Mike Kramer simply had "fun."
 
The veteran coach in the Big Sky Conference, including 11 total seasons at Eastern Washington University, recently sat down and selected his All-Time team. His final squad consisted of 36 players – 17 on offense, 12 on defense and seven special teams standouts among the 256 total players who lettered during his tenure on the EWU campus in Cheney, Wash.
 
Kramer was head coach at Eastern from 1994-1999, and also spent five previous seasons as an assistant under head coach Dick Zornes from 1989-93. Kramer was part of EWU's first-ever Big Sky Conference football title in 1992, then won another as head coach in 1997 when the Eagles advanced to the semifinals of the playoffs in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (then known as I-AA). In all, Eastern won 65 games overall and 46 in the Big Sky Conference in his 11 seasons in Cheney.
 
Kramer, who would go on to become head coach at Montana State and Idaho State, included 22 players from the 1997 squad on his All-Time team. Headlining that group was quarterback Harry Leons and defensive tackle Chris Scott, who would both win Big Sky Player of the Year awards and receive first team All-America honors as selected by the nation's head coaches.
 
Leons and Scott were among the 22 total players among the 36 on Kramer's squad who earned All-America honors during their time at EWU. Seven of them were two-time All-Americans – offensive linemen Jim Buzzard, offensive lineman Harold Fox, tight end Jesse Hardt, defensive tackle Dario Romero, linebacker Derek Strey and safeties Maurice Perigo and Julian Williams.
 
The total All-Americans included 12 players on offense, eight on defense and two on special teams. All seven of the offensive linemen Kramer recognized on his team earned All-America honors at Eastern. His long snapper on special teams was none other than Aaron Best, who as a true freshman was Kramer's long snapper in 1996 and went on to earn All-America honors in 1999 as a center. Best is now EWU's head coach.
 
The total of 36 included 21 players who earned first team All-Big Sky honors, including a three-time selection in offensive lineman Harold Fox. Those 21 players totaled 31 total first team honors, as well as an additional five second team accolades. There were also seven players who combined for nine more second team accolades, giving Kramer's 36-man squad a total of 45 first or second team honors won by a total of 28 players.
 
There were eight players who didn't receive first or second team honors who were on Kramer's all-time team. They included tight end Tim Hunsaker, tight end Tyson Knaevelsrud, wide receiver Tobin Phelps, safety Jimmy Lake, kicker Josh Atwood, punter Tom Zurfluh and special teams players Mike Cappelletti and LeVar McClary. However, Hunsaker, Knaevelsrud, Lake, Zurfluh and McClary all earned honorable mention by the league during their years at Eastern. Lake is now head coach at the University of Washington.
 
And finally, Kramer's squad included three players who would go on to win Academic All-America honors – defensive lineman Steve Mattson, wide receiver Jeff Ogden and running back Mike MacKenzie. Mattson also won a NCAA post-graduate scholarship, and is now a doctor in Tacoma, Wash.
 
Ogden, Scott and Romero are among the 92 individual members thus far in the Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame, with several more sure to follow. The 1997 squad was the ninth team inducted back in 2012 on the 15th anniversary of their 12-2 season, and nine have followed. Included is the 1992 team for a total of 18 teams in the HOF.
 
Even after he picked his squad, Kramer admitted he woke up at night thinking of others he missed. Players such as John Kane, Dan Curley, Steve Correa, Avont Grant, Asim Postin, David Andres, Scott Johnson, Rob Aronow, Jason Martin, Britt Lentz, Chris Polinder, Aaron Sweeney and Chris Samms were among a list to be considered honorable mention.
 
"Sheesh," said Kramer, who now spends his days living  in Clarkston, Wash., boating at Harrison, Idaho, and farming in Lind, Wash.  "There were a lot of names going through my head at night."
 
 

Mike Kramer All-Time Football Team

 
Assistant Coach: 1989-93 (5) – Record of 28-25/22-16 Big Sky Conference – title in 1992; FCS Playoffs in 1992
Head Coach: 1994-1999 (6) – Record of 37-32/24-22 Big Sky Conference – title in 1997; FCS Playoffs in 1997
Total Years Associated With Program: 11 – Record of 65-57/46-38 Big Sky Conference – 2 titles, 2 playoff berths
 
Honors Key . . .
^National Player of the Year Honors Won (not by position, just offense or defense or overall)
~Number of times on Coaches All-America Teams (AFCA, Burger King Coaches, Kodak)
!Number of years received All-America recognition (all, including honorable mention)
$Number of Big Sky Conference Player of the Year on Offense or Defense Won
%Number of All-Big Sky Conference First Team Honors Won
*Number of All-Big Sky Conference Second Team Honors Won
&Number of Academic All-America Honors Won
#Member of Eastern Athletics Hall of Fame
 
  

