent. Adams also threw 13 interceptions including three during the East semifinal game against the Edmonton Eskimos. During the 2019 season, Adams carried the ball 82 times for 394 yards (13th in the CFL in rushing yards) and 12 touchdowns. His best game of the year came on Aug. 17 against Calgary where he completed 34 pass attempts for 407 yards and two scores. He also rushed nine times for 38 yards and a pair of touchdowns to finish with 445 yards of total offense and four TDs accounted for.
2018, 2017 & 2016: He played in two games as a quarterback for Montreal in 2018, completing 16-of-33 passes for 220 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. He also rushed five times for 13 yards and a pair of scores in five total games for the Alouettes. Prior to re-joining Montreal, he was released by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on June 21, 2018, having been moved to wide receiver two weeks previous to that. He did not play in any games for Hamilton, but completed 1-of-3 passes for eight yards in three games at quarterback for Saskatchewan in 2017 (he played in 11 games total). He also rushed 12 times for 33 yards and three touchdowns. Prior to being traded to the Roughriders, he played in seven games for Montreal in 2017. He did not attempt any passes, but rushed eight times for nine yards and a TD. Adams was named the starter for Montreal late in the 2016 season and led the Alouettes to victories in their final three games of the regular season. He made his first career professional start on Oct. 22, 2016, in a win over Saskatchewan, followed by victories over Calgary and Hamilton. In the four games he played as a QB, he completed 56 percent of his passes (42-of-75) for 575 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. In 15 games total, he rushed 29 times for 112 yards and a TD. Prior to signing a three-year contract with Montreal on May 22, 2016, Adams had tryout opportunities with the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins.
At Eastern: In three seasons at Eastern, Adams was 28-6 as a starter and was the runner-up in both 2013 and 2014 for the Walter Payton Award given to the top player in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision. He was a two-time All-American and two-time Big Sky Conference Offensive MVP, and was also the 2012 FCS Freshman of the Year by College Sporting News. He broke 23 school records, nine Big Sky marks (eight in 2013 alone) and also set six FCS records in the 2013 season. Before transferring to Oregon for his senior season, he set the school and Big Sky Conference record with 110 career touchdown passes. He also ranked No. 2 in FCS history with a 173.8 career passing efficiency rating (64.8 percent completion rate, 10,438 yards, 110 TD, 31 interceptions), ranking just ahead of former Eagle and FCS record-holder Erik Meyer (166.5 from 2002-05) for the Big Sky and EWU records. He helped lead EWU to the semifinals of the FCS Playoffs in both 2013 and 2014, and his lone losses as a starter were against Southern Utah in 2012, Sam Houston State, Toledo and Towson in 2013, and Washington and Illinois State in 2014.
T.J. Lee III – Cornerback – 2010-11-12-13
Signed a free agent contract with the British Columbia Lions of the CFL in 2014.
Career: In seven seasons with the British Columbia Lions of the CFL, Lee has 410 tackles (26 of them on special teams) to rank seventh in BC Lions history. He also has 20 interceptions, 51 pass knockdowns, four sacks and seven forced fumbles in 94 games (93 starts) entering the 2022 season (Covid-19 wiped out the entire 2020 season). He is a two-time CFL Western Division All-Star (2021, 2018) and was a CFL All-Star in 2018. In 2019, he was the team’s finalist for the CFL Most Outstanding Player award.
2021 & 2019: En route to earning CFL Western Division All-Star honors in 2021, Lee started all 14 games he played for the Lions and finished with 83 tackles (71 on defense and 12 on special teams). He also had a team-high four interceptions, a forced fumble and seven pass knockdowns. He had the second multi-interception game of his career with a pair of picks versus Edmonton on Nov. 19, 2021, in a 43-10 win. He had a season-best nine defensive tackles against Toronto on Oct. 30, 2021. During the 2019 season, Lee started all 18 games for the Lions and won the team’s most outstanding defensive player award. He had 66 tackles to rank 21st in the CFL (plus six on special teams), four interceptions (seventh) and nine pass knockdowns (ninth). However, the Lions won just five of their 18 games played. Lee recorded at least five tackles in six different games in 2019. He had six tackles and one interception on Nov. 2 when the Lions fell 21-16 to the Calgary Stampeders.
2018 & Prior Years: Lee was a West Division All-Star selection for a remarkable 2018 season which saw him lead the league in pass knockdowns with 15. He led the Lions with 81 defensive tackles and recorded two special teams stops, two sacks, two forced fumbles and three interceptions through 18 games. He returned one of those interceptions 37 yards for a touchdown during the Lions’ 32-14 victory against the Montreal Alouettes on Sept. 14, 2018. He also appeared in the East Division Semifinal, recording two defensive tackles. In 2017, Lee had a team-high four interceptions along with 49 defensive tackles, 10 pass knockdowns and a special teams stop. He managed to bounce back from a dislocated elbow injury suffered against Edmonton on July 28, missing just three starts before returning to the lineup on August 26. His most notable performance of the season came in Winnipeg on October 28 when he had a pair of interceptions. Lee re-signed with the Lions in February of 2017 after having his 2016 season cut short because of a torn Achilles in the fourth game of the season. He was a starter in those four games, and had 18 tackles, one sack and four pass knockdowns before suffering the season-ending injury in Regina on July 16. Lee started all 17 of the games he played in 2015 and finished with 80 tackles, four interceptions, three sacks and five pass knockdowns. He had a season-high nine tackles against Montreal on Aug. 20, 2015, and earlier in the season had four tackles, an interception and two pass knockdowns against Saskatchewan. The Lions finished the regular season 7-11 before losing to Calgary 35-9 in the West Division Semifinals. Lee finished with 24 total tackles, an interception, two pass knockdowns and a pair of forced fumbles in his first season, starting seven of the eight games he played. His first professional interception came against Ottawa on Oct. 11, 2014.
Joins Fellow Former Eagle in 2014: Lee was a two-time All-American and three-time first team All-Big Sky Conference selection, but he decided not to wait for the NFL in 2014 and headed to some familiarity in British Columbia. Lee signed a free agent contract with the B.C. Lions on May 22, 2014, where he became teammates with another former Eagle out of Seattle. He played in the secondary at BC from 2014-16 with defensive halfback Ryan Phillips. Phillips played for EWU in 2003 and 2004, is a 2000 Franklin High School graduate and was fixture in the secondary for the Lions until moving to Montreal in 2017. Lee is a 2009 graduate of West Seattle High School. “I talked to him a lot at my tryout,” said Lee. “He gave me pointers and helped a lot.” Lee had a pair of interceptions – one for a touchdown – in BC’s 37-13 preseason victory over Calgary on June 20, 2014. That performance helped him secure a roster position as a backup halfback. Lee concluded his collegiate career by playing in the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) Collegiate Bowl on Jan. 19, 2014. In fact, he by chance met Phillips’ uncle on that trip to Southern California. Lee had been talking with the Cleveland Browns and Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League about potential openings on their rosters down the road, but elected to take the sure thing instead. “It all turned out well in the end,” said Lee. “I had a tryout and it felt good. I called back and decided not to wait around, but create my own path instead. Before that I was just trying to stay focused, work out and wait for the right opportunity.”
At Eastern: In winning three-straight first team All-Big Sky honors as an EWU cornerback, Lee became only the third Eagle in school history – and the first on defense -- to accomplish that feat. In fact, at the time, only 45 total players in the 50-year history of the league had earned three first team accolades, as well as another three who have four-peated. Besides the Big Sky honor, he was selected in 2013 as a first team All-America cornerback by the American Football Coaches Association, College Sporting News (“Fabulous 50”), College Sports Madness and Beyond Sports Network, and a second team choice by the Associated Press and The Sports Network. He finished the year with 114 tackles to rank 14th in school history and his 11 passes broken up were 10th. Lee finished with 263 tackles, four interceptions, 25 passes broken up and 3 1/2 sacks in his 49-game career (35 starts). He was just the 35th Eagle in school history to have 200 career tackles and finished ranked 11th. He set the school record for most career forced fumbles with seven, and his 25 passes broken up ranked sixth.
Bo Levi Mitchell – Quarterback – 2010-11
Signed a contract with the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL in 2012.
Career: Although the 2020 season was wiped out because of the Covid-19 pandemic, Mitchell earned a prestigious honor when he earned first team honors on the Canadian Football League’s All-Decade Team announced in the fall of 2020. It was the product of going 77-18 as a starter in the decade with 27,937 yards, 169 touchdowns and two CFL MVP awards. Nicknamed the “Gunslinger” dating back to his high school playing days, Mitchell’s now nine-year career with Calgary has yielded the 2018 and 2016 CFL Most Outstanding Player Award, 2014 Grey Cup MVP and title, another Grey Cup title in 2018, three Grey Cup runner-up finishes (2017, 2016, 2012), and over 30,000 yards passing and exactly 193 touchdowns accounted for in 148 career games. In addition, he has also been honored twice (2015, 2016) with the Herm Harrison Memorial Award for his work in the community. Entering the 2022 season, Mitchell has completed 64.8 percent of his passes (2,336-of-3,605) for 30,531 yards and 179 touchdowns with only 83 interceptions. He has rushed for 746 yards and 14 more TDs. He is one of only 16 quarterbacks in CFL history to throw for more than 30,000 passing yards, and he is currently fourth all-time in passing efficiency (98.33) and eighth in passing yards per game (242.9). He ranks third in CFL history with 1,431 passing yards in the Grey Cup.
2021: Despite playing with a shoulder injury that kept him out of three games, Mitchell completed 211-of-325 of his passes (64.9 percent) for 2,594 yards, 10 touchdowns and 13 interceptions in the 2021 season. He was 20-of-26 for 264 yards, three TDs and no picks in a 33-23 win over the BC Lions on Nov 12, 2021. Calgary finished the season 8-6 (7-4 with Mitchell) before losing in the Western Division Semi-Final to Saskatchewan 33-30 in overtime.
2019 & 2018: On Feb. 12, 2019, Mitchell re-signed with the Calgary Stampeders, in a four-year deal worth $2.8 million. He played in just 12 games regular season games due to an injury, but he still recorded 3,464 passing yards (seventh in CFL), 19 touchdown passes (fifth) and had 11 interceptions. In a 21-17 loss to Montreal on Oct. 5, Mitchell completed 31 of his 43 pass attempts for a season-high 464 yards and one touchdown. His season high for passing touchdowns in a single game came on Oct. 25 in which he threw for four touchdowns and 350 yards. Mitchell went 8-3 as a starter in 2019, and led the Stampeders to the West semifinal game against eventual Grey Cup Champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Nov. 10. In the semifinal loss, Mitchell completed 12-of-28 passes for 116 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. One game earlier, he was 20-of-38 for 283 yards and a TD in a 21-16 victory to end the regular season against the B.C. Lions on Nov. 2. Mitchell led Calgary to the 2018 Grey Cup title after leading the Stampeders to the title back in 2014. He was the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player in 2018 after throwing a league-best 35 touchdown passes. For the season he completed 356-of-585 passes for 5,124 yards, and rushed for another 108. He was 24-of-36 passing for 253 yards and two TDs in a 27-16 victory over Ottawa in the Grey Cup on Nov. 25, 2018, in Edmonton, Alberta. His top performance of the season came against Edmonton on Sept. 8, 2018, when he had 491 yards and four touchdowns, and two games earlier he had 452 yards and three TDs against Winnipeg.
2017 & Prior Seasons: In 2017, Mitchell started 17 of the 18 games he played, completing 349-of-546 passes (63.9 percent) for 4,700 yards, 23 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He led Calgary to a 13-4-1 record and the CFL West Division title. In a 32-28 win over Edmonton in the Western final, Mitchell completed 20-of-32 passes for 228 yards and one touchdown. In a 27-24 loss to Toronto in the Grey Cup, he completed 33-of-45 passes for 373 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. A CFL and West All-Star in 2016, he had career highs of 5,385 yards and 32 TD passes in leading Calgary to a 15-2-1 regular season record (16-3-1 including playoffs) and West Division title. The Stampeders beat British Columbia 42-15 in the West finals to advance to the Grey Cup where they fell to Ottawa 39-33 in overtime. He started 17 of the 18 regular season games he played, and was CFL Player of the Week three times after performances of 364, 353 and 361 yards. In 2015, Mitchell started all 17 of the games he started and led Calgary to a 13-4 record in those 17 games (Calgary was 14-4 overall in the regular season). He led the West Division in passing yards (4,551), touchdowns (26) and quarterback rating (96.8), while completing 65.6 percent of his passes with 13 interceptions. He also ran the ball 19 times for 88 yards and three touchdowns. Mitchell had six 300-yard passing games and eight games with multiple touchdown passes. In the 2015 playoffs, he completed 15-of-24 passes for 199 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-9 win over British Columbia in the West Division Semifinals. He then completed 25-of-38 passes for 381 yards and two touchdowns in a 45-31 loss to eventual Grey Cup champion Edmonton. Mitchell was the runner-up for the league’s Most Outstanding Player and was named a West Division all-star. He was also the recipient of the Herm Harrison Memorial Award for his work in the community. In 2014, he was the game MVP in leading the Calgary Stampeders to the Grey Cup title. In 17 games (14 starts) that season, he completed 264-of-417 passes (63.3 percent) for 3,389 yards, 22 touchdowns and eight interceptions. His 98.3 efficiency rating was the highest in the league. His longest pass was a 102-yard touchdown to Maurice Price in the season-opener against Montreal. He also carried the ball 35 times for 232 yards and four touchdowns. On July 24, 2014, he tied Jeff Garcia for the CFL record for most consecutive wins to start a career with seven. On Sept. 6, 2014, he became the first quarterback in CFL history to win 12 of his first 13 starts. Mitchell made his first CFL playoff start in the West Division final and completed 14-of-22 passes for 336 yards and four touchdowns. He completed 25-of-34 passes for 334 yards and one interception in the Grey Cup en route to earning game MVP honors. Mitchell was 3-0 as a starter in 2013 when he completed 94-of-135 passes for 1,156 yards, 10 touchdowns and three interceptions. He led the Stampeders to an enormous comeback on July 20, 2013, as Calgary stormed back from a 24-point deficit for a 38-27 victory over the Montreal Alouettes. He completed 7-of-13 passes for 49 yards and two touchdowns, plus had a 26-yard run. That helped him earn his first career CFL start a week later as he led Calgary to a 37-24 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to earn CFL Offensive Player of the Week honors. He completed 88 percent of his passes (29-of-33) for 376 yards and three TDs. Used in short-yardage situations prior to taking over as the starter, he finished the season with 35 carries for 151 yards and two TDs. Mitchell earned a spot on Calgary’s roster in 2012, and was a backup quarterback for all 18 regular season games, two playoff games and the Grey Cup (a 35-22 loss to Toronto). He was used as Calgary’s short-yardage quarterback and ran the ball 34 times for 67 yards and five touchdowns. He also completed 12-of-21 pass attempts for 168 yards and two touchdowns. In the playoffs, Mitchell ran the ball three times for six yards and two touchdowns in the West semifinal and five times for seven yards and one touchdown in the West final. In the West final, he also completed a 42-yard pass to Maurice Price, who came up just short of the goal-line. In the Grey Cup, Mitchell came off the bench to finish the game and completed 6-of-9 passes for 80 yards and a touchdown and also threw for a successful two-point conversion. He came off the bench to rush for a touchdown and execute a successful fake field goal attempt against Montreal on July 12, 2012, then helped direct the Stampeders to a come-from-behind 32-31 overtime win over Saskatchewan on July 19, 2012.
At Eastern: As an EWU senior in 2011, Mitchell won the Walter Payton Award presented by The Sports Network to the top player in FCS. Mitchell played in the National Football League Players Association Collegiate Bowl on Jan. 21, 2012 (he completed 8-of-15 passes for 110 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions). In 2011, the senior led the FCS in four categories, including passing yards (4,009) and touchdown passes (33) on his way to breaking four school records. He broke EWU’s record for single season passing yards with 4,009, which at the time ranked 17th in FCS history and fifth in Big Sky Conference history. Mitchell was named to eight All-America teams as a senior, earning first team honors on six of them. He was the top quarterback on teams selected by The Sports Network, American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp, Associated Press, Phil Steele Publications and Beyond Sports College Network. Also, Mitchell earned third team honors from collegesportsmadness.com and honorable mention on The College Sporting News Fabulous Fifty All-America team, and won the Elite Quarterback Award from College Football Performance Awards. His 19 wins in 2010 and 2011 combined were the most back-to-back by an Eastern quarterback in school history, but that was surpassed by the 20 wins of Vernon Adams in 2012 and 2013. Included in the 19-7 mark were 13 victories in the 2010 season en route to the NCAA Division I championship. Mitchell was selected as the title game’s Most Outstanding Player after throwing three touchdowns passes in the final 16:48 as EWU rallied from a 19-0 deficit to beat Delaware 20-19 on Jan. 7, 2011, in Frisco, Texas. He finished the 2010 season with 3,496 passing yards, which were fifth in EWU history at the time (now ninth entering 2020). He had a 37 touchdown passes which stood as a school record for three season and now rank third (entering 2020). Mitchell also had the rare opportunity to play the 2011 season with his older brother Cory Mitchell, a freshman wide receiver who finished with 19 catches for 310 yards and a pair of scores. Cory would later sign with Calgary in 2015, but was released by the Stampeders.
Taiwan Jones – Running Back – 2008-09-10
Drafted in the 4th round (125th overall) by the Oakland Raiders in the 2011 NFL Draft
Career: Entering his 12th season in the NFL in 2022, Jones signed a one-year contract to remain with the Buffalo Bills where he has spent four previous seasons in two separate stints (2021, 2020, 2018, 2017). In his first 11 years in the NFL as a running back, cornerback and special teams standout, Jones has played in 121 total regular season games with career totals of 223 yards rushing, 19 receptions for 260 yards and a touchdown, 83 kickoff returns for 1,904 yards (22.9 average) and 74 total tackles. Jones has played in an additional eight playoff games and has two receptions for 48 yards, a kickoff return for 23 yards and six tackles. He earned All-Pro honors by the Professional Football Writers Association as a kick returner in 2015.
Buffalo Bills 2021 & 2020: In 2021, Jones was one of eight team captains as he appeared in all 17 regular season games and two playoff contests for the Bills. In the regular season he had six tackles and played in 71 percent of Buffalo’s special teams snaps and was one of eight team captains. He had one kickoff return for 14 yards, and a fumble recovery at Miami on Sept. 19, 2021. The Bills went 11-6 to win the AFC East Division title, then beat New England in the wild card round of the postseason. The Bills fell to Kansas City in a divisional playoff game. Jones re-signed with the Buffalo Bills on March 29, 2021, almost exactly a year after he re-joined the club for its successful 2020 season. He signed a one-year contract on March 30, 2020, to re-join the Bills after playing for that squad for the 2017 and 2018 seasons. In 2020, he had six tackles on special teams as the Bills advanced to the playoffs with a 10-6 regular season record and championship in the AFC East Division. The Bills advanced to the AFC title game in 2020, and he had one tackle in a 27-24 victory over Indianapolis in the wildcard round.
