KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Despite not hearing his name during the seven rounds of the 2010 NFL Draft, former Western Michigan quarterback Tim Hiller finds himself in what possibly could be the best position for him and his football future. Hiller is signing as a priority free agent with the Indianapolis Colts and will begin rookie camp next weekend (April 30-May 2).

Hiller learned of his fate almost immediately after the conclusion of the draft on Saturday afternoon. He will fly from Michigan to Indianapolis on Thursday to begin his time with the Colts. Currently, Indianapolis has two quarterbacks on the active roster - Peyton Manning and former Purdue signal caller Curtis Painter. Former Buffalo QB Drew Willey is also listed on the team roster according to the official web site but worked on the Colts’ practice squad during the 2009 season.

From a historic standpoint, Western Michigan has only ever had one former student-athlete associated with the Colts organization. In 1973, defensive end Bernard Thomas was drafted in the 12th round (295th overall) by the then Baltimore Colts. He did not make the active roster.

If Hiller makes the Colts’ roster in 2010, he would be only the second quarterback in program history to do so in the NFL and the first since Ed Chlebek who played one season (1963) for the New York Jets. He was 2-for-4 for five yards in two career games. The only other former Bronco to complete or attempt a pass in the NFL is kicker/punter Dale Livingston. He completed two passes for 15 yards during the 1969 season.

Hiller rewrote the Western Michigan record book when it comes to passing. He finished his stellar Bronco career with 11,329 yards, 1,607 attempts, 1,013 completions and 99 TDs - all WMU records. He also holds the records for career total offense (11,220 yards) and total offensive plays (1,773) and shares the record for 300-yard passing games in a career (16). He is the single-season record holder for passing yards, attempts, completions and TDs - all set in 2008 - and broke owns the single game records for passing yards, completions and attempts.

Off the field, Hiller finished his academic career with a 4.0 GPA, won the 2009 Wuerffel Trophy (”Humanitarian Heisman”), earned Second Team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America and was named a National Scholar Athlete by the National Football Foundation.

Tim Hiller Comments

On the situation in Indy:
“I am grateful to the Colts organization for this tremendous opportunity. This is a great situation to learn from the best quarterback in the game and to compete to be a part of one of the best and most respected team in the National Football League.”

On the draft:
“Obviously it’s great to be drafted, but I could not be more excited or pleased with my situation. It’s a great opportunity. Obviously the ball is in my court to perform well and learn the offense quickly, but I am ready to get to work.”

On the Colts offense:
“Some of WMU’s coaching staff happened to be visiting the Colts offices a couple weeks ago for some pass concept ideas to implement in spring practice, so I had the chance to see a bit of their offense on the board, with some terminology and I think it translates well from what we’ve been doing here. Coach Cubit has prepared me well throughout my career by placing full responsibility on me at the line of scrimmage, and I am excited to make the most of this exciting opportunity.”

Jessica participated as an amateur following high school playing softball for High Intensity in the 18 and under Gold division. The Gold division is the most elite division of travel softball. In 2005 the team qualified for and went to the Gold Nationals in Silenas, Ca. The following summer High Intensity qualified again for the Gold National Tournament in Okahoma City at the Hall of Fame park. The team placed 16th overall out of more than 60 competing teams, which was an exceptional accomplishment for a Panhandle of Florida team.

In 2009 Jessica finished her senior season at Samford with an overall batting average of .430, with 107 at bats and 46 hits with only 14 strikeouts. After returning from an injury that sidelined her for a portion of the 2009 season, she hit .611 with 11 hits during the month of May. The senior also chipped in four RBIs, four stolen bases, three runs and one double against only one strikeout in leading the Bulldogs to a semifinal appearance in the Southern Conference Softball Championship after being a No. 7 seed entering the tournament. She was named to the 10-member Southern Conference All-Tournament Team.zips.  She finished her outstanding career as Samford’s all-time leader in batting average (.325),   all-time leader in hits (190), runs (103), and stolen bases (62). Her 20 steals in 2008 is a Samford single-season record.

