BELLINGHAM, Wash. -
Western Washington University middle linebacker Shane Simmons will play in the 14th Cactus Bowl on Friday, Jan. 11, 2008 at Kingsville, Texas.
Simmons, a senior from Kent (graduate of Kentlake High School), is the eighth Viking player to be selected to play in the Division II senior all-star game.
Simmons led the North Central Conference (12.5 avg.) and ranked fourth nationally in total tackles, and was ninth nationally in solo tackles (6.3 avg.). He had double-figure stops in nine of 10 games. That included a career-high 18 versus Minnesota Duluth when he was named co-NCC Defensive Player of the Week.
In Western's 18-15 win over St. Cloud State, Simmons forced a fumble in the final seconds after the Huskies drove inside the WWU 25-yard line. He also had 11 tackles and a fumble recovery in the Vikings' 28-21 upset of NCAA Division I-FCS UC Davis in their season opener.
A preseason D2Football.com second-team All-American, Simmons also was listed as one of the website's 15 Pro Hopefuls.
As a junior, the 6-foot-1, 230-pound Simmons was the national leader in solo tackles (9.8 avg. per game) and topped the NCC in total tackles (11.2 avg.) through the first five games before suffering a season-ending injury. He earned NCC Player of the Week honors that season for his performance in Western's 16-13 upset of No.15 Washburn, being credited with 11 tackles and forcing a fumble that led to the winning field goal with 2.7 seconds left.
Simmons was a first-team Great Northwest Athletic Conference all-star as a sophomore for the Vikings after seeing action as a true freshman at Division I-BCS Idaho.
Simmons is looking to become just the second Western player to drafted by the NFL. The only Viking currently having that distinction is defensive end Dave Weedman, who was a 12th round pick by the Washington Redskins in 1968.
Only two Western players have competed in a regular-season NFL game. They are Michael Koenen, currently in his third season as a punter and placekicker for the Atlanta Falcons, and safety Erik Totten, who played in two games for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2002.
The Cactus Bowl began as the Snow Bowl in 1994 at the Fargo Dome in Fargo, North Dakota. After its initial seven-year run, the game moved to Kingsville in January 2001.
The game was played in Kingsville for six years, took a hiatus last year and will return to Javelina Stadium in 2008.
Played in an East/West format, the teams are comprised entirely of the 'best of the best' NCAA Division II college seniors. The Cactus Bowl Committee, comprised completely of volunteers, is responsible for all organizational aspects of the contest and the net profits from the Cactus Bowl are donated to Shriners Hospitals for Children.
The Valero Energy Corporation is the title sponsor of the 2008 Cactus Bowl.
The seven Western players previously selected to play are wide receiver Chris Nicholl (1998), wide receiver Ben Clampitt (2001), quarterback Scott Mitchell (2003), Totten (2003), cornerback Anthony Dalton (2004), Koenen (2005), and offensive center Loren Winter (2006).