Houston Texans: Jones played in 2019 for the Houston Texans, which was 10-6 in the regular season and won the NFC South Division title. The Texans beat Buffalo 22-19 in overtime in the wildcard round of the playoffs, then fell to eventual Super Bowl Champion Kansas City 51-31 in the divisional round after leading 24-0 in the second quarter. In 2019, Jones played in 11 regular season games and rushed nine times for 40 yards and caught one pass for nine yards. He also had nine tackles on special teams, but did not return any punts and kickoffs. In the playoffs, he caught two passes for 28 yards, including a 34-yarder to the 10-yard line of his former team to set-up a game-winning field goal in the overtime victory over Buffalo on Jan. 4, 2020. Jones had originally signed a contract with the Houston Texans on May 14, 2019, as a free agent.
Buffalo Bills 2018 & 2017: Jones signed with the Buffalo Bills on Aug. 2, 2017, after getting released from the Oakland Raiders on July 28, 2017. In 2018 he played in six games, and returned five kickoffs for an average of 17.8 yards per return with a long of 27, plus had five tackles on special teams. In the eight regular season games he played in 2017 for the Bills, he had one catch for 11 yards, three tackles and returned two kickoffs for a 25.0 average. He played in all four games in the preseason and rushed 11 times for 73 yards.
Oakland Raiders: In the 2016 regular season for Oakland, he played in 13 games mostly on special teams. He returned 12 kickoffs for a 14.0 average and had four tackles on kick coverage units. Out of the backfield, he rushed once and caught four passes for 43 yards. Returning to running back in the 2015 season, Jones rushed 16 times for 74 yards (4.6 per carry) in 12 games played. He also caught seven passes for 106 yards and a 59-yard touchdown in a 34-20 win over the New York Jets. He returned 31 kickoffs for a 26.7 average to rank fourth in the NFL, with a long return of 70 yards (non-scoring). He added 25 pounds in preparation for the return to offense under new head coach Jack Del Rio. Jones signed a contract extension before the 2014 season after a successful transition from running back to cornerback and special teams standout. However, he appeared in only one game for Oakland in 2014 after a foot injury landed him on the reserve/injured list for the final 16 weeks of the season. It was the same “Jones Fracture” he suffered at Eastern in the 2010 season. In his first three years in the NFL, he had 26 special teams tackles, a 22.5 average on 36 kickoff returns, 117 rushing yards and 91 more yards on six receptions. He led the team with 14 special teams tackles in 2013, and nearly earned a spot in the Pro Bowl. Jones was moved to cornerback by the Raiders in February 2013 after seeing minimal action as a running back in his first two years in the NFL. In 2012, Jones rushed six times for 21 yards, caught two passes for 11 yards and returned a pair of kickoffs for 22 yards. However, he had 12 tackles on special teams as he played in a total of 14 games. As a rookie in 2011, Jones played in 10 games for the Raiders and finished with 73 yards on 16 carries (4.6 per rush) with a long of 14. He also caught two passes for 25 yards and returned eight kickoffs for a 20.6 average per return with a long of 46. He also had seven tackles on special teams. He made his NFL regular season debut at Denver on Sept. 12, 2011, and received his most extensive action in the backfield in a 24-17 win over San Diego on Nov. 10 when he had 39 yards on seven carries. In the preseason, he rushed 14 times for 83 yards (5.9 per carry), including a 22-yard touchdown. He also caught three passes for 23 more yards.
2011 NFL Draft: As the 125th pick overall in the NFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders, at the time Jones was Eastern’s second-highest draft choice ever. Jones was the fifth NCAA Football Championship Subdivision player taken in the 2011 draft, and the first from the Big Sky Conference. The two-time All-American was born in San Francisco, and graduated in 2007 from Deer Valley High School in Antioch, Calif., before becoming an Eagle. Antioch is located less than 40 miles east of Oakland. On Jan. 15, 2011, Jones announced he was leaving Eastern a year early and officially declared himself eligible for the 2011 Draft. Another former Eastern running back, Jesse Chatman (1999-00-01), did the same following his junior season, but was undrafted before spending seven years in the NFL. Jones participated sparingly at the NFL Combine in February of 2011, then skipped EWU’s pro day on March 30. However, he tested exceptionally well on April 14 at a personal pro day in Pittsburg, Calif., including a 40-yard dash time of 4.33 seconds.
At Eastern: Although unable to play in EWU’s last 2 1/2 games of his junior season because of a foot injury, Jones led the 2010 Eagles to a 13-2 record and the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision title. Jones, who averaged 7.7 yards per carry in his 24-game career as a running back, suffered a fracture to the base of his fifth metatarsal bone in his left foot in EWU’s 38-31 overtime victory over North Dakota State on Dec. 11 in the quarterfinals. Interestingly, the type of fracture he suffered is generally referred to as a “Jones Fracture,” named after Sir Robert Jones, who first described this fracture pattern in 1902. He finished with a career-high 230 yards rushing against NDSU, including 203 yards and a touchdown in the first half (138 on his first four carries of the game), but wasn’t able to play for the Eagles again. Eastern was 3-0 without Jones in the lineup in 2010, including a 41-31 semifinal victory in the playoffs over Villanova and a 20-19 championship game win over Delaware. He was named to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision All-America first teams as selected by the American Football Coaches Association and Associated Press, and was the Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Year. In addition, Jones was selected as the FCS Offensive Player of the Year by Phil Steele Publications, and was a first team All-America selection by that publication. He finished fourth in the voting for the Walter Payton Award given to the top player in FCS by The Sports Network. Jones finished the 2010 season with 1,742 yards to rank as the third-best performance in school history, ahead of the 1,216 he had in 2009. He recorded the 15th 1,000-yard rushing performance in school history in 2010, including 11 in the last 16 seasons (1995-2010). He finished with an average of 145.2 yards per game to rank second in the NCAA Championship Subdivision. After leading the nation in all-purpose yards per game for several weeks early in the year, Jones finished second with an average of 201.8 yards (rushing, receiving, returns) per game. He was also 13th in scoring (8.50 per game with 17 total touchdowns). Jones averaged an impressive 7.5 yards per carry as a sophomore, then bettered that to 7.9 yards per rush in 2010 to lead FCS (among the top 45 rushers averaging at least 75 yards per game). He had five plays in his career of at least 80 yards, 10 of 70 or more, 16 of at least 60, 21 of at least 50 and 36 of at least 32 yards. He had a school-record 96-yard touchdown run versus Idaho State in 2009. Twelve times in his career he eclipsed the 200-yard mark in all-purpose yards and had 15 rushing performances of at least 100 yards. Jones was only the 12th Eagle to rush for over 2,000 yards in his career, and finished ranked fifth with 2,955. He also had a career average of 162.0 all-purpose yards per game to rank as the school record, 37 total touchdowns to rank third, his total of 5,021 all-purpose yards ranked second, his 1,134 kickoff return yards were sixth and he finished his career fourth in points scored with 222. Jones ended his career with a string of seven-straight 100-yard rushing performances, with a total of 1,176 yards (168.0 per game), an 8.5 average per rush and 11 touchdowns in those seven games.
Notable Former Pros . . . .
Ketner Kupp – Linebacker – 2015-16-17-18
Received a tryout with the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL in 2019
After receiving a tryout with the San Francisco 49ers, Kupp reunited with four fellow former Eagles by signing a free agent contract with the Los Angeles Rams on May 15, 2019. His brother, Cooper Kupp, was present at the signing, which was headlined by the Rams as a “Kupple of brothers living the dream.” Ketner was released on August 30, 2019, but he played in all four preseason games for the Rams and finished with 18 total tackles. During his last preseason game against the Houston Texans, he had 11 total tackles. Ketner Kupp finished with 267 tackles in his career to rank 14th all-time at EWU, and started 27 of the 48 games he played as an Eagle. He earned second-team All-Big Sky Conference honors (as selected by the league’s head coaches), and was named to the Big Sky Conference All-Academic team for the fourth-straight season. In addition, he was selected as the team’s defensive MVP as well. One of the team’s co-captains, he led the Eagles in tackles with 115 to rank 13th in school history, and also broke-up three passes and had five quarterback hurries. In the last four games of his Eagle career – all in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Playoffs – he had 46 tackles (11.5 per game). He had his 10th career double-figure tackling game when he had 11 in the NCAA Division I Championship Game versus North Dakota State (1/5/19). Against Nicholls (12/1/18) he had 12 tackles and a 95-yard interception return for a touchdown, which ranks as the second-longest in school history. He graduated from Davis HS in Yakima, Wash., in 2015. Kupp is the younger brother of four-time EWU FCS All-American Cooper Kupp, who now plays for the Los Angeles Rams in the NFL. Cooper is a third-generation NFL player from his family – his grandfather, Jake, played from 1964-75 as a guard with Dallas, the Washington Redskins, Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints. Cooper and Ketner’s father, Craig, was a fifth-round draft pick by the New York Giants in 1990 and played in 1991 for the Phoenix Cardinals and the Dallas Cowboys.
Albert Havili – Defensive End – 2013-14-16-17
Signed a free agent contract with the Los Angeles Chargers of the NFL in 2018
Havili was signed April 28, 2018, as a rookie by the Los Angeles Chargers, then was waived on Aug. 14. He was then signed off waivers by the Buffalo Bills on Aug. 15, and later waived by the Bills on Sept. 1. He was then inked for the 2019 season by the British Columbia Lions in the CFL on Feb. 26, 2019, but was released on June 4, 2019. The 6-2, 255-pound Havili earned second team All-Big Sky Conference honors as a senior in 2017 at Eastern. He played as a linebacker his first two seasons before a knee injury forced him to redshirt in 2015 and delayed his move to defensive end. After setting what was then a true freshman record with 61 tackles in 2013, he closed his career with a total of 199. He had 12 sacks, 15 quarterback hurries, broke-up eight passes and had 18 1/2 total tackles for loss in 53 career games (27 as a starter). He had one interception he returned 77 yards for a TD in his freshman season. He was a part of EWU’s Big Sky Conference championships in 2013, 2014 and 2016, with playoff berths all three of those seasons.
Aaron Neary - Offensive Guard – 2012-13-14-15
Signed a free agent contract with the Denver Broncos of the NFL in 2016
After entering the 2020 season as a free agent, Neary signed with the Chicago Bears on Nov. 3 as a practice squad player but was removed seven days later. He then was signed by the San Francisco 49ers on Dec. 16, 2020, also as for the practice squad, but was released on Jan. 2, 2021. He had gone more than a year as a free agent after previously playing for the Los Angeles Rams. After being placed on the reserve/suspended list on Aug. 31, 2019, Neary was eventually cut by the Rams on Sept. 10. He had suffered a fractured ankle in late August of 2019 after having an outstanding chance to make the team. Neary signed a reserve/future contract on Feb. 8, 2019, to remain with the Los Angeles Rams after spending the 2017 and 2018 seasons as a practice squad player. He went with the team to Atlanta, Ga., for Super Bowl LIII where the Rams lost to New England 13-3. He did not play in a regular season games in 2018, and originally signed with the Rams on Sept. 3, 2017. He made his NFL debut on Dec. 31, 2017, versus San Francisco in the final game of the regular season for the NFC West champions. Prior to joining Los Angeles, he signed a reserve/future contract with the Philadelphia Eagles on Jan. 2, 2017, but was released on Sept. 2, 2017 after playing in four preseason games. Neary spent the 2016 season on Philadelphia’s practice squad after originally being waived by Denver as part of the final roster cutdown for the Broncos. Neary ended his EWU career by starting 24 of the 46 games he played, and earned first team All-Big Sky Conference honors and All-America honors each of his final two seasons as an Eagle. He helped the Eagles win three Big Sky Conference championships and earn a trio of playoff berths. Eastern won 27 of 32 Big Sky Conference games and 40 games overall in his four years in the program.
Jake Rodgers - Offensive Tackle – 2013-14
Drafted in the 7th round (225th) by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2015 NFL Draft
The cross-country career in the NFL continued for Jake Rodgers in 2020 as he was with two different teams during the season. He spent six seasons in the NFL with six different teams, including the Denver Broncos to begin the 2020 season. He played five games for the Broncos, getting 51 snaps on offense against Atlanta in Week 9. He also had 26 special teams snaps over the course of the five games. He was eventually waived by Denver, but claimed off waivers by Baltimore on Nov. 25, 2020, before having his contract terminated on Dec. 8. Rodgers got his first taste of the regular season in 2019 with the Denver Broncos. He was signed to the team’s practice squad on Sept. 3, 2019, and eventually was added to the 53-man roster on Sept. 14. Rodgers played in 14 regular season games to help the Broncos finish 7-9 overall and second in the AFC West. For the season, he played a total of 118 snaps on the offensive line and 54 snaps on special teams. He made his regular season debut on Sept. 15 versus Chicago on special teams, then made his debut as a position player Oct. 17 versus Kansas City. Rodgers started at offensive tackle in the last game of the season against the Oakland Raiders and played all 61 snaps in the 16-15 victory on Dec. 29. One game earlier, he played 56 snaps at tackle on Dec. 22 in a 27-17 victory over Detroit. Having originally joined the league in 2015, he had his second stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers after signing with the club on May 2, 2018. He also signed with Pittsburgh on May 5, 2017, but was released and eventually was signed and released by the Houston Texans. Rodgers spent the end of the 2016 season on the practice squad with the Carolina Panthers and signed a reserve/future contract before getting waived on May 2, 2017. A year earlier, he was signed by the New York Giants to their practice squad on Dec. 8, 2015, and also signed a reserve/future contract before getting released on Sept. 3, 2016. He started his NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons and played in four preseason games in 2015 before getting waived on Sept. 4, 2015. The former Eastern All-America offensive tackle was taken in the seventh round by Atlanta in the 2015 NFL Draft on May 2, 2015. The 2010 graduate of Shadle Park High School in Spokane, Wash., was Eastern’s 15th NFL draft choice in school history and the first since safety Matt Johnson was chosen in the fourth round by Dallas in 2012. Rodgers was the first offensive lineman drafted since Michael Roos was taken in the second round (41st overall) by the Tennessee Titans in 2005. Roos, Eastern’s highest draft choice ever, retired in February of 2015 after spending all 10 of his NFL seasons with the Titans. Rodgers, listed by the NFL at 6-foot-6, 320 pounds, transferred to Eastern from WSU, and helped lead the Eagles to a pair of Big Sky Conference Championships in 2013 and 2014. After being limited in his junior season with a knee injury, he started all 14 games in the 2014 season en route to earning first team All-Big Sky Conference and All-America accolades. He ended his career by being named to six All-America teams in 2014, including first team honors by the American Football Coaches Association, Associated Press, Walter Camp FB Foundation, College Sports Madness and Beyond Sports Network. Rodgers concluded his collegiate career by playing in the NFL Players Association All-Star Game on Jan. 17, 2015, in Carson, Calif.
Tevin McDonald - Safety – 2013-14
Signed a free agent contract with the Oakland Raiders of the NFL in 2015.
McDonald was released by the British Columbia Lions of the CFL just prior to the start of the 2018 regular season. He played in one game and had a special teams tackle in 2017 after sitting out the 2016 season. He originally signed a free agent contract with Oakland of the National Football League in 2015, where he joined former Eagle Taiwan Jones. He played in four games as a rookie in 2015 with the Raiders, making his debut on Oct. 11, 2015, in a 16-10 loss to eventual Super Bowl champion Denver. He also played Nov. 8 against Pittsburgh, Dec. 2 versus Green Bay and Dec. 24 against San Diego when he had his first NFL tackle. In four preseason games, he had 11 total tackles and two passes defensed, including six stops in his NFL debut against St. Louis on Aug. 14. He had six tackles with a pass defended versus Seattle on Sept. 3. McDonald, whose brother also went on to play in the NFL where their father became a coach, went undrafted after attending the 2015 NFL Combine. The 5-foot-11, 195-pound McDonald participated in the combine after playing in the East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 17, 2015, in St. Petersburg, Fla. He earned a pair of All-America honors for the Eagles in 2014 – third team from College Sports Madness and fourth team from Beyond Sports Network. A first team All-Big Sky selection, McDonald started all 14 Eagle games and finished as the team’s fourth-leading tackler with 78 stops. He also had three interceptions (one he returned 73 yards for a touchdown), a sack, four total tackles for loss, seven passes broken up, a trio of forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and a blocked punt. Including his injury-shortened junior season at EWU in 2013 and two years at UCLA, McDonald finished his collegiate career with 256 career tackles, eight interceptions and 23 passes broken up in 50 games (46 as a starter). He started 22 of the 23 games he played as an Eagle. Before transferring to EWU, McDonald had 135 tackles in 27 career games (24 as a starter) at UCLA, plus four interceptions and 14 passes broken up. As a result, he was also selected as EWU’s defensive player of the year. Formerly from Fresno, Calif., and a transfer to Eastern from UCLA, McDonald participated at Fresno State University’s Pro Day on March 25. Leading up to Pro Day, McDonald worked out with his brother, then-Los Angeles Rams safety T.J. McDonald, in Boca Raton, Fla. Their father is former All-Pro defensive back Tim McDonald. He starred with Arizona and San Francisco during his NFL career, coached his sons at Edison, and has gone on to a college and NFL coaching career that included stops at Fresno State, the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills.
J.C. Sherritt – Linebacker – 2007-08-09-10
Signed a free agent contract with the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL in 2011.
With Player of the Year honors and tackles records as both a collegian and professional, Sherritt added a third championship to his team achievements when Edmonton won the 2015 Grey Cup. After winning a high school state championship (Pullman, Wash.), Sherritt won the 2010 Buck Buchanan Award given to the top defensive player in the NCAA Championship Subdivision in the same year Eastern Washington won the NCAA Division I title. After breaking EWU’s single season and career tackles records, Sherritt signed as a free agent with the Edmonton Eskimos on April 20, 2011, and broke the CFL single season tackles record in his second season as a pro. He announced his retirement on Jan. 16, 2018, after eight seasons in the CFL – all with Edmonton. “The last eight years in the Green and Gold have been one of the greatest honors and experiences of my life,” Sherritt said. “I have had opportunities and developed relationships that would not have been possible without this great country and without this league. My admiration and love for this country and league will last for the rest of my life, and I wake up a better person due to my time in the CFL.”