Jessica is a graduate of Fort Walton Beach High School where she was a four-year starter on the softball team, leading the team to the regional finals her junior year. As a three-year starter in basketball Jessica played in three regional championships and three final four appearances.  She earned first-team All-Area honors as a senior in softball and second-team All-Area honors in basketball. Jessica is a member of Fort Walton Beach High School’s Hall of Fame.

Jessica is currently a student assistant coach at Samford and hopes to continue her softball career playing professionally in Europe. Jessica is the daughter of Mike and Kelly Owens of Fort Walton Beach and is the proud sister of Sarah and John Michael Owens.

January 20, 2010 8:54 PM
Adam Pruiett
Daily News
FORT WALTON BEACH — To this day, Cortland Finnegan still isn’t quite sure whether his most distinctive high school football memory is a fond one.

The former Milton High star and current Tennessee Titans’ defensive back had been dubbed “Mr. Everything” for his wide range of playmaking abilities with the Panthers. Naturally, arch-enemy Pace had something to say about that.

And of course, there was no better time for Patriots’ fans to convey their strong opinion than in a playoff game pitting two of the Panhandle’s fiercest rivals. What greeted Finnegan was “tons of posters” that labeled him as “Mr. Nothing.”

He’ll never forget it, and not because he’s got longstanding animosity. To him, it was the essence of the Milton-Pace feud.

“That’s what the rivalry was all about: Getting under the other guy’s skin,” Finnegan said. “That actually summed up our rivalry.”

The nickname Mr. Everything still applies to Finnegan, although it’s taken on a different meaning since his high school days on the gridiron. As an All-Pro cornerback with the Titans, he’s still making his mark on the field. Off it, he’s been praised for his work through his foundation, ARK 31, which helps children with special needs and disabilities.

For everything that Mr. Everything has recently accomplished, the All Sports Association has named him as the Fort Walton Beach-based organization’s 2010 Professional Award winner. He succeeds another former Milton star athlete — PGA Tour golfer Boo Weekley.

“Just knowing the guys who won before me, it’s a big deal and I’m honored,” the 25-year-old Finnegan said. “I was blown away.”

Finnegan said he will be able to attend the All Sports Association’s 41st Annual Awards Dinner on Feb. 19 in Fort Walton Beach.

Other All Sports award winners announced so far have been Western Michigan quarterback Tim Hiller (Wuerffel Trophy), LSU baseball star Blake Dean (Collegiate Award) and Special Olympics champion Melanie Comer (Special Olympian Award). LPGA Tour legend Annika Sorenstam has been announced as the guest speaker.

“All Sports is proud to honor Cortland Finnegan,” All Sports President Robert McEachern said. “Cortland’s not only an All-Pro and team leader with the Tennessee Titans, he’s an active humanitarian serving children with special needs through his ARK 31 Foundation.”

Despite being chosen in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft out of Samford, it didn’t take long for Finnegan to establish himself as one of the league’s top cornerbacks. In 2008, his third year in the pros, Finnegan was a first-team All-Pro selection and earned a trip to the Pro Bowl.

Despite missing three games this season, the 5-foot-10, 188-pound Finnegan still posted numbers similar to his ’08 campaign. He matched his interception total with five and only had seven less tackles, finishing with 63.

He’s been honored off the field as well. Finnegan was picked as a candidate for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Man of the Year campaign in 2008.

He’s proven to be just as driven in his foundation work as he is in trying to shut down the NFL’s top receivers. It’s a quality that All Sports recognized and that Finnegan takes great pride in.

“You put a smile on a kid’s face because you’re a football player,” Finnegan said of his visits to hospitals. “You really can’t put into words what that means.”

Sorenstam’s deep philanthropic commitments through her ANNIKA Foundation share a natural affinity with All Sports’ mission of raising money for local youth-oriented, non-profit organizations with an emphasis on sports programs.