Offense
Player	Years Lettered	No.	Pos.	Hometown	Previous School	Honors - Notes
Ackerman, T.J.	1995-96-97-98	72	OL	Nooksack, Wash.	Nooksack Valley HS '94	!% - Part of the Ackerman brother duo
#Ackerman, Tom	1992-93-94-95	53	OL	Nooksack, Wash.	Nooksack Valley HS '91	!%* - All-American went on to 8-year career in NFL
Buzzard, Jim	1995-96-97	77	OL	Centralia, Wash.	Centralia HS '93	!!%% - Earned 5 All-America 1st team honors in 1997
Fox, Harold	1991-92-93-94	76	OL	Vancouver, Wash.	Evergreen HS '90	!!%%% - 2-time A-A and rare 3-time 1st team All-BSC pick
Knaevelsrud, Lance	1996-97-98-99	51	OL	Bellevue, Wash.	Sammamish HS '95	!%* - Earned All-America honors in 1999
Peterson, Kevin	1994-95-96-97	73	OL	Port Orchard, Wash.	South Kitsap HS '93	!% - All-American in '97, leading EWU to semis of playoffs
Pollard, Trent	1990-91-92-93	65	OL	Seattle, Wash.	Rainier Beach HS '90	!%% - All-American drafted in 5th round of NFL draft
Leons, Harry	1995-96-97	14	QB	Olympia, Wash.	Olympia HS '93	~!$% - Was All-American & BSC Offensive MVP in '97
MacKenzie, Mike	1995-96-97-98	32	RB	Vancouver, B.C.	Vancouver Col. Sr. Sec. '94	!*& - Rushed for over 2,500 yards & had 18 TD in his career
Prescott, Rex	1994-95-96-97	33	RB	Seattle, Wash.	Kennedy HS '93	!% - A 1st team All-American in '97 with 1,793 yards
Sewell, Joe	1995-96	30	RB	Centralia, Wash.	Centralia HS '91/WWCC	** - Averaged nearly 100 yards per game in 2-year career
Hardt, Jesse	1992-93-94-95	86	TE	Odessa, Wash.	Odessa HS '91	!!%% - All-American as a senior & 4-time BSC All-Academic
Hunsaker, Tim	1992-93-94-95	82	TE	Hartline, Wash.	Almira/Coulee-Hartline HS '91	Was a 3-time All-Academic selection in the Big Sky
Knaevelsrud, Tyson	1996-97-98-99	96	TE	Bellevue, Wash.	Sammamish HS '95	Played 4 years alongside his twin brother, Lance
#Ogden, Jeff	1995-96-97	88	WR	Snohomish, Wash.	Snohomish HS '93	!%& - Former pole vaulter became football All-American in '97
Anderson, Jason	1991-92-93-94	13	WR	Hoquiam, Wash.	Hoquiam HS '90	** - Had 99-yard pass reception and 149 total career grabs
Phelps, Tobin	1994-95	1	WR	Richland, Wash.	Richland HS '92/WWCC	Tough-nosed, had 43 grabs for 623 yards in 20 games
Defense
Player	Years Lettered	No.	Pos.	Hometown	Previous School	Honors
Mattson, Steve	1994-95-96-97	85	DL	Naselle, Wash.	Naselle HS '93	%*&& - Academic AA & NCAA post-grad scholarship recipient
#Romero, Dario	1997-98-99-00	75	DL	Spokane, Wash.	Lewis & Clark HS '96	!!%% - 2-time All-American & spent 10 years in the NFL/CFL
#Scott, Chris	1994-95-96-97	99	DL	Wenatchee, Wash.	Wenatchee HS '93	~!$% - A-A & BSC Defensive MVP in '97 with 11 sacks
Steinmetzer, Craig	1991-92-93-94	93	DL	Maple Valley, Wash.	Tahoma HS '91	!%% - Earned All-America honors as a senior in 1994
Belzer, Greg	1997-98-99-00	44	LB	Chewelah, Wash.	Jenkins HS '96	!%** - All-American with EWU record 399 career tackles
Brady, Evan	1991-92-93-94	48	LB	Yakima, Wash.	Davis HS '90	!* - Honorable mention All-American in '94 with 135 tackles
Guillory, Justin	1993-95-96-97	28	LB	Lapwai, Idaho	Curtis HS '93	* - His brother, Raphael, also played for Eagles
Strey, Derek	1993-95-96-97	92	LB	Port Orchard, Wash.	South Kitsap HS '93	!!%% - Had 128 tackles in '97 & 126 in '96 to earn A-A honors
Lake, Jimmy	1995-96-97-98	21	DB	Spokane, Wash.	North Central HS '95	Now head coach at UW, was team captain in '98
Olesen, Ole	1997-98-99-00	25	DB	Gig Harbor, Wash.	Gig Harbor HS '96	* - Was BSC All-Academic all four seasons as starter at CB
Perigo, Maurice	1994-95-96-97	2	DB	Oak Harbor, Wash.	Oak Harbor HS '94	!!%% - All-American in '96 & '97 with 11 career interceptions
Williams, Julian	1997-98-99-00	3	DB	Vancouver, Wash.	Mountain View HS '96	!!%%* - Had 288 career tackles & All-American in '99 & '99
Special Teams
Player	Years Lettered	No.	Pos.	Hometown	Previous School	Honors
Atwood, Josh	1996-97-98	17	K	Kennewick, Wash.	Kennewick HS '94/WWCC	Kicked 15 field goals in BSC Championship season in '97
Zurfluh, Tom	1994-95-96-97	35	P	Eatonville, Wash.	Eatonville HS '93	Still holds school record with 250 career punts
Best, Aaron	1996-97-98-99	57	LS	Tacoma, Wash.	Curtis HS '96	!% - Eventual EWU head coach long snapped as true frosh
Anderson, Jason	1991-92-93-94	13	KR	Hoquiam, Wash.	Hoquiam HS '90	* - Had 72 career KO returns with 100-yard return for TD
Levingston, Bashir	1998	5	PR/KR	Seaside, Calif.	Seaside HS '95/Monterey Peninsula JC/Utah State	~!% - In lone season, had six returns for touchdowns in '98
Cappelletti, Mike	1996-97-98-99	45	ST	Redmond, Wash.	Eastlake HS '95	Jack-of-all-trades fullback had 9 career special teams tackles
McClary, LeVar	1996-97-98-99	1	ST	Oak Harbor, Wash.	Oak Harbor HS '95	Starting cornerback was mainstay on coverage teams