Edmonton Eskimos: Sherritt closed his career with 552 total tackles in 109 games (108 starts) with 14 interceptions, 15 sacks, 17 forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries and one touchdown. In 2018, he had exactly 100 tackles with three sacks and a pair of interceptions. His 2017 season was cut short with a torn Achilles in the first game of the season on June 24, 2017. He had a career-best six forced fumbles in 2016 to go along with 77 tackles and three interceptions to help Edmonton finish the regular season 10-8. The Eskimos beat Hamilton 24-21 in the East Division Finals, then fell to eventual Grey Cup champion Ottawa 35-23 in the final. Sherritt helped Edmonton finish 14-4 in the 2015 season, playing in all 18 games for the Eskimos and then leading the team to three playoff victories. He finished with 71 tackles, four pass knockdowns, two sacks, two interceptions and two forced fumbles, plus had another 13 tackles on special teams. He ended the regular season with a season-high nine tackles against Saskatchewan, and then had 11 tackles in the playoffs. The Eskimos beat Montreal (40-22), Calgary (45-31) and Ottawa (26-20) on its way to the Grey Cup title. Sherritt played in 12 games in 2014, recording 40 total tackles, three quarterback sacks, one forced fumble, one interception, one fumble recovery and one pass knockdown. In Week 19 against British Columbia, he recorded a season-high seven tackles and had three sacks to earn CFL Defensive Player of the Week honors. In the West Division final against Calgary and former Eagle Bo Levi Mitchell, he recorded one defensive tackle and one special teams tackle in the loss. Sherritt was slowed by a broken thumb in the 2013 season and finished with 46 tackles in 10 games played (all starts). He also had an interception, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and a sack. He started the 2013 season where he left off the previous year, recording 31 defensive tackles, two special teams tackles and one sack to rank fourth in the CFL through the first five games of the season (he led after three games with 24). But he was on injured reserve starting in week 8 and played sparingly after that. He was selected as the CFL’s 2012 Most Outstanding Defensive Player, and was also named a Western Division All-Star and CFL All-Star. In 17 games at middle linebacker in 2012, Sherritt racked up a CFL record 130 defensive tackles (eight for a loss). He had two knockdowns and five interceptions for 56 yards. He also had three sacks, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and contributed on special teams with three tackles. On Oct. 28, 2012, Sherritt set a new Eskimo record for defensive tackles in a season, passing Willie Pless who registered 117 tackles in 1998. On Nov. 2, 2012, Sherritt broke the CFL record of 129 defensive tackles in a season record set by Toronto’s Calvin Tiggle in 1994. He was named Defensive Player of the Week four times and Player of the Month for July, August and September. Sherritt recorded his first CFL interception on Aug. 10, 2012, and his next two in consecutive games. He was on the injured list for Week 14 and was on the reserve list for the Eastern Division semifinal with an ankle injury. When he joined the Eskimos as a rookie in 2011, he re-joined former Eastern teammates Greg Peach – the 2008 Buchanan winner (and now with Hamilton in the CFL) – and quarterback Matt Nichols. Sherritt made a splash as a rookie, and was named as the Western Division finalist for Most Outstanding Rookie. He had 11 tackles in his CFL debut, and went on to start 15 games before being hampered late in the year by a finger injury that required surgery and an ankle injury suffered on Oct. 21 that kept him out of the last two regular season games. Sherritt led the CFL in tackles early in his rookie season, but fell to 12th because of his injuries. He had 58 stops after 10 games to rank second in the CFL at the time. He finished the season with 72 defensive tackles, three quarterback sacks, three tackles for losses for 4 yards, three pass knockdowns, three forced fumbles and 13 special teams tackles.
At Eastern: Sherritt was the national defensive player of the year, a two-time consensus All-American and ended his career as a national champion. Eastern defeated Delaware 20-19 on Jan. 7, 2011, in Frisco, Texas, to capture the 2010 NCAA Division I title in his final game as an Eagle. He finished his career with a school-record 432 tackles in his 47-game career (35 as a starter) to rank second in Big Sky history and 10th all-time in the FCS. On the eve of the title game, Sherritt was awarded the Buck Buchanan Award presented by The Sports Network to the top defensive player in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision. Sherritt was also selected to six different All-America teams as a first team selection, and was the College Sporting News Defensive Player of the Year and the Big Sky Defensive MVP. In addition, the Inland Northwest Sportswriters and Broadcasters (SWABS) selected Sherritt as the Male Amateur Athlete of the Year. Sherritt finished his senior season with 176 tackles, which ranked sixth in FCS history and bettered his own league and school records from 2009 when he finished with 170 tackles. He finished the 2010 season ranked eighth in the FCS with an average of 11.7 tackles per game after leading FCS as a junior (14.2 per game). Sherritt concluded his career with 18 tackles and a pass broken up in the national championship game. Earlier in the playoffs, in a 38-31 overtime victory over North Dakota State, Sherritt broke the school record of 399 career tackles previously held by Greg Belzer (1997-2000). He capped his record-breaking night by forcing the fumble that was recovered by EWU to end the game against NDSU at the Eastern 1-yard line. He added eight tackles versus Villanova in the FCS semifinals. He also had six career interceptions to go along with 13 passes broken up, six forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries and a trio of sacks, with a total of 35 1/2 tackles for loss (79 yards).
Matt Nichols – Quarterback – 2006-07-08-09
Signed a free agent contract with the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL in 2010.
Officially announcing his retirement on July 7, 2022, the veteran Canadian Football League quarterback concluded his nine-year career in 2021 with the Ottawa Redblacks after also playing for the Edmonton Eskimos and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in his career. He finished his career with 120 games of experience (75 starts), while passing for 108 touchdowns, 18,907 yards and 63 interceptions on 1,645 completions and 2,469 attempts (66.6 percent). His completion percentage ranks as the seventh-highest in CFL history. Nichols also rushed for an additional 639 yards and 13 touchdowns on 147 career rushing attempts (4.3 per carry). He played for Winnipeg in 2019, but was released on Jan. 28, 2020, then signed to a three-year contract by the Toronto Argonauts on Feb. 7, 2020. But after the Covid-19 pandemic wiped out the 2020 CFL season, the Argonauts released him on Jan. 31, 2021 and Nichols was signed that very day by the Redblacks. He played in six games (three as a starter in 2021), and completed 66-of-96 passes (69 percent) for 544 yards. He suffered a wrist injury on Sept. 22, 2021, versus Hamilton and did not play the rest of the season. In 2019, Nichols started the first nine games for Winnipeg, completing 171 of his 240 passes thrown (71.3 percent) for 1,936 yards, 15 touchdowns, and five interceptions. Nichols also carried the ball nine times for 37 rushing yards and one touchdown. His 2019 campaign was cut short by a season-ending shoulder injury suffered in week 10 against the B.C Lions. His early-season performance and winning start to the season helped the Blue Bombers advance to the 2019 Grey Cup and defeat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats by a score of 33-12. During his time at quarterback for the Blue Bombers in 2019, Nichols won seven of the nine games he started. In his first game of the season against the B.C Lions, Nichols passed for 184 yards and three touchdowns while completing 21-of-33 passes. In a win over the Ottawa Redblacks on July 19, Nichols set his season high for passing yards with 295 on a staggering 80 percent completion rate (25-of-29) with two touchdowns
2018, 2017, 2016, 2015 With Winnipeg: He led the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in passing yardage from 2015-18 and guided the team to a 30-15 record. A knee injury in practice on June 6, 2018, came just before his ninth season in the CFL was to begin for Nichols. He returned in the team’s fourth game, and finished the season completing 64.8 percent of his passes for 3,146 yards with 18 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, while rushing for 52 yards and another TD. His quarterback efficiency rating of 91.0 was fifth-best amongst CFL starters. He helped guide the Bombers to the postseason for a third consecutive season and the franchise’s first playoff win since 2011 with the victory in the West semifinal. His best statistical game of 2018 came in a playoff-clinching win over Calgary on Oct. 26, 2018, when he passed for 358 yards and two touchdowns. Nichols re-signed with the Blue Bombers on Jan. 18, 2017, and proceeded to become the team’s Most Outstanding Player for the second-straight season. He had career-best marks for passing with 4,472 yards, 28 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 17 games (all as a starter). His 103.8 quarterback efficiency rating, 71.0 percent completion rate and 3.5 touchdown-to-interception ratio all topped the CFL. Winnipeg was 11-6 in his 17 regular season starts and eclipsed the 300-yard passing mark in six games. Playing with a broken ring finger on his throwing hand and a calf injury, he completed 23-of-33 passes for 334 yards and three touchdowns and no interceptions in a semifinal loss to Edmonton in the West Division Playoffs. He took over the starting reins for Winnipeg in Week 6 of 2016, and proceeded to help guide the team to seven consecutive victories – the longest club winning streak for a quarterback since 2001 – and finished the season with a 10-3 record. He concluded 2016 with 18 touchdowns, 3,666 yards and 327 completions, while throwing only nine interceptions and being named the club’s Most Outstanding Player. His 3,666 passing yards placed him fifth in the CFL despite starting only 13 regular season games, and he finished the season with four 300 yard passing games. He had a streak of 166 passes without an interception during the year. In the West Division semifinals, he passed for 390 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions in a 32-31 loss to British Columbia. He originally joined Winnipeg in 2015 at mid-season and played the final eight games for the Blue Bombers. He finished with 1,757 yards, 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions, passing for 320 yards and a touchdown on Oct. 3, 2015, in a narrow, 24-23 loss versus his former team, the Edmonton Eskimos.
Edmonton Eskimos: He began the 2015 season with Edmonton, regaining the starting position in 2015 he previously owned in 2012 before a dislocated ankle and knee injuries derailed his career. He passed for 1,488 yards and eight touchdowns, but was traded to Winnipeg. In 2014, he played in 18 games for Edmonton (three starts), and completed 94-of-151 passes for 1,014 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions. Nichols started the West Division semifinal against Saskatchewan and completed 12-of-23 passes for 59 yards and one interception in the victory. In the West final against Calgary and former Eagle Bo Levi Mitchell, Nichols completed 9-of-15 passes for 92 yards in relief of QB Mike Reilly. After recovering from a gruesome dislocated ankle injury at the end of the 2012 season, Nichols suffered a torn ACL knee injury as a preseason starter on June 14, 2013, and was lost for the season. In 2012, Nichols dressed for all 18 games (two starts) and was the holder on field goals. He saw action at quarterback in eight games and was 48-of-83 (58 percent) for 884 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions. He also ran the ball 10 times for 76 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown. He threw his first CFL touchdown when he mishandled a field goal snap and threw the ball to Corbin Sharun for a 35-yard touchdown to end the first half. He got his first start at quarterback on Sept. 28, 2012, in Calgary and went 14-of-26 for 167 yards and one touchdown and one interception. He ran the ball seven times for 63 yards and a touchdown. Nichols came in with 10 minutes left in the Oct. 28, 2012, game in Montreal and threw for 230 yards, three touchdowns and a two-point conversion to bring the Eskimos to within two points of a win. He also started the final game of the regular season, going 18-of-30 for 341 yards and two touchdowns. He started the second half of the East Division semifinal and went 3-of-7 for 51 yards before suffering a dislocated ankle. After getting released by the Dallas Cowboys at the end of training camp on Aug. 19, 2010, he signed with Edmonton as a free agent on Oct. 13, 2010, and spent the rest of the year on the team’s practice roster. In his debut as an Eskimo in a preseason game against Saskatchewan on June 17, 2011, he completed 6-of-10 passes for 53 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. Nichols began the 2011 season on the one-game injured list and was placed on the nine-game injured list midway through the season. He made his regular season CFL debut on June 30, 2012, against Toronto and had an incomplete pass. He had his first CFL completion on July 13 in a 42-10 win over Winnipeg, as he finished 1-of-3 for nine yards. He originally signed a free agent contract with the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL. In 2010, he appeared in two preseason games, completing 10-of-16 passes for 81 yards and two interceptions.
At Eastern: Nichols earned prestigious first team NCAA Football Championship Subdivision All-America honors from the American Football Coaches Association, as well as three other All-America honors. He finished fourth in the voting for the Payton Award given to the top player in FCS, and was also the Big Sky’s Offensive Player of the Year for the second time in his career. He broke 14 school records and six Big Sky Conference marks in his 47-game career (45 as a starter). He passed for 3,830 yards and 33 touchdowns as a senior, giving him a total of 12,616 yards and 96 touchdowns in his career. His career yardage total ranked sixth in FCS history and his touchdown total was 10th. He completed a career-best 65 percent of his passes in 2009 to give him a passing efficiency rating of 156.5 to rank eighth in FCS. He was fifth in total offense (327.7 per game) and third in passing offense (319.2). He played in the East-West Shrine Game following his senior season after helping lead the Eagles to NCAA Football Championship Playoff berths in 2007 and 2009. He never missed a game or practice in his Eastern career.
Ryan Phillips – Defensive Back – 2003-04
Signed a contract with the B.C. Lions of the CFL in 2005.
Despite last playing in 2017, Phillips earned a prestigious honor when he earned first team honors on the Canadian Football League’s All-Decade Team announced in the fall of 2020. He was a five-time CFL All-Star and helped the British Columbia Lions with two Grey Cups. Now a defensive backs coach for the Lions, he played in 181-straight CFL games and missed only four total in his career. After spending his first 12 seasons in the CFL with British Columbia, Phillips concluded his illustrious career by playing in two games and collecting eight tackles in 2017 for the Montreal Alouettes. While playing for the Lions, he had an iron-man streak of 181 consecutive games played, which at the time was the longest active streak in the league. He concluded his career with 196 regular season starts in 214 career games, having played in all 18 regular season games in 11 of his first 12 seasons. He finished with 526 tackles, 47 interceptions, 68 pass knockdowns and four forced fumbles in his career. His 816 interception return yards while at B.C. is a franchise record and his career totals for interceptions and tackles are both second in franchise history (the records are 51 and 557, respectively). Five times he returned an interception for a touchdown, and in six of his 12 CFL seasons he had at least four interceptions. He had nine career fumble recoveries for 55 yards in returns, including one returned for a TD. The four-time CFL All-Star (2007, 2010, 2012, 2013) and five-time West Division All-Star (2007, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015) was an important member of the 2006 and 2011 Grey Cup Championship-winning teams. He participated in 15 playoff games, collecting 33 defensive tackles as well as an interception he returned for a touchdown. He added four tackles in two Grey Cup appearances. In 2016, his last with the BC Lions, he had 38 tackles with an interception. The previous season, his consecutive games played streak came to an end on July 4, 2015, when he suffered a hamstring injury in the team’s 2015 season opener versus Ottawa and missed the next three games. He returned to start the remaining 14 games and finish with a league-high six interceptions, 29 tackles and a pair of pass knockdowns. As a result, Phillips was a 2015 West Division All-Star for the fifth time. Prior to 2015, he played in all 18 regular season games in each of his seasons in the CFL, extending his active games-played streak to 180 in the 2014 season. He finished the season with 39 tackles, five pass knockdowns and a team-high three interceptions. He finished with 36 tackles and a pair of interceptions in the 2013 season and earned All-West Division honors. In 2012, he started all 18 games, recording 37 tackles and four interceptions, earning CFL All-Star status for the third time. He led the club with four interceptions, including a 23-yard return on Oct. 16, 2012, versus Calgary. All four of Ryan’s interceptions came during the club’s final six regular season games. In 2011 he started all 18 games plus the West Division final (40-23 win over Edmonton) and Grey Cup (34-23 loss to Winnipeg) games. Phillips recorded 46 regular season tackles (fifth on the team) and led the way with seven pass breakups. He led the Lions with four interceptions, which he returned for 112 yards and one TD (Sept. 24 versus Saskatchewan). He tied for ninth in the CFL with his four picks and recorded a season-high five tackles on two occasions. Phillips returned to all-star form in 2010 by recording his second-highest totals for interceptions (five) and return yards (109). He also had a career-best four sacks after getting just one in his first five seasons in the league. He was named to both the West Division and CFL All-Star teams in 2010, and started all 18 games for the sixth-straight season. A key defender at halfback, Phillips also spent time on special teams and finished with a pair of special teams tackles. He was voted CFL Defensive Player of the Week for Week No. 18 after he had a pair of interceptions for 33 return yards versus Saskatchewan. He had a season-high eight tackles on Oct. 16, 2010, versus Edmonton.
The Lions were 8-10 in the regular season before losing 56-18 to eventual CFL champion Montreal in the playoffs, as Phillips finished with six tackles and an interception in the loss. In 2009, he had four interceptions, a pair of fumble recoveries and 38 tackles as an 18-game starter for the Lions, who finished the regular season 8-10 and lost in the first round of the playoffs. He scored on a 60-yard interception return and a 21-yard fumble recovery. In 2008, he started all 18 regular season games at defensive halfback and finished with 43 tackles, nine passes broken up and one interception. He then had two interceptions at Saskatchewan in the West semifinal, which included a 54-yard return for a TD to seal the win in the fourth quarter. For his heroics, he earned CFL Defensive Player of the Week honors. He led the league in interceptions in 2007 with 12 en route to earning CFL All-Star and CFL West Division All-Star accolades. He also had the third-highest interception return yards total in league history with 299, including one pick returned for a touchdown. He also led the Lions with 11 passes broken up and ranked fourth on the team with 65 total tackles. In 2006, he played in all 18 games for British Columbia as the Lions won the Grey Cup. He finished the season with 28 total tackles, two interceptions (one for a 23-yard TD), two fumble recoveries and three pass knockdowns. He added the club’s only interception in the West Championship and chipped in three tackles in the Grey Cup. He played the 2005 season as a defensive halfback for the Lions, starting 18 games and ranking third on the team with 56 tackles. He also had three interceptions and was the CFL’s Defensive Player of the Month in August. The Lions finished 12-6 and were the West Division Champions. Phillips was a first team All-Big Sky Conference selection in 2004 as he concluded his 18-game Eagle career with 61 tackles, six interceptions and 10 passes broken up on defense. He also rushed for 88 yards, caught three passes for 17 yards and had 21 kickoff returns for a 22.0 average per return. He is a 2000 graduate of Franklin High School in Seattle, Wash., where he was a teammate of record-breaking EWU running back Jesse Chatman and former Eagle basketball standout Alvin Snow.
Erik Meyer – Quarterback – 2002-03-04-05
Signed a contract with Cincinnati of the NFL in 2006.
Meyer, the 2005 Walter Payton Award winner, 2013 MVP of the Arena Football League and 2015 ArenaBowl Player of the Game, accounted for 13,197 yards and 337 touchdowns in his six-year career in the AFL. His professional career came to a halt on Nov. 12, 2015, when the SaberCats announced they were ceasing operations. His totals include a 67.5 percent completion percentage (1115-of-1653), for 12,778 yards, 292 touchdowns and 32 interceptions, plus 419 yards and 45 touchdowns rushing. He led the San Jose SaberCats to the AFL title in 2015 in his first year with the team. The SaberCats finished with a league-record 20 victories against just one loss, including wins over the Portland Thunder (55-29) and the Arizona Rattlers (70-67) in the playoffs and a victory over the Jacksonville Sharks (68-47) in ArenaBowl XXVIII. Meyer was the Offensive Player of the Game after passing for 204 yards and four touchdowns and rushing for 26 yards and two more scores. In the regular season, Meyer completed 66.9 percent of his passes (353-of-528) for 4,057 yards, 93 touchdowns and just six interceptions. He also rushed for a team-high 142 yards en route to earning second team All-AFL honors. Meyer passed for 286 yards and eight touchdowns in San Jose’s 56-29 rout of Arizona late in the season to earn AFL offensive Player of the Week honors.