“I am excited and honored to be selected as the first female athlete to speak at the All Sports Association banquet,” Sorenstam said in a statement. “The mission of All Sports aligns perfectly with my foundation’s mission — getting kids active and involved in sports. Hopefully I can inspire the youth athletes in attendance to pursue their athletic dreams just like I did.”

All Sports President Robert McEachern didn’t set out to make an unprecedented choice when he began his search for the guest speaker. His priority was to bring in a prominent coach or world-class athlete who “could help our organization further its community support of youth athletics and a speaker that could bring entertainment/celebrity to our banquet.”

McEachern looked at candidates from both genders. As much as anybody, Sorenstam fit the bill of what he was seeking.

In a 15-year career on the LPGA Tour, Sorenstam piled up 72 victories, including 10 major titles. The Swedish star also registered over $22 million in earnings, placing her atop the LPGA’s career money list.

“She has been hailed many years as the ‘Best in the World’ by many and some would propose as the best ever in her sport,” McEachern said. “She also brings a lengthy personal record as a professional athlete with unquestioned character, honor and integrity who has been chosen by many of America’s top organizations to represent them.”

ANNIKA Foundation president Don Ochsenreiter said Sorenstam’s involvement with the All Sports banquet had been in the works since last spring.

After making a commitment to All Sports, Sorenstam decided to bolster her impact in the community with the ANNIKA Experience. Billed by her foundation as a “celebration of active lifestyles and wellness education,” the two-day event on Feb. 19-20 at WaterSound in Panama City Beach will kick off with a celebrity golf clinic, followed by a match with soccer legend Mia Hamm and a meet-and-greet with Sorenstam.

“This is a great opportunity for a wonderful athlete and person who is passionate about youth sports to share her inspirational message with our sports-crazed community,” Ochsenreiter said. “I know her first visit to Northwest Florida will be great for her and for those who get to know her.”

McEachern said All Sports is planning to have some audience interaction with Sorenstam at its banquet.

“Annika’s accomplishments are awesome and would be record-breaking by any gender,” McEachern said. “The fact that she will be our association’s first female speaker only adds more intrigue to this year’s history making banquet.”

FORT WALTON BEACH — Don’t think just because Melanie Comer has Down Syndrome that you can do everything she can — maybe not even close.
     There are groups of former cadets from Hurlburt Field who can verify that. The ones who were taken on sightseeing trips that included water skiing by Melanie’s parents, Stephanie and Richard, who is a retired major general and former 16th Special Operations Wing commander and MH-53 pilot.
     Melanie would plunge into the water herself, grab the water skiing rope and pop up with ease after the boat accelerated and sped away. She’d then coolly maneuver back and forth, making the whole process seem simple as can be. It wasn’t. A number of cadets could never rise when it was their turn, instead getting a face full of water. Full of admiration was how they then viewed Melanie. “They would go and sit next to her and say, ‘Wow, you can ski,’ ” Stephanie fondly recalled.
     Those cadets weren’t the first — and they certainly will not be the last — to come away surprised and inspired by Melanie, who has been honored by the Fort Walton Beach-based All Sports Association as its 2010 Special Olympian Award winner.
     Melanie will be honored Feb. 19 at the All Sports Association’s 41st Annual Awards Dinner in Fort Walton Beach.
     ”She’s an inspiration to all of us and is very deserving of this recognition,” All Sports President Robert McEachern said. “We can all learn from her can-do attitude.”
     Name the sport, and Melanie has probably excelled in it. In her Special Olympics career, the 29-year-old from Niceville has captured four gold, six silver and nine bronze medals. She’s done gymnastics, English equestrian, bowling, basketball, bocce ball and snow skiing.
     Last February, while competing in the East Region of the Special Olympics snow skiing, Melanie navigated the advanced slope and placed fourth despite it being her first year of competition and she was the only female. Her feat is even more astonishing considering that when Melanie was born, she required surgery and leg casts for most of her first year or she would never have been able to walk.
     Seeing Melanie overcome so many disadvantages has been a constant source of joy for her parents. “When you see Melanie, it’s 10 times the thrill when she accomplishes something,” Stephanie said. Plus, Stephanie has learned so much from her daughter. Once, when they were bowling together, a child close by was being unruly and Stephanie was rolling the ball poorly. Suffice it to say, her agitation was starting to get the best of her. Sensing this, Melanie tugged on her mom and simply said, “It’s OK. It’s a game.”
     “Why can’t we all be like that,” Stephanie said. “Enjoying it for the sake of enjoying it.”
     Of course, most probably would if they were as good as Melanie, especially when it comes to bowling. She once bowled a 200 as rows of people gathered to watch as she neared the magical number. Unfazed, Melanie knocked down pin after pin and registered the 200. Many in the mass of people approached her and offered their congratulations.
     “If that doesn’t move you … it’s all I could do not to cry,” Stephanie said.