Spokane Shock: Meyer played from 2010-2014 for the Spokane Shock in the AFL. In his five-year career (regular season only), he completed 67.7 percent of his passes (762-of-1,125) for 8,721 yards, 199 touchdowns and just 26 interceptions. He also rushed for 277 yards and 39 scores. In 2014, he suffered a broken collarbone and missed six full regular season games. But he returned with a vengeance, helping the Shock win its final five games to advance to the playoffs. He finished his 12-game season with 2,519 yards and 54 touchdowns while completing 66.7 percent of his passes (235-of-354). He also rushed for a franchise-record 20 touchdowns and had a team-leading 111 yards on 48 carries. Twice he was the league’s Player of the Week, including in week 7 when he passed for 244 yards and six touchdowns, and rushed for two more TDs, in a 53-41 win over Tampa Bay. In his first week back after his injury, he was selected as POW after passing and rushing for three scores each in a 70-30 romp over San Antonio. In the 2013 regular season, he had 112 passing touchdowns to set a new franchise single season record. He helped lead the Shock to a 14-4 record and a playoff berth, while completing 68 percent of his passes for 4,667 yards (259.3 per game) and just 11 interceptions. As a result, he was selected as the league’s MVP and the AFL Offensive Player of the Year. He began the 2013 season by attempting his first 193 passes without an interception, with a remarkable 40 touchdowns and 5-0 record in that span. In a 66-43 victory over Iowa on April 5, 2013, he completed 24-of-34 passes for 330 yards and nine TDs. He played in only three games in the 2012 season before a concussion ended his season. He was 25-of-45 for 294 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions. During the 2011 season – which also was shortened by a concussion – Meyer completed 75 percent of his passes (80-of-107) for 967 yards, 22 touchdowns and only three interceptions in five games. In his debut as an AFL starter on June 10, 2011, he completed 26-of-36 passes for 332 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception in a 75-54 win over Philadelphia. In his next game, a 63-60 win over Chicago, he was 15-of-19 for 202 yards, five touchdowns and one interception in just over a half of action. He suffered a concussion after staking Spokane to a 49-27 lead. He was a backup in 2010 for Spokane and played in two games, completing 18-of-28 passes for 274 yards and five touchdowns. The Shock went on to win the AFL Championship – its third league title in the team’s five-year existence. Included in his completions was a 31-yard TD pass to former Eastern teammate Raul Vijil against Utah in a 77-28 victory. Meyer then signed with the Utah Blaze for the 2011 season, but did not throw a pass before being traded back to Spokane in June 2011.
CFL & NFL: Previously, he signed on Feb. 25, 2009, with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the CFL but was released on May 27. In 2008, he was signed and released by the Oakland Raiders after missing the 2007 NFL season to recover from a broken leg suffered just after he was signed and released by the Seattle Seahawks. He played in spring and summer 2007 for the Cologne Centurions in NFL Europa, taking over as the starter in the third game of the season and helping the team to a 6-4 record. He completed 68.8 percent of his passes to set a NFL Europa record that will never be broken (the NFL decided to cease existence of the league shortly after the season). He ranked second among NFLE quarterbacks with a passer rating of 101.1. He completed 141-of-241 passes for 1,612 yards, 13 touchdowns and six interceptions. Meyer also added 138 rushing yards and one touchdown. He was NFL Europa’s Player of the Week after his performance for the Cologne Centurions in a key victory over the Amsterdam Admirals on June 9. He completed 21-of-29 passes for 287 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions during Cologne’s 31-13 victory. That performance gave him a league-best quarterback rating of 138.1 in the game, edging his against Berlin. He earned the starting position in week three with a 14-6 victory over the Rhein Fire. At the time, the win moved the Centurions into second place in the standings behind the defending champion Frankfurt Galaxy. He helped fuel a 20-17 comeback victory over Rhein after being down with just over 20 minutes left in the game. He originally signed a contract with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2006 but was released.
At Eastern: Meyer was a two-time All-American at EWU and was named the Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Year as a junior and senior. Meyer became just the 12th player in FCS history to throw for at least 4,000 yards in a single season (he finished with 4,003 in 2005). He also had 30 touchdowns, just five interceptions and a passing efficiency rating of 169.3. With a completion percentage of .657, 10,261 yards, 84 touchdowns and just 17 interceptions in 42 career games, Meyer broke the FCS record for efficiency rating by quarterbacks with at least 400 completions with a rating of 166.47. Meyer became just the 17th player in FCS history to pass for more than 10,000 yards in his career. At the time his career ended, he held school career records for passing efficiency, attempts, completions, yards and touchdown passes, including several that were broken by Matt Nichols (2006-09), who was 996-of-1608 for 12,616 yards and 96 touchdowns in his career. Meyer also held the team’s total offense record with 10,942 yards, but that was broken by the 13,308 of Nichols. Meyer set all three school records for completion percentage – 90.5 percent versus Northern Arizona on Oct. 9, 2004, 67.8 percent in 2004 and 65.7 percent in his career. Meyer also broke the single season efficiency record at 171.4 in 2004, a year before his 2005 campaign when he had school records with 4,003 passing yards and 333.6 yards per game (both broken by Bo Levi Mitchell in 2011). Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008, and a public vote selected Meyer as the top quarterback in school history.
Nathan Overbay – Tight End – 2006-07-08-09
Signed a free agent contract with the Denver Broncos of the NFL in 2010.
Overbay did not play in 2014, but entered the season on the roster of the Baltimore Ravens after signing with his seventh NFL team on Dec. 18, 2013. In his first four years in the league, he played with six different teams and played in 13 preseason games. Prior to joining the Ravens, he signed with two NFL teams and was released by both in a four-month period. He signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Aug. 8, 2013, but was released on Aug. 31 after playing in three preseason games. He then signed with the Houston Texas on Sept. 18, then was released on Nov. 20. Overbay spent the 2011 and 2012 seasons on the Detroit Lions practice squad after originally signing free agent contracts with the Denver Broncos, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Miami Dolphins. He was released by the Lions on June 4, 2013. He spent the 2010 preseason with the Broncos before being waived on the final roster cutdown. Overbay spent the first week of the season on Denver’s practice squad, but was then released on Sept. 3, 2010. After spending much of the 2010 season on the practice squad of the Miami Dolphins, he was signed by the Buccaneers on Oct. 26, 2010. He was eventually moved to Tampa Bay’s 53-man active roster on Dec. 20, 2010, but did not play in any games. In 2011, after catching five passes for 46 yards (9.2 per catch) with a touchdown in four preseason games, Overbay was released by Tampa Bay on Sept. 3, 2011. He was then signed by the Detroit Lions as a practice squad player. He played in two preseason games for the Lions in 2012, catching one pass for four yards. At Eastern, Overbay earned NCAA Football Championship Subdivision All-America honors in 2009 and was a first team All-Big Sky Conference selection. Overbay caught 51 passes for 588 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior at Eastern, and in his 43-game career (22 as a starter) he caught 93 passes for 1,189 yards and a school-record for a tight end with 19 touchdown receptions. He played in the East-West Shrine Game following his senior season after helping lead the Eagles to NCAA Football Championship Playoff berths in 2007 and 2009. He is the nephew of veteran major league baseball player Lyle Overbay, who played 14 seasons total with six MLB teams, including the five seasons each with the Arizona Diamondbacks (2001-03, 2011-12) and the Toronto Blue Jays (2006-10).
Greg Peach – Defensive Line – 2005-06-07-08
Signed a contract with the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL in 2009.
A veteran of seven seasons in the Canadian Football League, Peach announced his retirement from the league on May 28, 2016. In making his announcement, he said, “The body has said it is time to let it go. The relationships I’ve gained are countless and cherished. Thank you!” He spent three seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2014-16) after spending four previous seasons in the CFL with Edmonton (2009-11) and Hamilton (2012). He finished his career with 30 sacks and 205 total tackles in his 78-game regular season career, most as a starter. He had at least six sacks in a season three times, and had five forced turnovers. In 2015, he played in 11 games for Winnipeg and finished with 22 tackles and a sack. He led the Blue Bombers with seven sacks as a 14-game starter in 2014, and also had 46 total tackles and a forced fumble. He had just seven tackles with three sacks in six games in 2013 for Winnipeg. In the 2012 season at Hamilton, he started 14 games for the Tiger-Cats and recorded 36 defensive tackles and was tied for the team lead in quarterback sacks with six. He also had one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and two pass knockdowns. He spent the first three games of the season on the injury list, and made his first Tiger-Cats appearance at Saskatchewan on July 28, 2012. He scored his first defensive touchdown on a one yard fumble recovery against Winnipeg on Oct. 27, 2012. Peach signed as a free agent with Hamilton on Feb. 18, 2012. Because of an ankle injury, he didn’t make his first 2012 appearance until July 21, and then had three tackles and one sack in his first two games of the season. He originally signed with the Edmonton Eskimos in May 2009, and in his first game as a pro a month later on June 17, Peach had a pair of sacks in a 45-12 preseason win over Saskatchewan. He went on to finish with a team-leading six sacks in the regular season as he played alongside fellow former Eagle Dario Romero, who also had six sacks. Peach finished with a total of 45 tackles as he started all 16 of the games he played. He had five tackles in a 24-21 first-round playoff loss to Calgary after Edmonton finished the regular season 9-9. In his second season as a pro in 2010, Peach started the first game at defensive end, but left with a left ankle injury during the first quarter and did not return. He was placed on the nine-game injured list and returned to the lineup for game 11. In nine games (nine starts) he had 28 defensive tackles, four quarterback sacks, two tackles for losses (four yards), a forced fumble, a knockdown and a blocked conversion attempt. In 2011, Peach missed six games after having mid-season knee surgery. But he started 10 of the 12 games he played while playing both on the defensive line and at linebacker. He finished the year with 21 defensive tackles, three sacks, four special teams tackles, an interception, a tackle for a loss of one yard, a knockdown, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery for 13 yards. He was named CFL Defensive Player of the Week for his four tackles and two sacks against Calgary on July 23, but left the game in the fourth quarter with his knee injury. The 2008 recipient of the Buck Buchanan Award given to the top defensive player in the NCAA Championship Subdivision, Peach finished his Eastern career with 35 1/2 sacks and 63 total tackles for loss to set school records in both categories, as well as in a single season (18 sacks and 28 tackles for loss in 2008). He finished his career ranked second in both single season and career sacks in the Big Sky and fourth in FCS history. He finished his career as a two-time FCS All-American after starting 40 of a total of 47 games played. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008.
Shea Emry – Linebacker – 2005-06
Drafted in the first round of the 2008 CFL draft by the Montreal Alouettes.
Emry officially announced his retirement on Feb. 3, 2016, after eight seasons in the CFL – one with the Saskatchewan Roughriders (2015), one with Toronto (2014) and his first six for Montreal (2008-13). He finished his career with 337 tackles, 14 sacks, four interceptions and nine forced fumbles in his 108-game regular season career. He played in only one game in 2015, finishing with four tackles against Winnipeg on June 27 before suffering a season-ending concussion. In his lone season in Toronto in 2014, he started all 18 games at middle linebacker and had 72 tackles, four pass knockdowns and a sack. He earned CFL Defensive Player of the Week when he had six tackles and a sack in a 40-23 victory over British Columbia for Toronto’s first victory in Vancouver since the 2002 season. A former Eagle linebacker who concluded his playing career at the University of British Columbia, Emry helped lead Montreal to the 2009 and 2010 Grey Cup championships. His 2012 season was by far his most prolific, in which he recorded 87 tackles and seven sacks, and was named a CFL All-Star and the East Division’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player. He had 16 tackles in 2011 in eight games played. In 2010, the Alouettes finished 14-6, defeating Saskatchewan 21-18 for the title, as Emry finished with three tackles. He closed the 2010 season with 58 total tackles, an interception and one sack. The previous year, Montreal also beat the Roughriders for the title, winning 28-27 in the title game when Emry had three tackles. The Alouettes finished 17-3, including 15-3 in the regular season as he finished with 52 tackles to rank second on the team. He also had a pair of sacks, and his season-best tackling performance was seven against British Columbia on Sept. 13, 2009. Emry was the seventh pick overall by the Montreal Alouettes in the 2008 CFL draft, and finished his rookie season in 2008 with 25 tackles, including a team-high 21 on special teams. He had 58 total tackles in 21 games as an Eastern player, including 46 with an interception in nine games as a sophomore in 2006. He earned honorable mention All-Big Sky Conference honors on special teams as a freshman in 2005. In 2007, he had 52 tackles for the UBC Thunderbirds. Emry came to Eastern from Vancouver, B.C., and was a 2004 graduate of Vancouver College Prep, which was coached by former Eastern quarterback Todd Bernett (1991-92-93-94).
Cory Mitchell - Wide Receiver – 2011-12-13-14
Signed a free agent contract with the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL in 2015.
One sportswriter called it the “The Bo and his Bro Show.” Cory Mitchell reunited with his younger brother after he signed a free agent contract with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League in the spring of 2015. After playing with the Stampeders in the preseason, he was cut on June 20, 2015. His brother -- former Eagle quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell -- is now a household name in Calgary after he led the Stampeders to the Grey Cup title in 2014 and 2018, and twice earning league most outstanding player honors. After transferring from SMU, Bo Levi Mitchell led the Eagles to the 2010 NCAA Division I title when he passed for three touchdowns in the final 16:48 to lead EWU past Delaware 20-19 in the championship game on Jan. 7, 2011, in Frisco, Texas. He was the game’s Most Outstanding Player, an honor he duplicated in the 2014 Grey Cup. He also led Katy, Texas, High School to an undefeated season and a state championship in 2007. Cory Mitchell was a redshirt on the 2010 team, then played alongside his brother in 2011 when Bo Levi won the Walter Payton Award given to the top player in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision. Both are from Katy (Texas) High School, but Cory elected to work instead of attend college following his graduation in 2006. Cory started 18 of the 46 games he played in four seasons as an Eagle, with 101 career catches and 10 touchdowns, and a 17.6 average per kickoff return. He missed five games in 2014 because of a broken collarbone suffered at Washington on Sept. 6, 2014, but earned honorable mention All-Big Sky Conference honors as a junior in 2013.
Demitrius Bronson - Tailback – 2011-12-13
Signed a free agent contract with the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL in 2014.
Bronson was signed by the Miami Dolphins before the 2015 season, but was waived on Sept. 1, 2015. He played in two preseason games for Miami, carrying the ball four times and catching one pass. From nearby Kent, Wash., Bronson originally signed with the World Champion Seattle Seahawks as a free agent on June 16, 2014. He was involved in private workouts with the Seahawks prior to signing, and carried five times for 22 yards in the team’s first preseason game on Aug. 7. He was a practice squad player in 2014, but a hamstring injury resulted in him going on injured reserve and he was eventually waived on July 22, 2015. The 5-foot-10, 210-pound Bronson played as a tailback at Eastern and earned honorable mention All-Big Sky honors in 2012, and was a short-yardage specialist for the Eagles. Despite spending much of his career injured, he finished with 600 career rushing yards and 14 touchdowns, and caught eight passes for 51 more yards. He started 10 of the 29 games he played and had two touchdowns on four occasions. Bronson graduated from Kentridge High School in 2008, and started his collegiate career at the UW. “It is just the first step of many, and all I wanted was an opportunity with a team,” said Bronson of also getting the opportunity to play for his hometown team, the Seahawks. “Having it come in Seattle just makes it even sweeter because you have the whole town cheering for you to be great.”
Andru Pulu - Defensive Tackle – 2012-13
Signed a free agent contract with the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL in 2014.
Pulu agreed to terms as an undrafted free agent with the Seattle Seahawks on May 10, 2014. He played in four preseason games, making his debut against Denver on Aug. 7, 2014, and then getting his first and only tackle in the next game versus San Diego. He was eventually released on Aug. 20, 2014 when the team made its final cut to 53 players. He began his career by making the short trek from his hometown of Federal Way, Wash., to Renton, Wash., for the three-day rookie mini-camp for the defending Super Bowl Champions. “I can probably just catch the bus there,” laughed Pulu, who was born and raised in the Seattle area only 10-15 minutes away from Seahawks headquarters and graduated in 2009 from Federal Way High School. “It’s great to get to stay at home and not have to go anywhere to get an opportunity.” Pulu also had workouts with four other NFL teams (Houston, Green Bay, Cincinnati and Oakland), and nine clubs were represented at a pro day conducted for him at Federal Way HS. In all, 24 teams reached out about Pulu. He started all 28 games he played for the Eagles in his career after transferring from the UW. He earned second team All-Big Sky Conference honors as a senior and honorable mention as a junior. He had 79 career tackles, including six sacks and 12 total tackles for losses totaling 31 yards. At Eastern’s Pro Day on March 12, 2014, he bench pressed 225 pounds 28 times. He also participated in Seattle’s workout for local players. His “little” brother Jordan was a 6-foot-2, 280-pound sophomore defensive tackle for the Eagles in 2013 and 2014.
Steven Forgette – Offensive Line – 2010-11-12-13
Signed a free agent contract with the Ottawa Redblacks of the CFL in 2014.
Forgette originally signed with the Ottawa Redblacks, a CFL expansion team, and was assigned to the practice squad. He then joined the Spokane Shock in the Arena Football League as a free agent on Aug. 29, 2014, but did not earn a roster position in 2015. Despite missing most of the 2011 season at Eastern because of an injury, his 46 career starts were the most among all Eastern players in the 2013 season. The only game he didn’t start in his 47-game career was to allow a senior to start on Senior Day in 2010. As a senior, Forgette was also named to the Big Sky Conference All-Academic team for the third time. He helped Eastern set Big Sky and school records with 592 points, 83 touchdowns and 8,002 yards of offense in the 2013 season. As a team, EWU led FCS in passing efficiency (school record 182.6), and was fourth in total offense (533.5 per game), fourth in passing (349.8), 41st in rushing (183.7) and seventh in scoring (39.5). Eastern’s offensive line was selected as the FCS Offensive Line of the Week by Beyond Sports Network twice during the season. The first time came when EWU had 625 yards of offense in a 49-46 upset of 25th-ranked Oregon State (8/31/13) to open the season. The second time came in a 55-34 win at Idaho State (11/2/13) when the Eagles finished with a school record 743 yards of offense. He graduated from Heritage HS in Vancouver, Wash., in 2009.
Anthony Larry - Defensive End - 2011-13
Signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles of the CFL in 2014.
Larry signed a free agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles on May 10, 2014, then attended the team’s rookie tryout camp but did not make the team. Larry is from Sacramento, Calif., and graduated from Luther Burbank High School in 2009 “Always an Eagle,” said Larry of the opportunity to go from being an Eastern Eagle to a Philadelphia Eagle. “I’m excited and I was anxious waiting for the chance.” The 6-foot-3, 250-pound Larry was a third team All-Big Sky selection in 2013, and received workouts from several NFL teams, including Philadelphia, after his eligibility was exhausted. He started 22 of 38 games he played at Eastern and finished with 122 tackles, 11 1/2 sacks and 32 total tackles for loss totaling 107 yards in losses.
Brandon Kaufman – Wide Receiver – 2009-10-12
Signed a free agent contract with the Buffalo Bills of the NFL in 2013.
After signing a free agent contract with the Buffalo Bills on April 29, 2013, Kaufman spent part of the 2013 season on that team’s practice squad. He was released on May 16, 2014, then joined the B.C. Lions of the Canadian Football League for a short time. The two-time FCS All-American finished his 42-game Eastern career with 221 catches (third in school history, seventh in Big Sky history) for 3,731 yards (second all-time at EWU, fourth in the Big Sky and 19th in FCS) and 33 touchdowns (second in school history). He earned the 2012 FCS Wide Receiver Award from College Football Performance Awards (CFPA). Kaufman had a FCS-record 1,850 yards receiving in 2012, to go along with 93 receptions, 16 TDs and an average of 19.9 yards per catch. He helped lead the Eagles to the NCAA Division I title in 2010 and the semifinals of the FCS Playoffs in 2012. Kaufman is from Denver, Colo., and graduated in 2009 from Heritage High School. Former Eagle head coach Beau Baldwin officiated Kaufman’s wedding on Feb. 14, 2015, when he married former Eagle soccer player Lauren Jacobsen.
Greg Herd – Wide Receiver – 2009-10-11-12
Signed a free agent contract with the Dallas Cowboys of the NFL in 2013.
In 2013, Herd originally signed a free agent contract with the Dallas Cowboys, but was released after the team’s rookie camp. He was re-signed by the Seattle Seahawks on May 29, 2013, and was later released. Herd was signed by the Chicago Bears on Aug. 5, 2014 but released two weeks later. He played in two preseason games in 2014, making his NFL debut and catching a pass for two yards against Philadelphia. At Eastern, the 2011 FCS All-America selection finished his career with 165 receptions to rank ninth all-time at EWU. His catches were good for 2,348 yards to rank 11th in school history, and he also had 17 touchdowns (13th). His 66 catches in 2012 rank as the 12th-most in school history. Herd is from Tacoma, Wash., and graduated from Steilacoom High School in 2009.
Matt Johnson – Safety – 2008-09-10-11
Drafted in the 4th round (135th overall) by Dallas in the 2012 NFL Draft.
Expected to play significantly as a rookie in 2012 and again in 2013 for the Dallas Cowboys, Johnson was sidelined both years because of nagging hamstring, back and foot injuries. He also could not play in 2014 and eventually announced his retirement from pro football on Feb. 27, 2015. Because of the injuries, his only action in the pro ranks was in the Hall of Fame Game versus San Diego on Aug. 7, 2013. Before he suffered a foot injury in that game, he had been penciled in as the starting free safety for the Cowboys entering the 2013 season. A Dallas Cowboys fan as a child and whose first NFL jersey was the No. 22 of Cowboy running back Emmitt Smith, Johnson was only the third player in school history to be drafted in the fourth round or higher. He participated in Dallas’ three-day minicamp the week after the draft in April and on the last day of veteran minicamp in June. However, he had to miss the club’s OTAs (organized team activities) and the first two days of the June minicamp because he was still taking classes at Eastern. Later, he missed the first part of preseason training camp with a hamstring injury. Johnson started all 45 games he played in his Eastern career and finished with 341 tackles to rank fifth in school history and eighth all-time in the Big Sky. He also finished second on the school’s all-time lists for interceptions (17, ranking seventh all-time in the BSC) and interception return yards (210). After leading Eastern to a collective record of 30-15 in his 45-game career, he exited tied as the all-time leader in career forced fumbles with six. Johnson, however, missed Eastern’s last four games of his senior season with a painful biceps injury. Johnson had five interceptions in 2010 to help Eastern lead the FCS with 26, as EWU finished 13-2 and won the NCAA Division I title.
Keith Grennan – Defensive Line – 2005-06
Signed a contract with San Diego of the NFL in 2007.
Grennan played in 2010 and 2011 with the Hartford Colonials of the United Football League. He had originally re-signed with the Cleveland Browns on Jan. 6, 2010, but he was released before ever playing in a game for Cleveland. He was on the practice squad of the Browns for part of the 2009 season, having been signed on Sept. 9 after being released by the San Diego Chargers. In 2008, he played in one game for the Chargers, finishing with a tackle in his regular season NFL debut against Indianapolis on Nov. 23, 2008. In four preseason games in 2008, he had 10 total tackles. He survived the final cuts in San Diego as a rookie in 2007 and spent the season as a practice squad player after recording six tackles in four preseason games. He earned honorable mention All-Big Sky Conference honors as a senior at Eastern in 2006. He had 37 tackles with a pair of sacks in his final season as an Eagle, giving him career totals of 65 tackles and five sacks in his 21-game career. A transfer from Central Washington, he started all 11 games at defensive tackle for EWU in 2006, giving him 15 total career starts.
Harrison Nikolao – Offensive Line – 2003-04-05-06
Signed a contract with Cincinnati of the NFL in 2007.
Nikolao played three seasons for the Spokane Shock in the Arena Football League after a short stint with the Philadelphia Soul in AFL. He played for Spokane in 2010 before going on injured reserve on June 24, 2010. The Shock would go on to finish 16-3 and win the AFL title in its first year in that league. In 2009, Nikolao helped lead the Shock to a final record of 19-1 (15-1 in the regular season) and the af2 title. He rushed for 217 yards and 10 touchdowns in 20 games as the team’s fullback and backup lineman. In 2008, he had 19 total tackles with seven sacks as a defensive lineman. He helped Spokane to an 18-2 record in 2008 and an af2 championship game appearance. Signed by Cincinnati after his EWU career concluded, he was released by the Bengals on Sept. 1, 2007. At EWU, he started eight games as a senior offensive guard in 2006 after earning All-Big Sky honors as a defensive lineman his junior season. He started a total of 32 games in his career, including 23 on defense and one start on offense in 2004. He had 80 tackles, 7 1/2 sacks and two passes broken up in his career.
Isaiah Trufant – Cornerback – 2002-03-04-05
Signed a contract with the Spokane Shock of af2 in 2006.
After four seasons with the New York Jets, Trufant signed with the Cleveland Browns for the 2014 season on March 12, 2014. But a knee injury resulted in him starting the regular season on injured reserve and was eventually released on Oct. 17, 2014. Trufant appeared in 39 career games for the Jets, with one start. A special teams standout, Trufant had 34 career special teams tackles, including 13 in 2013. He also added 18 career tackles on defense and two passes defensed. He played in all 16 regular season games in 2013, and finished with 20 total tackles. He played in nine games for the Jets in 2012, mostly on special teams, before being sidelined by a knee injury. He finished the season with 16 tackles and two passes defensed. He made the first and only start of his career on Oct. 21, 2012, versus New England when he finished with six tackles in the narrow 29-26 loss. He also had 16 tackles in four preseason games in 2012, including five on Aug. 30, 2012, when he started at Philadelphia. In 2011, after being promoted from the practice squad just 24 hours earlier, Trufant completed one of the biggest plays of the Jets’ 27-24 season-opening victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sept. 11, 2011. He returned Joe McKnight’s blocked punt 18 yards for a touchdown that tied the score with five minutes left in the nationally-televised game. He went on to play in 13 games for the Jets – mostly on special teams – and finished with eight total tackles. He had two of his tackles in the opener versus Dallas. Trufant was claimed off waivers by the Philadelphia Eagles following the 2010 season, but was cut on Aug. 30, 2011, and signed by the Jets the next day. He was on New York’s practice squad and active roster in December 2010. He played in one regular-season game and one playoff game for the Jets, and finished with two special teams tackles in his NFL debut versus Buffalo on Jan. 2, 2011. Prior to his first NFL invitation, he had played in three different leagues in five seasons as a professional. Trufant was the Defensive Player of the Year in the United Football League in 2010 for Las Vegas after leading the league with four interceptions and finishing the regular season (nine games) with 30 tackles. He led the Locomotives to its second-straight UFL title, defeating the Florida Tuskers 23-20, as Trufant finished with three tackles. In a 22-10 regular season victory over Omaha, Trufant returned an interception for a touchdown to give Las Vegas a lead it never relinquished. He then had a second interception, which catapulted Las Vegas to first in the UFL standings and handed the Nighthawks their first franchise defeat. He also played in 2009 for Las Vegas during the debut season of the UFL. He had an interception in overtime that led to the winning field goal in a 20-17 victory over Florida in the inaugural UFL Championship Game. During the regular season, he had 12 1/2 tackles in helping Las Vegas to a 4-2 record. Trufant played in 2008 for the Arizona Rattlers in the AFL. Although he missed three of the team’s first 14 games (8-6 record) because of an injury, Trufant led the Rattlers with 62 tackles, four interceptions and 17 passes broken up. He was the Arena Football League’s Defensive Player of the Week in early June when he helped the Rattlers clinch a playoff berth with a 60-53 win over Orlando. He had an interception and two forced fumbles in Orlando’s first four possessions of the game as the Arizona defense allowed just 13 points in the first half. In 2007 he played for the Kansas City Brigade, but was injured and played in only half of KC’s games. He led the team with 17 passes broken up and added 52 1/2 tackles, three fumble recoveries and one interception. He suffered a neck sprain against the padding of the sideline on May 20, 2007, and missed the next three games. At the time of his injury he was leading the Brigade in tackles. He was the league’s defensive player of the week in a 65-31 victory over Las Vegas when he had an interception, four passes broken up, a forced fumble and 4 1/2 tackles. In 2006, he joined four other former Eagles to lead Spokane to a 17-2 record and the af2 title in the team’s inaugural season in the league. In 19 games, he finished with 43 total tackles, 15 passes broken up and three interceptions. He had seven passes broken up and six tackles in a playoff semifinal game as he earned defensive player of the game honors. While at EWU, Trufant was a first team All-Big Sky Conference selection as a junior in 2004 before missing several games with an injury as a senior. He finished with 11 interceptions in his career to finish ranked sixth in school history. The brother of former Seattle Seahawks cornerback Marcus Trufant and former Husky and current Atlanta Falcons cornerback Desmond Trufant, Isaiah had career totals of 133 tackles and 24 passes broken up, which ranked sixth in school history. His total of 35 passes defensed (including interceptions and passes broken up) ranked seventh in FCS history. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008 and a public vote selected him as the top defensive back in school history (along with Kurt Schulz).
Raul Vijil – Wide Receiver – 2002-03-04-05
Signed a contract with the Spokane Shock of af2 in 2006.
Vijil played for the Spokane Shock the first six seasons the team was in existence, earning first team All-af2 honors in 2007, 2008 and 2009. As a tribute to his outstanding career, the No. 15 jersey he wore was retired on May 16, 2015, at halftime of Spokane’s game against San Jose, which featured his former Eagle quarterback – Erik Meyer. Vijil caught nearly 500 regular season passes and scored more than 160 touchdowns while helping Spokane to an all-time record of 91-23 and playoff berths each season (2006-2011). In 74 regular season games in his career, he had 489 catches for 5,701 yards and 151 touchdowns, with another 23 touchdowns scored via rushing or returns and a career total of 9,243 all-purpose yards. He finished his final season in 2011 with 68 catches for 749 yards and 20 touchdowns, with a total of 757 all-purpose yards and one more score via a kickoff return. Although a knee injury kept Vijil sidelined for the last nine games of the 2010 season, the Shock finished 16-3 and won the AFL title – its third championship in the franchise’s short, five-year history. In the 10 games he played in the 2010 season, Vijil caught 82 passes for 1,083 yards and 33 touchdowns, and also had 541 yards and a touchdown in 28 kick returns. In 2009, Vijil led the Shock to a final record of 19-1 (15-1 in the regular season) and the af2 title. He caught 116 passes for 1,415 yards and 36 touchdowns in the 15 regular season games he played. He also had 54 kick returns for 1,119 yards and another touchdown, and five rushes for three yards and two more scores. In four playoff games, he had 28 catches for 284 yards and four TDs, four kick returns for 94 yards and three rushes for seven yards and another score. He finished 14 games in the 2008 regular season with 107 catches for 1,112 yards and 35 touchdowns, with 42 total TDs. He added 35 catches for 426 yards and nine more touchdowns in four playoff games. He was plagued by injuries in 2007, but finished with 57 catches for 616 yards and 15 touchdowns, scoring a total of 16 touchdowns in nine games. He and four other former Eagles helped lead the 2006 team to a 17-2 record and the af2 title in Spokane’s inaugural season in the league. In 16 regular season games as a rookie in 2006, Vijil scored 22 touchdowns, with 59 catches for 626 yards and 12 scores. He was the team’s leading rusher with 30 carries for 68 yards and 10 TDs, and he added 24 1/2 total tackles and four passes broken up. Vijil finished his 44-game EWU career with 129 receptions for 1,966 yards and 10 touchdowns, including 72 catches for 1,080 yards and eight touchdowns as a senior in 2005 to earn second team All-Big Sky Conference honors. At the time, his 72 receptions ranked as the third-most in school history, and his 1,080 yards were fourth. He finished just out of the top 15 on EWU’s all-time receptions lists and the top 10 in yardage. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008.
Josh Blankenship – Quarterback – 2002
Signed a contract with Miami of the NFL in 2003.
Blankenship helped the Tulsa Talons to the af2 championship game in 2007. However, a mid-season injury made his contribution minimal after leading Tulsa to victories in its first seven games of the season. Tulsa won the title with a 73-66 victory over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, but Blankenship did not play. Blankenship passed for 43 touchdowns in those first seven games before suffering a foot injury (strained arch support). He played in just six games after that. In 13 games, Blankenship completed 54 percent of his passes for 2,365 yards, 54 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Tulsa was 17-2, including three playoff victories. In 2006 while playing for the Stockton Lightning, he threw for 4,052 yards and 82 TDs. He played the 2005 season with Tulsa of af2 after a previous stint on the practice squad of the Austin Wranglers of the AFL. He played in all 16 games in the 2005 season and finished second in the league with 89 touchdown passes to go along with 3,554 yards. He was sixth in efficiency rating (113.3) and 12th in total offense (3,591). He had three 300-yard passing games as Tulsa finished 11-5. A year earlier, he also played for Austin before signing with the Edmonton Eskimos in the CFL, but was released prior to the start of the 2004 season. He originally signed a contract with the Miami Dolphins, then he was waived in June 2003 just four days after the team signed veteran Brian Griese. A month earlier, Miami’s quarterbacks coach Mike Shula – a Blankenship fan – took the head coaching job at Alabama in the wake of the firing of Mike Price. Injuries in a freak car accident (caused by his dog) ended Blankenship’s playing hopes that season. A transfer from the University of Tulsa, Blankenship concluded his career at Eastern in 2002 by passing for school records of 3,243 yards and 30 touchdowns. He earned honorable mention All-America honors and was the Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year, Newcomer of the Year and a first team All-Big Sky selection. He had a hand in all 10 school records the Eagles broke that season, which ended when he passed for 344 yards and four touchdowns in a 30-21 win over unbeaten and top-ranked Montana, snapping UM’s FCS record 24-game winning streak. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008.
Lamont Brightful – Wide Receiver/Returner – 1998-99-00-01
Drafted in the 6th round (195th overall) by Baltimore in the 2002 NFL Draft.
A return specialist who also played as a pro cornerback, Brightful played sparingly in the 2007 season for Calgary in the CFL after starting the season with the Montreal Alouettes. In Montreal, he was one of four former Eagles on that team – Brightful, Luke Fritz, Dario Romero and Jesse Hendrix. In 2006 in Montreal, he finished with 23 tackles, two interceptions and five knockdowns in 10 games. He also averaged 5.3 yards on 10 punt returns and 21.4 on seven kickoff returns. Prior to joining the Alouettes, he was with the New York Giants after signing a contract on Jan. 7, 2005, but he did not play in any 2005 regular season games. He played in spring/summer 2005 for Frankfurt in NFL Europa and had a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown while leading the team in kickoff return average (27.4) and interceptions (four). He played in 30 NFL games from 2002-04, including his first 28 with the Baltimore Ravens and two in the 2004 season with Miami. He returned 68 kickoffs (22.7 average) and 69 punts (9.9 average) in his NFL career with one touchdown. For Baltimore in 2003, he averaged 24.7 yards on 29 kickoff returns and 7.8 on 45 punt returns. As a Baltimore rookie in 2002, he averaged 20.6 yards on 34 kickoff returns. He also returned 15 punts for a team-record 16.1 average that ranked eighth in the NFL and third in the AFC. He had a team-record 95-yard punt return in a 38-27 win against Cincinnati to earn AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. He finished with 201 total return yards against the Bengals, including a season-best 54-yard kickoff return. Brightful was the 195th pick overall in the NFL Draft in 2002. While at Eastern, Brightful was a three-time All-American as a return specialist. He set three FCS records, including career kickoff return average (30.0) and career KO return touchdowns (five). He caught 122 passes for 2,061 yards and 20 touchdowns. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008.
Jesse Chatman – Running Back – 1999-00-01
Signed a contract with San Diego of the NFL in 2002.
In his seven-year career, Chatman played in 58 regular season NFL games and rushed for 951 yards (4.5 per carry) and four touchdowns, and caught 39 passes for 281 yards. On special teams, he returned eight kickoffs for an 18.9 average and had 38 total tackles. In 2002, Chatman earned a roster position with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent after leading the NFL in rushing during the preseason with 234 yards on 46 carries and a 5.1 average per carry. He eventually played in 41 regular season NFL games in three seasons with San Diego after impressive performances in the preseason. In the 2003 preseason, his best performance was 114 yards – his first 100-yard performance as a pro – in a home win over San Francisco the night before Eastern played at San Diego State in the same stadium. In the regular season in 2004, he rushed for 392 yards and scored three touchdowns as an injury replacement to All-Pro LaDainian Tomlinson. He scored his first career touchdown against Tennessee to preserve a 38-17 victory, then he had his first 100-yard game with 103 yards on 11 carries versus Jacksonville. Against Carolina, he replaced Tomlinson in the fourth quarter and had a 52-yard run before scoring on a 5-yard run for the decisive points in a 17-6 win. Injuries caused him to start gaining weight when he played for San Diego, and subsequently he was released. He spent time in the 2005 season with both the New Orleans Saints and the Dolphins, but did not play in 2005 and 2006. He ballooned to a high of 283 pounds before diet and exercise helped him lose the weight. Chatman started working out at all hours, and switched from fried food to oatmeal, spinach and stir-fry. The Dolphins originally re-signed Chatman on Feb. 21, 2007, and allocated him to NFL Europa, where he did not make it past the final cuts. But that summer, with his weight at 223 pounds, he earned a Miami roster spot in the 2007 preseason when he had a team-leading 116 rushing yards (6.4 per carry) with two touchdowns, and added six receptions for 52 yards. He was listed in the “Who’s Hot” section in the Aug. 20, 2007, issue of
Sports Illustrated. Here’s what the magazine had to say about Chatman:
Running back Jesse Chatman gained 392 yards (on just 65 carries) for the Chargers in 2004. Then he gained 50 pounds and missed two seasons. Now looking svelte in a Dolphins uni, he broke off a 74-yard TD run last Saturday. Chatman: “I’m not going to take this for granted.”