Adam Pruiett
Daily News
FORT WALTON BEACH

The trophies, the posters, the rings, the pictures, the plaques.  Blake Dean says almost anywhere he goes at Alex Box Stadium, there’s a reminder of LSU’s run to the 2009 College World Series title. And seeing all the mementos gives the former Crestview High standout a sense of pride and accomplishment.

“You realize you did something special,” Dean said. “You’re part of a team that will always be remembered at LSU.”

Dean is a baseball player who will always be remembered in this area.

Following a year in which he was a cornerstone for a CWS championship-winning team, Dean has been named the 2010 Collegiate Award winner by the Fort Walton Beach-based All Sports Association.

“Once they started describing it and who had won it, it opened my eyes,” said Dean, who succeeds 2009 winner Glen Coffee, a former Fort Walton Beach High and University of Alabama star running back. “It’s a big honor and I’m very appreciative of it.”

Dean will be honored on Feb. 19 at the All Sports Association’s 41st Annual Awards Dinner in Fort Walton Beach, although he won’t be able to attend the ceremony. LSU opens its season on the very same day.

“We’re proud to honor Blake as our Collegiate Award winner. He’s an exceptional baseball player and a fine young man,” All Sports President Robert McEachern said. “He’s exhibited All-American traits at LSU. He’s become a great example of what a college athlete should be both on and off the field.”

Dean has had a storybook career so far at LSU. He was named a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American his first year, a Baseball America First-Team All-American his sophomore year and was a First-Team All-SEC selection as a junior.

In his first three years at LSU, the Tigers’ win total rose from 29 to 49 to 56. Those latter two years saw LSU advance to the CWS, with the Tigers capturing the crown in 2009 by defeating Texas.

“I don’t think you could ever imagine it falling into your court the way it has,” Dean said.

Dean’s magical year also saw him picked in the 10th round of the Major League Baseball draft by the Minnesota Twins. He declined to sign with the Twins, instead opting to return to LSU for his senior season.

Dean will continue his assault on LSU’s record books. He’s currently sixth on the Tigers’ career RBI list with 190 and eighth in homers with 44.

Dean will undoubtedly go down as one of the best hitters to ever wear an LSU jersey, no small accomplishment considering the Tigers have won six national championships.

“I take it seriously and appreciate it,” said Dean, noting the passion of LSU’s fans and their reverence toward Tiger athletes. “That’s something people here cherish and love.”

As the All Sports award shows, Dean is cherished and love in this area as well.