A full-page spread in the Oct. 1, 2007, issue of
Sports Illustrated explained how he lost the 60 pounds and worked himself back into the league as a regular season starter. He finished the season with 515 yards, including a career-best 124 yards on 27 carries on Nov. 11 in a 13-10 loss to Buffalo when he also caught five passes for 25 more yards. He made his first NFL start on Oct. 28, 2007, in a 13-10 loss to the New York Giants in the first-ever NFL regular season game at Wembley Stadium in London. He finished with 79 yards on 16 carries (4.9 per carry), and had three catches for 21 yards. After the 2007 season, Chatman signed a contract with the New York Jets on March 10, 2008. He finished the year with five carries for eight yards and two receptions or five yards. While at EWU, Chatman led FCS in rushing as a senior All-American as he finished with 2,096 yards and 28 touchdowns. The Big Sky Offensive Player of the Year broke five BSC records and 19 school marks en route to finishing with 4,173 rushing yards and 53 TDs. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008 and a public vote selected him as the top running back in school history.
Dario Romero – Defensive Line – 1997-98-99-00
Signed a contract with the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL in 2001.
Romero ended his long professional career by being signed and released by Saskatchewan in the CFL in 2011 prior to what would have been his 11th season as a professional. He finished with 143 career regular season tackles in six CFL seasons, including 20 sacks to go along with an interception and three fumble recoveries. Romero played the 2008, 2009 and 2010 seasons with Edmonton where his professional career started back in 2001. He finished with 24 tackles, a sack and fumble recovery in 2010 as a 15-game starter while playing alongside fellow former Eagle Greg Peach, as they helped the Eskimos finish 7-11. In 2009, Romero was a West Division All-Star after starting all 12 games he played before a bicep injury ended his season. He finished with 22 tackles and two knockdowns to go along with a team-leading six sacks in the regular season. He played alongside Peach, who also had six sacks as a rookie. Edmonton finished the regular season 9-9, then suffered a 24-21 first-round playoff loss to Calgary. In 2008, Romero had 30 defensive tackles, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, four tackles for loss and six quarterback sacks. He had two sacks versus Hamilton on July 25 and two against Saskatchewan on Aug. 21. Romero earned CFL Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance against the Roughriders as the Eskimo defense limited Saskatchewan to just 279 yards of net offense. He played in 16 games with 15 starts, and was named a 2008 West Division All-Star as Edmonton advanced to the playoffs. Before returning to Edmonton, he had played four seasons with the Miami Dolphins in the NFL and two with Montreal in the CFL. In 2007, he joined former Eagles Luke Fritz, Jesse Hendrix and Lamont Brightful on the Alouettes roster and finished with 28 tackles and four sacks in 18 games played. He also added two tackles for loss, two passes broken up, one interception and a fumble recovery. He missed several games for Montreal in the 2006 season with an injury, but finished with 19 tackles. He spent the 2005 season on the roster of the Miami Dolphins after signing a contract on March 28, 2005. He played in 15 games for Miami in 2004, making the second start of his career on Nov. 21 at Seattle. He finished the year with 35 tackles and 3 1/2 sacks. He played in eight games with the Dolphins in 2003, finishing with five tackles and a pass broken up. The first start of his career came in Miami’s season-ending 23-21 victory over the New York Jets. He didn’t play in any games in 2002 after signing a contract with the Dolphins on Jan. 16, 2002. His professional career began in the 2001 season for the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL. He played in 11 games as a starter for the Eskimos, finishing with 23 tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles and two tackles for loss in 11 games. He earned third team All-America honors at EWU in 2000 and twice was selected to the All-Big Sky first team. He finished his career with 22 sacks to rank fifth in school history. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in and into its Hall of Fame in 2019.
Luke Fritz – Offensive Line – 1997-98-99-00
Signed a contract with Carolina of the NFL in 2001.
Fritz played nine seasons and 139 total regular season games in the CFL, including his last two playing for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the previous seven seasons with the Montreal Alouettes. He capped his career with a prestigious CFL honor. In December 2010, he was the winner of a $50,000 Pepsi Refresh Project grant to help end child hunger in Manitoba, and was awarded a check in Edmonton, Alberta, during the Grey Cup Weekend. Fritz was among eight CFL players to partner with the Pepsi Refresh Project to come up with “refreshing” ideas to make Canada a better place. The coveted grant went to Fritz’s charity of choice, Winnipeg Harvest, to support the Hunger for Hope program, which supplies infant formula to thousands of babies in Manitoba who would otherwise go hungry. Over the course of the CFL playoff season as excitement was building toward Grey Cup weekend, the field of eight finalists was reduced to four, then two, and eventually Fritz was selected. As a result of his off-the-field efforts, Fritz received EWU’s Tom Oswald Award following the 2010 season. The Tom Oswald Memorial Award was created in 2007 in the memory of former Cheney High School coach Tom Oswald, who succumbed to cancer on Aug. 4, 2006. Recipients are selected by the Eastern coaching staff for following Oswald’s creed of “Doing the Right Thing” for youth. He played in 36 total games in two seasons for the Blue Bombers as both a guard and tackle. He helped the Blue Bombers to a 7-11 record in 2009 and a 4-14 mark in 2010. With Fritz on the roster, Montreal played in five Grey Cups – the Alouettes won in 2002 and lost in 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2008. He was one of four former Eagles on Montreal’s team in 2007 – Fritz, Lamont Brightful, Dario Romero and Jesse Hendrix. In his seven seasons with Montreal, Fritz played 103 games, including 53 starts. Fritz was drafted by Montreal as the seventh pick in the first round of the 2001 CFL Draft, but he pursued NFL opportunities first before settling in the CFL. He spent the preseason in 2001 and 2002 with the Carolina Panthers before being released. Fritz also played the 2002 season as a backup guard for the Scottish Claymores in NFL Europa after being drafted in the fourth round of the 2002 allocation draft. He played two games at the end of the 2002 CFL season as the Alouettes won the Grey Cup, then played six full seasons in Montreal. He started all 19 games for the Alouettes at right tackle in 2004 and received a tryout with the New York Jets of the NFL. Fritz helped start the Elite Football Camp in Montreal while he was there. At Eastern, Fritz started 37 games as an Eagle and earned honorable mention All-America honors in 2000. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008. His brother Mitch played in the 2008-09 season for the New York Islanders in the NHL before becoming a part of the Tampa Bay Lightning organization until he retired.
Bashir Levingston – Return Specialist – 1998
Signed a contract with the NY Giants of the NFL in 1999.
After a stint in the NFL with the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins, Levingston spent five full seasons in the CFL. He spent most of his first five seasons with the Toronto Argonauts before becoming a member of the Montreal Alouettes late in the 2007 season. His career included 15 total touchdowns on returns, one CFL Special Teams Player of the Year Award (2003), CFL All-Star accolades (2003) and two East Division All-Star honors (2003, 2004). While at Toronto, he scored a club-record 15 career touchdowns on returns, ranking second in the history of the league. He returned 277 punts for 2,949 yards (10.6 average) and eight touchdowns; 152 kickoffs for 3,454 yards (22.7 average) and three touchdowns; and 23 missed field goals for 818 yards (35.6 average) and four scores. Early in the 2007 season, he returned a missed field goal a CFL-record 129 yards for a touchdown to earn the league’s Special Teams Player of the Week award. He finished the regular season averaging 51.3 yards on three missed field goal returns, 18.6 on kickoff returns and 5.6 on punt returns. In 2006, he returned a punt for a touchdown and had an 11.3 average per punt return and 19.7 average per kickoff return. He also scored on a 50-yard reception – his only catch of the season. In 2005, he scored twice, with averages of 20.4 on kickoff returns, 10.2 on punt returns with a TD and 34.3 and a TD on seven missed field goal returns. In 2004, he returned five kicks for touchdowns (two punts, two missed field goals and a kickoff) en route to helping Toronto win the Grey Cup. A year earlier, he finished the 2003 season by winning the league’s John Agro Special Teams Player of the Year Award. He returned a league-record five kicks for scores, including CFL record-tying marks of two kickoff returns for touchdowns and three punt returns for scores. He led the league in punt return yards and average (811, 13.5 average), as well as kickoff return yards (881, 30.0 average). Three times during the season, he earned CFL Special Teams Player of the Week accolades, including once after a losing effort in the semifinals of the CFL Playoffs. At Toronto in 2002, he had 19 tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble on defense in 11 games. He returned 13 kickoffs for 309 yards (23.8 average) and 33 punts for 570 yards (17.3 average) with two touchdowns. He sparked a 24-14 playoff win over Saskatchewan by returning a lateral on a punt return 76 yards for a touchdown to earn CFL Special Teams Player of the Week honors. He also played sparingly for Toronto in 2001 after being released by Edmonton. He attended mini-camps with the Miami Dolphins in 2003, but he was released prior to training camp. Previously, he played for the New York Giants from 1999-2000 as a return specialist and cornerback. He was mainly a special teams player as a Giants rookie in 1999, finishing with 14 tackles, two passes defensed and one interception he returned 34 yards. He also ranked eighth in the NFL with a 24.2 average in 22 kickoff returns with a long of 35. In 2000, he missed the first eight games with an ankle injury, then played in three games. He finished the season with three tackles and a 21.9 average on seven kickoff returns. Levingston spent the spring of 2000 playing for the Amsterdam Admirals in NFL Europa. He led the league in punt returns and kickoff returns while ranking third in interceptions with three, including a 45-yard return for a touchdown. He averaged 13.3 yards in 20 punt returns with a long of 49, and averaged 28.1 yards in 15 kickoff returns with an 89-yard touchdown. He also had 23 tackles and a team-high 10 passes broken up. Levingston played just one season at Eastern in 1998 after transferring from Utah State, but he set or tied 34 school, Big Sky and FCS records. He returned three kickoffs for touchdowns in the same game against Sacramento State to help break most of the records, and also scored during the season on two punt returns. Including receiving and rushing, he averaged 25.0 yards every time he touched the ball, and scored every 5.3 times he touched the ball (12 total touchdowns). He was a first team All-America return specialist and
Football Gazette’s Specialist of the Year. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008.
Jeff Ogden – Wide Receiver – 1995-96-97
Signed a contract with Dallas of the NFL in 1998.
Spending his college and professional career defying the odds, Ogden played five seasons in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys (1998 and 1999), Miami Dolphins (2000 and 2001) and Baltimore Ravens (2002) as a wide receiver and return specialist. In five NFL seasons, he played in 67 games – including 64 of a possible 64 games in his first four years in the league with 28 catches for 304 yards (10.9 average) and one touchdown. He concluded his career in 2002 by playing in three games for the Ravens and had two punt returns for 21 yards. However, in the previous four seasons, he played in all 16 games each year. In 2001, he caught six passes for 73 yards and a touchdown, and also returned 32 punts for 377 yards (11.8 average). In 2000, he had two catches for 24 yards, and returned 19 punts for a 17.0 average per return with an 81-yard return for a touchdown. Had he met the minimum to be ranked, he would have led the NFL in average per return. In 1999, he played in all 16 games for the Cowboys and finished with 12 catches for 144 yards and returned 12 kickoffs for a 21.0 average and four punts for a 7.0 average. As a rookie at Dallas in 1998, Ogden earned a spot on the team’s 53-man roster after catching seven passes for 126 yards in the preseason. He played in all 16 regular season games, finishing with eight catches for 63 yards, one rush for 12 yards and three kickoff returns for a 21.7 average. He also had 10 special teams tackles. He had his best day as a rookie against Seattle when he caught four passes for 26 yards, rushed once for 12 yards and had a tackle on special teams. He spent the spring/summer of 2000 leading the Rhein Fire of NFL Europa to the regular season championship (7-3 record) and the championship in the World Bowl. He ranked third in the league in receiving with 44 catches for 635 yards and seven touchdowns, and earned three player of the week awards before missing the last two weeks of the season with an injury. Ogden came to Eastern as a walk-on who previously competed in track and field at Clackamas Community College in Oregon. By the time he was a senior in 1997, he developed into a second team All-America receiver and first team Academic All-American. He caught 57 passes in 1997 for school records of 1,148 yards and 13 touchdowns as Eastern enjoyed its greatest season ever with a 12-2 record. The Eagles won the Big Sky Conference title and advanced to the FCS “Final Four.” Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008 and a public vote selected him as the top wide receiver in school history. He is also a 2018 inductee into the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame.
Tom Ackerman – Offensive Guard – 1992-93-94-95
Drafted in the 5th round (145th overall) by New Orleans in the 1996 NFL Draft.
Ackerman played eight seasons in the NFL, including the first six with the New Orleans Saints and the 2002 and 2003 seasons with the Tennessee Titans. He played in 105 career games, including 21 as a starter. Mainly used as a special teams player his first two seasons in the NFL, he appeared in 14 games in 1997 after playing in two games as a rookie in 1996. He started at center in 10 of the 15 games he played in 1998, and in 1999, he played in eight games as a starter and eight as a reserve. Following the 1999 season, he signed a four-year, $6.89 million contract to remain with the New Orleans Saints, then played as a backup in 15 games in 2000 and 16 in 2001 before leaving the team. He was signed by the Oakland Raiders on May 22, 2002, but was released and signed with Tennessee. In 2002, he played in 11 games and started three for the Titans, who advanced to the AFC Championship Game and finished the season 12-6. In 2003, he played in 16 games as a backup. Ackerman was the 145th pick overall in the 1996 NFL Draft and was the first offensive lineman in Washington and the Big Sky Conference to be taken. He was a third team All-American at EWU following his senior season in 1995. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008. He was inducted into the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame on Oct. 5, 2013.
Jackie Kellogg – Defensive Back – 1990-91-92-93
Signed a contract with San Francisco of the NFL in 1994.
Kellogg played in four different professional leagues during his nearly decade-long career, including a highly-successful eight seasons from 1995-2002 in the CFL. He played 6 1/2 years with the Calgary Stampeders and the last 1 1/2 years of his career with the Edmonton Eskimos. He helped the Stampeders win the 1998 Grey Cup and played in 14 playoff games, including four Grey Cups (1995, 1998, 1999 and 2002). In his career (including playoffs), he played in 117 games and had 301 tackles, 18 passes broken up, eight sacks and 28 interceptions for 507 yards in returns (18.1 average) with six touchdowns. He equaled his career-high with 55 tackles in 20 games in 2002, and in 1998 and 1999, he was selected to the West Division All-CFL team. In 1998, he ranked second in the CFL with eight interceptions for 72 yards and a touchdown. He also had 55 tackles in a total of 20 games as Calgary beat Hamilton 26-24 to win the CFL championship. In 1999, Calgary lost 32-21 to Hamilton in the Grey Cup as Kellogg earned CFL Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the playoff semifinals (the third POW award in his career). In a total of 20 games, he had six interceptions for 90 yards in returns and 49 total tackles. His other career highlights include the 2000 season, when he had 31 tackles, five interceptions and two sacks. Two of the interceptions were returned for touchdowns in 2000 – including a 110-yard return – and twice he was honored as CFL Defensive Player of the Week. In 1997, he joined the team in week 17 and played in just three total games. But he was selected as the CFL defensive player of the week in week 18 when he had four tackles, three pass knock downs and a blocked punt. He joined the Stampeders late in 1995 after being released by San Francisco in the NFL in the team’s final cuts just prior to the start of the 1995 regular season. He had the same fate with the 49ers as a rookie in 1994. In 1995 and 1997, he played for the Frankfurt Galaxy of the World League. In 1997, he finished the year with 34 tackles, 10 passes defensed, two interceptions and an 18.9 kickoff return average. In 1995, he intercepted three passes in the team’s first game and finished second in the league with a total of seven. He also had 50 tackles, 14 passes defensed and two blocked kicks. In addition, after leading Calgary to the CFL playoffs in 2000, he joined Memphis of the ill-fated XFL in 2001. He had one interception for the Maniax. At Eastern, Kellogg helped lead the Eagles to the 1992 Big Sky Conference championship and a berth in the FCS Playoffs. He finished his career with 41 passes broken up, 17 interceptions and 222 tackles, and earned first team All-Big Sky honors as a junior and senior. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008, and into the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017.
Kurt Schulz – Defensive Back – 1988-89-90-91
Drafted in the 7th round (195th pick overall) by Buffalo in the 1992 NFL Draft.
Schulz played in 10 NFL seasons (1992-2001), including his final two seasons with the Detroit Lions. In his 129-game career – 93 as a starter – he had 671 tackles, 30 interceptions, 80 passes defensed, five forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. In 2001, he played in 11 games (starting 10), and had 79 tackles, two interceptions and six passes defensed. In his first season with the Lions in 2000, he started all 11 of the games he played before an ankle sprain ended his season. An alternate for the 2001 Pro Bowl, he finished with 68 total tackles, 10 passes defensed and a career-high seven interceptions to rank third in both the NFL and NFC. He intercepted Green Bay’s Brett Favre to seal a 31-24 victory over Green Bay, and he had three interceptions in a 21-14 win at Chicago to earn NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors. On Feb. 18, 2000, Schulz signed a five-year, $10 million contract with the Lions. Prior to that, his entire eight-year career was spent with the Buffalo Bills, where he started all 70 games he played in his final five years there. He started all 16 games in 1999, finishing with 98 tackles, three interceptions and 13 passes defensed. He finished the 1998 season with six interceptions to rank eighth in the NFL and fifth in the AFC. In 1997, he finished with a career-high 107 tackles, two interceptions and 10 passes defensed after a 1996 campaign that saw him finish with 102 tackles, four interceptions and a career-high 16 passes defensed. In 1995, he was a UPI second team All-AFC selection after ranking second in the AFC with six interceptions to go along with 90 tackles and 15 passes defensed. His first career interception came against Carolina in 1995 when he returned it 32 yards for a touchdown. He also had a game-saving interception in the end zone with 52 seconds left against Atlanta in 1995 and was awarded a game ball for his efforts. He had multi-interception games against Cincinnati in 1996 and versus St. Louis in 1998. He had a career-high 12 tackles against St. Louis in 1995. Schulz played in his first Super Bowl in January 1994 when the Bills lost to Dallas. He made a touchdown-saving tackle on the game’s opening kickoff after playing most of the 1993 season with a calf injury suffered in the preseason. He played in eight regular season games for Buffalo in 1992, becoming only the sixth Bills rookie since 1988 to start when he made his only start of the season against San Francisco. Schulz earned third team All-America honors as a sophomore at Eastern when he also earned first team All-Big Sky accolades He was a second team All-Big Sky choice as a junior and senior. He finished his EWU career with 224 tackles, 17 interceptions, a school-record 219 interception return yards and 28 passes broken up. He was a second team Academic All-American in 1991, and in 1997 was selected to the Academic All-America All-Time Team. He was inducted in 1998 into the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008 and a public vote selected him as the top defensive back in school history (along with Isaiah Trufant).
Kevin Sargent – Offensive Tackle – 1988-89-90-91
Signed a contract with Cincinnati in 1992.
Sargent was a veteran of seven NFL seasons, although he missed the entire 1996 regular season with a herniated disc in his neck. He started 63 of 73 career games, including all 16 games in 1998. He also started 15 games in both the 1995 and 1994 seasons and eight in 1997. In 1997, he had no missed assignments in 604 plays, and in his first start of the year on Nov. 2, he had the key block on a 71-yard touchdown run by Corey Dillon. One month later against Tennessee, he was awarded an offensive game ball for helping Dillon rush for an NFL rookie record 246 yards. In 1995, the offensive line set a franchise record by allowing just 1.56 sacks per game. Sargent had only one missed assignment in 852 total snaps. Until he suffered an ankle sprain, he had played every down for the Bengals at left tackle in the first 12 games. Sargent began the 1993 season as the starter at left tackle in place of 11-time Pro Bowler Anthony Munoz, but broke his arm on the second play of the season and missed most of the year. He played in 16 games as a rookie, eight as a starter. He was inducted in 2008 into the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008.
Ed Simmons – Offensive Tackle – 1983-84-85-86
Drafted in the 6th round (164th pick overall) by Washington in 1987.
Simmons retired in 1998 from the St. Louis Rams after playing 11 seasons at right tackle for the Washington Redskins. Simmons, who played for the 1992 Super Bowl Champions, started 104 games during that span. In 1995, he was selected to the
Sports Illustrated All-NFC East team and played 1,039 of a possible 1,042 downs. His debut as a rookie was against Philadelphia’s Reggie White. He was an inaugural inductee in 1996 into the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008.
Other Former Pros . . . .
Bert Anderson – Fullback – 1934-35-36-37 . . . Was drafted or signed by the Washington Redskins in 1938, but a torn wrist muscle during the pre-season ended his career.
Herm Pein – Linebacker – 1946-47-48-49 . . . Signed out of college with the New York Yanks of the NFL, but the Korean War delayed Pein’s pro football career. In 1953 he made it to the final cuts of the San Francisco 49ers before playing a short time for British Columbia in the CFL. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008.
Dick Nearents – Tackle – 1956-57-68 . . . Drafted in the 18th round (205th pick overall) by Green Bay in 1959.
Mick Landmark – Guard – 1964-65-66 . . . He played in the CFL for parts of two years, but spent most of his time in the Continental Football League playing for the Norfolk Neptunes. He played in the league until it folded after the 1969 season. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008.
Barry Randall – Guard – 1965-66 . . . He started for 11 years from 1967-77 for Montreal in the CFL, helping the Alouettes win the Grey Cup in 1970, 1974 and 1977. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008.
Dave Svendsen – Wide Receiver – 1966-67-68 . . . Drafted in the 11th round (281st pick overall) by Los Angeles in 1969. He was inducted in 2001 into the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008.
Bob Picard – Wide Receiver – 1968-69-71-72 . . . Drafted in the 6th round (132nd pick overall) by Philadelphia in 1973. He was inducted into the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008.
Scott Garske – Tight End – 1971-72-73 . . . Drafted in the 7th round (179th pick overall) by Pittsburgh in 1974. After preseason performances that saw him play as a tight end, kicker and punter for the Steelers, he broke his ankle. The slow-healing and painful hairline fracture in his heel would essentially end his playing career. As luck would have it, Randy Grossman, an undrafted free agent the Steelers signed that same season, made the team and ended up playing on four Super Bowl championship teams. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008 and is a member of EWU’s 2012 Hall of Fame class.
Jeff Metter – Linebacker – 1982-83 . . . Signed a contract with San Francisco in 1984. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008.
Rick Worman – Quarterback – 1984-85 . . . Worman played 97 games in the CFL for Calgary and Edmonton for five seasons before playing in Saskatchewan in 1991. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008. He was also a 2018 inductee into the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame.
Mark Gehring – Tight End – 1984-85 . . . Signed a contract with San Francisco in 1986, and on two occasions, was kept on the active roster until the team’s final cuts. Also signed a contract with the Houston Oilers.
Craig Richardson – Wide Receiver – 1983-84-85-86 . . . Drafted in the 11th round (298th pick overall) by Kansas City in 1987. He was traded to Los Angeles where he played two seasons. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008.]
Mike Kingston – Def. Tackle – 1983-84-85-86 . . . Signed a contract with the New York Jets in 1987.
Eric Riley – Tight End – 1983-84-85-86 . . . Signed contracts with the Jets, New England and Green Bay. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008 and a public vote selected him as the top tight end in school history.
Bill Altena – Linebacker – 1983-84-85-86 . . . Signed a contract with St. Louis in 1987. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008.
Eric Stein – Kicker – 1984-85-86-87 . . . Signed a contract with Seattle in 1988. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008 and a public vote selected him as the top kicker/punter in school history.
Jamie Townsend – Running Back – 1984-85-86-88 . . . Played in 1989 for Calgary of the CFL. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008.
Jeff Mickel – Off. Tackle – 1985-86-87-88 . . . Drafted in the 6th round (163rd pick overall) by Minnesota in 1989. He also spent time in training camps and/or on developmental rosters with Kansas City, the Los Angeles Rams and Detroit. He played for Barcelona in the World League of American Football in 1991 and for Frankfurt in 1992. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008.
Brendan Rogers – Linebacker – 1990 . . . Drafted in the 4th round by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the CFL in 1991. The native of Vancouver, B.C., played in four games with Saskatchewan in 1999 after spending three seasons with the Toronto Argonauts. He spent his first five seasons as a pro at Winnipeg. In nine seasons (134 games including nine playoff games and three Grey Cups), he registered 203 total tackles with a pair of interceptions. In 1997, Rogers had 20 total tackles, plus had two forced fumbles in Toronto’s 37-30 playoff victory over Montreal. Toronto beat Saskatchewan in the Grey Cup as Toronto finished 17-3. On Sept. 23, 1994, Rogers broke a CFL record with eight special teams tackles against British Columbia. In 1993, he led the CFL in special teams tackles with 36. He was on the losing end of two Grey Cup games with Edmonton and missed the 1996 game with an injury, so he earned his first title ring in 1997. He and his wife Karyn founded the annual CFL All-Star Hockey Classic tournament that raised funds for the Portage Plain United Way and the Variety Club of Manitoba.
Gary Needham – Off. Guard – 1989-90 . . . Signed a contract with Seattle in 1992. Signed another contract with Miami in the spring of 1995.
Tony Lenseigne – Tight End – 1988-89-90-91 . . . Signed contracts with San Diego, Minnesota and Seattle in his first three seasons as a pro, but did not play in the regular season. He played in the spring of 1995 for the Rhein Fire of the World League of American Football, catching two passes. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008.
Tom Owens – Wide Receiver – 1989-90-91 . . . Signed a contract with Winnipeg of the CFL in 1992.
Tommy Williams – Def. End – 1991-92 . . . Signed a contract with Winnipeg of the CFL in 1993. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008.
Trent Pollard – Offensive Tackle – 1990-91-92-93 . . . Drafted in the fifth round (132nd pick overall) by Cincinnati in 1994. He was on the preseason roster of the St. Louis Rams in 1997 and 1998, but did not make the team. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008.
Tony Brooks – Wide Receiver – 1990-91-92-93 . . . Signed a contract with Winnipeg of the CFL in 1994. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008 and into the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame in 2017.
Jason Marsh – Linebacker – 1991-92-93 . . . Signed a contract with the Frankfurt Galaxy of the World League in 1995. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008.
Jason Anderson – Wide Receiver – 1991-92-93-94 . . . Signed a contract with Buffalo of the NFL in 1995, then signed a contract in 1996 with British Columbia of the CFL.
Troy Alexander – Defensive Tackle – 1991-92-93-94 . . . Drafted in the first round by Saskatchewan as the second pick overall in the 1995 CFL Draft. An injury limited his playing time in 1998 with British Columbia after his first three seasons were spent in Saskatchewan playing for the Roughriders. He had his finest season in 1997 with 38 total tackles including 10 quarterback sacks. He played in the Grey Cup, but Saskatchewan lost to Toronto. A backup at defensive tackle in 1996, he finished the season with 14 total tackles including a sack. He played in 17 games as a rookie in 1995, including 12 as a starter at nose tackle. He finished with 22 tackles. Alexander is a native of Edmonton, Alberta.
Derek Strey – Linebacker – 1993-95-96-97 . . . Signed a contract with Jacksonville of the NFL in 1998. After being released by Jacksonville in 1998, the Seattle Seahawks signed Strey as a practice squad player. He participated in the 1999 training camp in Cheney before being cut. Interestingly, Strey worked for the Seahawks at their preseason training camp in Cheney in 1997. Strey spent the spring and summer of 1999 as a starting linebacker in NFL Europa for the Frankfurt Galaxy, which advanced to the World Bowl. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008.
Jim Buzzard – Offensive Lineman – 1995-96-97 . . . Signed a contract with San Diego of the NFL in 1998. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008.
Griffin Garske – Quarterback – 1996-97-98 . . . Played semi-pro football in Europe.
David Andres –
Offensive Lineman – 1996-97-98 . . . Signed a contract with the Indianapolis Colts of the NFL in 1999.
Mike MacKenzie –
Running Back – 1995-96-97-98 . . . Drafted in the 5th round by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL in 1999.
T.J. Ackerman –
Offensive Lineman – 1995-96-97-98 . . . Signed a contract with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL in 1999. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008.
Dion Alexander – Linebacker – 1992-93-94-95; Romaine Smith – Wide Receiver – 1998-99-00; Ole Olesen – Cornerback – 1997-98-99-00; and Lance Ballew – Tight End – 1997-98-99-00 . . . All four played for the Yakima, Wash., Shockwave in the National Indoor Football League in the spring/summer of 2001. Eastern selected Alexander to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008.
Harry Leons –
Quarterback – 1995-96-97 . . . Signed a contract with the Portland Forest Dragons of the AFL in 1999. Leons spent three seasons from 2000-02 on the roster of the Los Angeles Avengers of the AFL, spending most of it as the team’s third-string quarterback. In his career, including the 1999 season with the Portland Forest Dragons, he completed 14-of-23 passes for 61 percent, 192 yards and two touchdowns. In 2001, he started once and completed 4-of-7 passes for 46 yards. He was acquired by the Avengers as the 25th pick in the AFL expansion draft in 2000. The previous season he played — mostly in the preseason — for the Portland Forest Dragons. He completed 10-of-16 passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns in the regular season. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008.
Julian Williams – Defensive Back – 1997-98-99-00 . . . Signed a contract with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL in 2002.
Anthony Griffin – Linebacker – 1998-99-00-01 . . . Signed a contract with the Chicago Crush of the AFL in 2003. He joined four other former Eagles in 2006 to lead the Spokane Shock in af2 to a 17-2 record and the af2 title in Spokane’s inaugural season in the league. He finished the season with 41 total tackles and five passes broken up, but missed the playoffs because of an injury.
Chris Polinder – Offensive Line – 1998-99-00-01 . . . Signed a contract with the Detroit Fury in the AFL in 2002 and spent the year as a starting center and long snapper. He then joined the Colorado Rush of the AFL for the 2003 season. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008.
David Sherrod – Offensive Line – 2000-01 . . . Signed a contract with the Chicago Bears of the NFL in 2002 and Miami in 2003. Sherrod was on the 2005 roster of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL, where he was listed as a 355-pound tackle. He played in spring/summer 2003 for the Barcelona Dragons, having been allocated to NFL Europa after signing a contract with the Miami Dolphins on Jan. 10, 2003. He had stints with the Chicago Bears and Oakland Raiders after concluding his collegiate career in 2001. He was originally going to sign with the Raiders, but a shoulder injury caused him to fail the team’s physical. He then signed with the Bears, but was released at the end of their 2002 training camp.
Brandon Moore – Defensive Line – 1999-00-01-02 . . . Signed a contract with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL in 2003. For a short time, he was on the roster of the Spokane Shock in af2.
Dan Curley – Tight End – 1998-99-00-02 . . . Curley last played for the Carolina Panthers after signing a contract on Jan. 4, 2005. He was released on Sept. 3 just before the 2005 season began. He was allocated to NFL Europa to play for the Cologne Centurions in 2005, but suffered a leg injury before the season began. A year earlier, he was signed by the New Orleans Saints in the NFL, then was released prior to the start of the regular season. Originally a fifth-round draft choice (148th pick overall) by St. Louis in 2003, he played one regular season game with the Rams in the 2003 season. At Eastern, Curley concluded an injury-plagued career by earning honorable mention All-America and first team All-Big Sky Conference honors as a senior in 2002. He played in just 28 of a possible 44 games in his career, starting in 21 of them. He caught 58 career passes for 721 yards and seven touchdowns.
Kurt Sigler – Offensive Line – 1999-02-03 . . . Signed a contract with the Buffalo Bills of the NFL in 2004. He joined four other former Eagles in 2006 to lead the Spokane Shock in af2 to a 17-2 record and the af2 title in Spokane’s inaugural season in the league. Sigler closed his college career by being selected to four post-season all-star games (he played in two) after twice being chosen to the All-Big Sky Conference second team.
Jesse Nicassio – Punter – 2003-04 . . . Signed a contract with the St. Louis Rams of the NFL in 2004 but was released. He was picked-up by Indianapolis but was released by the Colts on Sept. 1, 2004. He developed and marketed a punting and kicking training device called the “EZ Kicker.” Nicassio set EWU school records for career average per punt (42.3) and season average per punt (44.4).
Brandon Myers –
Defensive Line – 2002-02-03-04 . . . He was on the roster for the Everett Hawks of af2 in 2005.
Reggie Witherspoon – Running Back – 2001-02-03-04 . . . Witherspoon signed a contract with the British Columbia Lions of the CFL in 2007 but was released.
Joey Cwik – Fullback/Linebacker – 2002-03-04-05 . . . Cwik attended mini-camp as a fullback with the Miami Dolphins of the NFL in 2006, then decided to quit football shortly after signing with the New Orleans Saints. He finished with 331 tackles in his 47-game EWU career (40 as a starter) to rank fourth in school history. He never missed a game in his Eastern career, never redshirted and ended his career with 39-straight starts. Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008 and a public vote selected him as the top linebacker in school history. He went on to medical school after his playing career was over.
Craig McIntyre – Wide Receiver – 2003-04-05 . . . McIntyre played two seasons for the Parma Panthers, a member of the NFL Italy (NFLI). In one of the games he played in 2006 he scored on a 100-yard return. The team was made famous by the book
“Playing for Pizza” written by John Grisham. McIntyre served as a source for the fictional book.
Eric Kimble – Wide Receiver – 2002-03-04-05 . . . Kimble signed a contract with Miami of the NFL in 2006, but his pro career never got off the ground. He attended mini-camp in spring 2006 for the Dolphins, but had to undergo surgery to repair his Achilles tendon. The Dolphins released him on March 1, 2007, and he had to sit out for two years while rehabilitating the foot injury. He eventually signed to play the 2008 season for British Columbia in the CFL, but he didn’t play in any regular season games. Kimble broke nine EWU career records and four single season marks, including the season receptions record with 87. Kimble finished with 46 career touchdown receptions to rank second in FCS history behind the 50 of legendary Jerry Rice from Mississippi Valley (1981-84). Kimble broke the Big Sky Conference career reception yards record with a total of 4,140 yards, which at the time ranked fourth in FCS history. A running back early in his EWU career, his 253 catches ranked eighth all-time in FCS (second in Big Sky history). Eastern selected him to its “100 for 100” All-Time Team in 2008 and a public vote selected him as the top all-purpose player in school history.
Jesse Hendrix – Cornerback – 2002-03-04-05 . . . Hendrix signed a contract with the B.C. Lions of the CFL in 2006. Hendrix played the 2007 and 2008 seasons with the Montreal Alouettes in the CFL, joining former Eagles Luke Fritz and Bashir Levingston on the 2008 team. He had two tackles and a pass broken up in 2008 after finishing the 2007 season with 13 tackles in 13 games. In 2006, he attended CFL training camp with the B.C. Lions but did not make the squad. He eventually signed with the Spokane Shock of af2 for the 2006 season. He joined four other former Eagles to lead the team to a 17-2 record and the af2 title in Spokane’s inaugural season in the league. Hendrix had a school-record 41 career passes broken up at EWU, finishing with 14 as a senior to rank second on the single season list. Hendrix had five interceptions and 154 tackles in his career. His career total of 46 passes defensed (including five interceptions) ranked second in FCS history. He played 47 of a possible 47 games.
Muhammad Shamsid-Deen – Def. Back – 2002-03-04-05 . . . Shamsid-Deen originally signed a contract
with the Tri-Cities Fever of af2 in 2007. He ended his career by playing in 2014 in the inaugural season for the Trenton Freedom in the Professional Indoor League. He played for the Allen Wranglers in the Indoor Football League in 2012 after playing for the IFL’s Arizona Adrenaline in 2011. In 2011, he had 30 tackles, five interceptions and a pair of passes broken up in 10 games played. He played the 2009 and 2010 seasons for the Billings Outlaws in the IFL. He had 38 tackles and six passes broken up in nine regular season games in 2010, then led the Outlaws to its second-straight IFL title before the franchise folded. He had 39.5 tackles, six interceptions and five passes broken up in helping league-champion Billings to a 12-2 regular season record in 2009. The Outlaws went on to defeat the RiverCity Rage in the inaugural United Bowl in August 2009. In 2008, he played for the Stockton Lightning in af2, with 62 total tackles, three interceptions and seven passes broken up in 12 games. Earlier in the year he signed with the Arkansas Twisters of af2 after spending the 2007 season playing for the Tri-Cities Fever. He finished 2007 with 51 tackles and also had two interceptions, seven passes broken up and a fumble recovery. Known for his hard hits, he finished his 46-game Eastern career with 139 tackles, five passes broken up and five forced fumbles (second in EWU history at the time)
Brett Bergstrom – Kicker – 2005-06 . . . Bergstrom signed a contract with New Orleans of the NFL in 2007 but was released. In his only season as EWU’s placekicker, Bergstrom had a school-record 15 field goals in 2006 with three of at least 50 yards. His field goals included three of the nine longest in school history with efforts of 56, 53 and 52 yards.
Brandon Keeler – Defensive Back – 2002-04-05-06 . . . . Keeler joined the Spokane Shock in af2 for the 2008 season but was released before the season started. He had a heart-breaking end to his first NFL training camp after signing a free agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals in 2007. He remained on the roster up until the final day of training camp before he was released. At EWU, three times he earned All-Big Sky Conference honors – first team as a sophomore, second team as a junior and honorable mention as a senior. He finished his 43-game career – including 34 as a starter – with 243 tackles to rank 10th in school history. He had five interceptions and seven passes broken up.
Bryan Jarrett – Defensive Back – 2005-06-07 . . . Jarrett signed a free agent contract with the Spokane Shock on June 12, 2008, but didn’t play in any games. After transferring from WWU, Jarrett played three seasons as a safety for the Eagles. As a senior in 2007 when Eastern finished 9-4 and advanced to the quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs, he was second on the team with 91 tackles and had two interceptions and seven passes broken up. He was a first team All-Big Sky Conference selection in 2005 and earned second team accolades as a senior.
Ryan Kelley – Defensive Back – 2007-08 . . . Kelley signed a contract with the Tri-Cities Fever of the Indoor Football League in 2009 and was on the roster early in the season. He signed again for the 2010 season with Tri-Cities, then signed to play the 2011 season for the Wenatchee Valley Venom of the IFL, but was released before the season began. He finished his 23-game Eastern career with 112 tackles, five interceptions and 12 passes broken up.