FORT WALTON BEACH — When Tim Hiller was growing up, his dad would circle items in the newspaper about football players who possessed admirable qualities both in the huddle and outside of it and present the articles to his son for consumption.
So it comes as no surprise that the Western Michigan quarterback became familiar with Danny Wuerffel from about the time he began to read.
“I remember (my dad) on numerous occasions highlighting things that Mr. Wuerffel did throughout his career and pointing those things out to me as things that he would want me to exemplify,” Hiller said.
Hiller did indeed grow up to exemplify those things.
During a conference call on Monday, the Fort Walton Beach-based All Sports Association, Inc., announced to Hiller that he’s the 2009 recipient of the Wuerffel Trophy, which is presented annually to the Football Bowl Subdivision player that best combines exemplary community service with academic and athletic achievement.
The man who the award is named after broke the news.
“We’re really encouraged and proud of you for everything you’ve done on the field, everything you’ve done in the classroom and, as in this case, as importantly if not more importantly, everything you’ve done to help other people,” said Wuerffel, who starred at Fort Walton Beach High before leading Florida to the 1996 national title and earning the Heisman Trophy.
Hiller was a finalist for the Wuerffel Trophy last year, when the award went to Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. The Orrville, Ohio, native becomes the fifth winner of the prestigious award and the third quarterback in a row following Tulsa’s Paul Smith and Tebow.
“It’s a tremendous honor because of what the award stands for, not only academic and athletic achievement but also community service and faith-based outreach opportunities — just all the things my family instilled in me and things I know are important and part of my values,” Hiller said.
Smith participated in the conference call and lauded Hiller for his accomplishments.
“I read through your profile, saw a lot of similarities to myself and Danny and what this award is all about,” he said.
On and off the field, Hiller set new standards for excellence within the Western Michigan football program. The senior signal-caller is the Broncos’ career leader in passing yards, touchdown passes, completions and total offense. This season he earned second-team All-Mid-American Conference honors after throwing for 3,249 yards and 23 touchdowns.
“This kid is really something special, and when you meet the kid you’ll understand why,” Western Michigan coach Bill Cubit said.
In the class room, Hiller maintained a perfect 4.0 grade-point average throughout college. And along with a slew of other community-service activities, he joined 23 other college students on a faith-based mission to Trinidad where, among other things, he visited youth prisons and drug clinics and witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of poverty on a nation.
“Here in these economic times we’re going through, we take a lot of things for granted and we think we have it rough,” Hiller said. “But the reality is a bad day here looks pretty good down there. I was further opened to that through the experience.”
The Wuerffel Trophy will be presented to Hiller on Feb. 19 at the All Sports Association’s 41st Annual Awards Dinner in Fort Walton Beach.
“We had the largest (nomination) class we’ve ever had,” All Sports President Robert McEachern said, “and for (Hiller) to rise to the top of that elite group is exciting for him and it’s great for us to be able to meet someone of that caliber (and honor him) for his hard work and all he’s meant to his teams and his community.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
For more information, contact Tom Brassell at (850 585-5512 or visit http://www.wuerffeltrophy.org

     A committee that includes the Wuerffel Trophy national directors and selection committee members will vote on the finalists later this month, and the winner will be formally announced on December 8.
     “Once again, I’m amazed to see the list of finalists, and in particular, their amazing accomplishments off the field,” said Danny Wuerffel. “Each year it is harder and harder for all of us on the selection committee to try to narrow it down and pick just one”.
     The 2009 Wuerffel Trophy will be presented to the winner at the All Sports Association’s 41th Annual Awards Banquet on February 19, 2010.
____________________________________________________________________________________

For more information on the Wuerffel Trophy, contact Tom Brassell at (850) 585-5512 or visit http://www.wuerffeltrophy.org.

 The Wuerffel Trophy, named after former Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel, is presented annually by the All Sports Association of Fort Walton Beach, to the college football player that “best combines exemplary community service, with academic and athletic achievement.” Past winners are: (2008) Tim Tebow/QB/Florida, (2007) Paul Smith/QB/Tulsa, (2006) Joel Penton/ DL/Ohio State and (2005) Rudy Niswanger/DL/ Louisiana State.
 The 2009 Wuerffel Trophy will be formally announced on December 8, 2009 and will be presented to the winner at the All Sports Association’s 41st Annual Awards Banquet on February 19, 2010.

For more information on the Wuerffel Trophy, contact Tom Brassell at (850)585-5512 or visit   www.wuerffeltrophy.org