Lance Witherspoon – Defensive Line – 2005-06-07-08 . . . After starting the 2011 season with the Spokane Shock in the Arena Football League, Witherspoon was released and then played with the Tulsa Talons of the AFL. He had a sack in his Tulsa debut on June 19, 2011, in a 48-42 win over the Philadelphia Soul. Earlier in the season with Spokane, he scored on a fumble recovery in the end zone for his first career touchdown in Spokane’s 71-49 win over Dallas on May 14, 2011. He played in just two games for the Shock, but had five tackles, a half-sack, a fumble recovery and a quarterback hurry. He spent the 2010 season with the Cleveland Gladiators, and finished with 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. While at Eastern, Witherspoon played in 42 games (29 as a starter), and finished his career with 121 tackles, seven sacks, 37 total tackles for loss, seven passes broken up, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and a blocked kick. He earned second team All-Big Sky Conference honors in both his junior and senior seasons, starting a combined 21 games. He received honorable mention All-America accolades as a junior.
J.T. Leggin – Safety – 2008-09 . . . After playing the 2010 season with the Tacoma Cobras of the Professional Developmental Football League, Leggin was signed by the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL in 2011 after an open tryout. However, the cornerback was released June 9, 2011, after suffering an injury. In 2012, he was invited to the Super Combine in Detroit after his performance at a regional combine of professional prospects. He played the 2008 season at Eastern as a wide receiver, and had three catches for 27 yards. He moved to defensive back in 2009 and had 11 total tackles and 11 kickoff returns for a 16.2 average.
Jesse Hoffman – Cornerback/Special Teams – 2006-08-09-10 . . . Hoffman signed a contract with the Seattle Seahawks on July 26, 2011, but was released on Aug. 29, 2011, after playing in preseason games. Hoffman started 16 of the 46 games he played in his EWU career and was also a dangerous return threat while at Eastern. He finished with 125 career tackles, four interceptions and 16 passes broken up, which ranked 12th in school history. Before moving to defense, he had 234 yards as a running back as a true freshman in 2006. Hoffman earned honorable mention All-Big Sky Conference honors as a senior, as he started 14 of 15 games at cornerback and finished with 75 tackles. He had three interceptions and 12 passes broken up – the fifth-best performance in school history. He closed his career with eight tackles and a pass broken up EWU’s 20-19 victory over Delaware on Jan. 7, 2011, for the NCAA Division I Championship. Hoffman finished the season ranked seventh in FCS in average per kickoff return (28.5) as his average ranked sixth in school history. Hoffman had an 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against North Dakota State on Dec. 11, 2010, giving him three returns for a TD in the 2010 season. That equaled a Big Sky Conference and school record shared with former Eagle Bashir Levingston, who had all three of his against Sacramento State on Oct. 31, 1998. Hoffman’s career average of 26.9 on 33 career returns ranked fourth in school history, with the school record of 30.0 owned by Lamont Brightful (1998-01). Hoffman had 958 career kickoff return yards to rank eighth.
Dante Calcote – Cornerback – 2007-08-09-10 . . . After originally signing a contract with the Sioux Falls Storm in 2011, Calcote played in 2013 for the Chambersburg (Pa.) Cardinals of the Gridiron Developmental Football League. He signed with Sioux Falls (Indoor Football League) on Nov. 3, 2011, for the 2012 season. As a senior at Eastern in 2010, Calcote earned second team All-Big Sky Conference honors in helping lead the Eagles to the NCAA Division I title. He finished the year with 60 tackles, 12 passes broken up and an interception. He had a total of 97 tackles, one interception and 13 passes broken up in his 39-game career.
Renard Williams – Defensive Line – 2008-09-10-11 . . . Williams originally signed a contract with the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL on May 24, 2012, but was released on June 16. He joined the Utah Blaze of the Arena Football League for the 2013 season, but was released when the team made its final roster cut to 24 players. Williams finished his Eastern career with 22 1/2 sacks to rank sixth in school history. He had 139 tackles in his 46-game career, including 49 for losses (fourth in school history) totaling 243 yards. He also has six forced fumbles in his career, equaling the school record of six shared by teammate Matt Johnson. Williams earned second team All-Big Sky Conference honors his senior season, and also received honorable mention All-America recognition. He had 6 1/2 sacks in the 2010 season to earn first team All-Big Sky accolades and was named to the College Sports News “Sweet 63” All-America Team. He had nine sacks as a sophomore to earn first team All-Big Sky Conference honors in 2009.
Nicholas Edwards – Wide Receiver – 2009-10-11-12 . . . Edwards originally signed a free agent contract with the Minnesota Vikings of the NFL in 2013. He attended Minnesota’s rookie camp but was released on May 6, 2013. He was later signed by the Spokane Shock in the Arena Football League, a club Edwards served as an intern for in the summer of 2012. He also received a tryout with the New York Jets on July 22, 2013, then was signed by the Arizona Cardinals on July 27, 2013. In 2014, he was set to attend training camp with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League in May, but passed on that opportunity to begin his coaching career as wide receivers coach at EWU. An FCS All-American for EWU in 2011, Edwards finished fifth all-time in Eastern history in receiving yards with 2,634, and was sixth in points scored with 202. His 215 career catches ranks fourth in school history and his 33 TD receptions were second (the record is 46). His 95 receptions in 2011 were a school record, and he finished the year with 1,250 receiving yards and a school-record 19 TDs. He helped lead the Eagles to the NCAA Division I title in 2010 and the semifinals of the FCS Playoffs in 2012. Edwards was a 2008 graduate of Foss High School in Tacoma, Wash.
Kyle Padron – Quarterback – 2012 . . . After signing
a free agent contract with the Oakland Raiders of the NFL in 2013, Padron participated in Oakland’s rookie camp, but was released by the Raiders on May 22, 2013. On Nov. 20, 2013, Padron signed with the Bemidji Axemen of the Indoor Football League, but asked to be released to pursue other options. He played one season at Eastern Washington after starting 21 games at Southern Methodist. He started five games and played six others as a sub, as he helped the Eagles finish with a school-record 4,469 passing yards. Padron completed 59.1 percent of his passes for a team-leading 2,491 yards, 17 TDs and seven interceptions, and ranked 29th in FCS in passing yards per game (226.5). He had a school-record six touchdown passes versus Illinois State (12/8/12) in the quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs, as the Eagles advanced as far as the semifinals. Padron graduated in 2009 from Southlake (Texas) High School.
Will Post – Offensive Tackle – 2009-10-11-12 . . . Post participated in a free agent tryout with the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL in 2013. He earned four All-America honors in 2012 for EWU, including recognition from the American Football Coaches Association (first team) and Associated Press (first team). Post started every game at right offensive tackle in 2012, with a total of 37 career starts in 45 games played. The first team All-Big Sky selection and team co-captain allowed just one sack in the regular season. The Eagles had a season-best 542 total yards versus Cal Poly (11/3/12) and finished third in the Big Sky and 14th in FCS in total offense (442.0) and seventh in FCS in passing offense (318.9 per game). He helped lead the Eagles to the NCAA Division I title in 2010 and the semifinals of the FCS Playoffs in 2012. The 6-foot-6, 315-pound Post is from Portland, Ore., and graduated from Southridge High School in 2008.
Zach Johnson – Linebacker – 2008-10-11-12 . . . Johnson didn’t play in the 2012 season, but signed a free agent contract with the Calgary Stampeders of the CFL. However, a nagging hamstring injury ended his career prior to the start of training camp. A sixth-year senior for EWU in 2012, Johnson started all 39 games he played in his career. He missed 24 total games in his career because of injuries, but finished with 324 tackles, five interceptions, 14 passes broken up and 6 1/2 sacks as an Eagle. He finished seventh all-time in tackles at Eastern, and was 17 away from the total of 341 by his twin brother Matt Johnson, who was a fourth round draft choice by the Dallas Cowboys in 2011 and also started every Eastern game he played (45). Zach Johnson earned All-Big Sky Conference honors three times in his career – second team in 2012 and 2010 and honorable mention as a freshman in 2008.
Jordan West - Quarterback – 2014-15-16 . . . West had a free agent tryout with the Chicago Bears of the NFL in 2017. While at Eastern, he set two school passing records individually and helped EWU break a school record early in the 2015 season, and finished the year fourth in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision in touchdown passes (30). West started 14 games as an Eagle, and closed his career ranked fourth in EWU history in passing efficiency with a rating of 153.6, fourth in completion percentage (.635), ninth in TD passes (39) and ninth in passing yards per game (205.9). He saw limited action as a senior in 2016, but started on Senior Day versus Idaho State on Nov. 12 and completed six of nine passes for 43 yards. In that game, he had the tying and record-breaking passes which gave Cooper Kupp the all-time FCS record for career catches with 396 (Kupp would eventually finish with 428 and get drafted by the Los Angeles Rams in the third round). Both players participated in EWU’s Pro Day on March 28, with West throwing passes to Kupp and two other senior receivers – Kendrick Bourne and Shaq Hill – who also received NFL opportunities with the San Francisco 49ers and Houston Texans, respectively. West’s performances in the 2015 season included Eastern’s school-record 526-yard passing effort at Northern Iowa (9/12/15). In EWU’s next game against Montana State (9/19/15), he set the EWU record for passing efficiency with a 313.5 rating. He completed 21-of-24 passes versus the Bobcats for 410 yards and six touchdowns. As a result of EWU’s 55-50 win over the then 11th-ranked Bobcats, he was selected by STATS as its FCS co-National Offensive Player of the Week. He was also honored with the same award by NCAA.com and College Sports Madness, plus was Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week. In the very next game, he set the school record with 491 passing yards against Sacramento State (9/26/15). The former walk-on was 3-1 as a starter as an injury replacement in 2014 for Vernon Adams Jr., as that duo helped Eastern advance to the quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs. In his first collegiate start at Southern Utah (10/11/14) in a 42-30 win, West completed five of his first six passes, and finished 20-of-27 for 288 yards, three touchdowns, one interception and a passing efficiency rating in the game of 192.9 to earn the team’s co-offensive player of the week honor. A 2012 graduate of Liberty HS in Renton, Wash., West’s grandfather, Pat West, played football for the University of Southern California and later played fullback in the NFL for the Cleveland/Los Angeles Rams and the Green Bay Packers. He had 457 rushing yards and five touchdowns in four seasons in the NFL (1945-48), then closed his career by playing in 1949 for the Edmonton Eskimos in the CFL.
Clay DeBord - Offensive Tackle – 2012-13-14-15 . . . DeBord originally signed a free agent contract with the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL in 2016. He was released, and spent time with New England before participating on the practice squad for Dallas during the 2016 season. DeBord eventually signed a reserve/future contract with the Cowboys on Jan. 17, 2017, but was eventually released. DeBord started every game he played as an Eagle, finishing with a school-record 51 starts which was broken one year later by Cooper Kupp with 53. DeBord was an All-American as a senior and honored three times on All-Big Sky teams, including first team honors as a senior. A 2011 graduate of Asotin (Wash.) High School, he was among a group of 14 Eagle seniors who were a part of three Big Sky Conference championships and a trio of playoff berths. Eastern won 27 of 32 Big Sky Conference games and 40 games overall in his four years in the program.
Shaq Hill - Wide Receiver – 2012-13-14-16 . . . Hill originally signed a free agent contract with the Houston Texans of the NFL in 2017, but was released and picked up for a short time by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He then signed with the Edmonton Eskimos on Jan. 16, 2018, but was released in training camp. He then spent time on the roster of the British Columbia Lions in the Canadian Football League. The winningest player in school history, Hill became the first Eastern player in school history to see action in four years and win Big Sky titles each year. He had a collective record of 46-11 overall and 30-2 in the league while playing from 2012-16 (he redshirted in 2015). He also became just the second Eastern player in school history to letter in four playoff years (2012-13-14-16), joining kicker Kevin Miller (2009-10-12-13). Hill played in a school-record 55 games in his career, finishing with 178 career catches to rank eighth in school history, good for 2,818 yards (seventh) and 32 touchdowns (fifth). The four-time all-league honoree broke school records for career kickoff return yards with a total of 2,280 yards and 94 career returns. Hill’s average of 24.3 yards per return was ninth in school history, as he has had returns of 99, 93, 90 and 80 yards in his career (two of them for touchdowns). His 5,234 all-purpose yards were the third-most in school history. As a senior in 2016, Hill earned second team All-America honors from Hero Sports and third team from College Sports Madness. Was also selected to the All-Big Sky Conference first team – the fourth time in his career he was honored by the league. In addition, he served as one of the team’s co-captains. Hill had 17 touchdown catches to lead FCS, to go along with 77 receptions for 1,157 yards. Hill was 37th nationally in average receptions (5.5) and 32nd in average yards (82.6).
Cassidy Curtis - Offensive Line – 2013-14-15-17 . . . Curtis signed a free agent contract with the Edmonton Eskimos in 2017. Curtis originally signed with the Spokane Empire on Jan. 26, 2017, but was released by the club on Feb. 21. Edmonton signed him on June 3 just before training camp, but he was subsequently released 16 days later. He eventually signed with British Columbia on Feb. 6, 2018, but was released during training camp. He ended his EWU career by starting 16 of the 42 games he played. Curtis was among a group of 14 Eagle seniors who were a part of three Big Sky Conference championships and a trio of playoff berths. Eastern won 27 of 32 Big Sky Conference games and 40 games overall in his four years on the squad. He played 20 games as a junior and senior after earning honorable mention All-Big Sky Conference honors in 2013 as a 10-game starter at right offensive tackle.
D’londo Tucker – Cornerback – 2013-14-16-18 . . . Tucker signed a free agent contract with the B.C. Lions of the CFL, and started June 15, 2019, versus the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He had a tackle in that game, but didn’t play again and was released on July 2. In the team’s first preseason game against the Edmonton Eskimos, Tucker returned two punts for 10 yards, one kickoff return of 23 yards and received a few reps at the wide receiver position. He concluded his EWU career as a sixth-year senior in 2018 and signed a free agent contract with the B.C. Lions. He earned honorable mention All-Big Sky Conference honors in 2018. He finished with 106 tackles, eight interceptions and also had 19 PBUs in his 50-game career (23 as a starter) to rank 12th in school history. He tied for the team lead with five interceptions in 2018 to go along with his 49 tackles and seven pass breakups. He became the first player to have two interceptions in the same game since 2014 when he had a pair at Northern Colorado on Nov. 3, 2018.
Dehonta Hayes – Safety – 2017-18-19 . . . Hayes signed a contract with the Spokane Shock of the Indoor Football League on July 15, 2020. However, the 2020 season had already been suspended indefinitely on March 12, 2020, because of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Shock eventually began playing in the spring of 2021, but Hayes was released. Hayes earned third team All-Big Sky Conference honors as a senior for EWU in 2019, finishing with a team-high 115 tackles and ranking 19th in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision with an average of 9.6 per game. He also had a pair of interceptions, a forced fumble and a pass broken up in 12 games played. In 38 career games (21 as a starter), Hayes had 208 tackles to rank 38th in school history, three interceptions, five passes broken up, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Hayes, a 2015 graduate of Lincoln High School in Tacoma, Wash., was named to the 2019 Academic All-Star Team as selected by the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Athletic Directors Association and that same season was a Academic All-District 8 Football Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). He also was on the Big Sky All-Academic team three times, with a 3.80 grade point average as both an undergraduate and graduate student. He completed studies toward his bachelor’s degree in communications before becoming a master’s student in communications in fall of 2019.
Mitch Fettig – Safety – 2015-16-17-18 . . . After spending 2019 recovering from an Achilles tendon injury, Fettig signed a free agent contract with the Calgary Stampeders on Feb. 13, 2020. However, the 2020 season was wiped out because of the Covid-19 pandemic and he subsequently was released in early 2021. He eventually played in the German Football League in 2022 for the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns. Fettig started 43 of 44 games he played at Eastern, but his injury ended his career just short of the school record for tackles by a defensive back. He finished with 282 tackles to rank 13th in school history – just six from the school record by a defensive back of 288 set by Julian Williams from 1997-00. He passed the 263 by cornerback T.J. Lee (2010-13), who now plays for the BC Lions in the Canadian Football League. Fettig also had six interceptions and 17 passes broken up in his career – including three break-ups in EWU’s 59-20 victory over UC Davis on Nov. 10. A 2014 graduate from Olympia HS, Fettig was a third team All-Big Sky selection as a senior and junior, and earned honorable mention in 2016. He missed a pair of games with injuries as a freshman in 2015, but played in every game possible after that until missing EWU’s game in 2018 versus Northern Colorado. He started all 14 games in 2016, all 11 in 2017 and the first eight in 2018 for a streak of 33 Eagle games in a row which was ended Nov. 3 at UNC. He played and started his last game as an Eagle versus Portland State on Nov. 16, but his college career ended when he ruptured his Achilles tendon while trying to shed a block in the first half.
Josh Lewis – Cornerback – 2015-16-17-18 . . . Lewis signed a CFL contract as a free agent on Dec. 19, 2019, with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, but the 2020 season was wiped out because of the Covid-19 pandemic. He had originally attended the rookie minicamp with the Seattle Seahawks but was not signed for training camp. Lewis started 36 career games at Eastern, including all 15 in the 2018 season and all 11 in the 2017 season for a streak of 26 to end his career. He played in all 51 of a possible 51 games in his career and had career totals of 151 tackles, 10 interceptions to rank tied for ninth in school history and 23 passes broken up to rank ninth all-time at EWU. He concluded his collegiate career by being selected to play in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl on Jan. 19, 2019. As a senior he earned second team All-Big Sky honors (as selected by the league’s head coaches), and was named to the Big Sky Conference All-Academic team for the fourth-straight season. Lewis earned honorable mention All-Big Sky honors as a junior. Lewis graduated from Steilacoom HS (near Tacoma, Wash.) in 2014.
Jay-Tee Tiuli – Defensive Tackle – 2014-15-16-18 . . . Tiuli was signed to the Denver Broncos practice squad on Dec. 17, 2019, and was signed to a future contract by Denver on Dec. 30, 2019. He was subsequently released on May 3, 2020. He was originally signed as on undrafted free agent on May 3, 2019, by the Seattle Seahawks, but was waived Aug. 28, 2019. Tiuli recorded one tackle during preseason week three and preseason week four against the Vikings and Chargers, respectively. Tiuli started 24 of the 49 games he played in his Eastern career, and finished with 115 total tackles with 12 1/2 sacks, four quarterback hurries, four passes deflected, a pair of forced fumbles and a fumble he recovered for a touchdown. He concluded his collegiate career by being selected to play in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl on Jan. 19, 2019. Tiuli earned a trio of All-America honors in 2018, including second team honors from Associated Press and STATS, plus third team accolades from Phil Steele Publications. He was the Big Sky Conference Defensive MVP as selected by the league’s head coaches and earned first team All-Big Sky honors for the second time of his career (also in 2016). Tiuli graduated from Federal Way (Wash.) HS in 2014 and his last name is pronounced “tee-oo-lee.”
