BUFFALO, NY - University at Buffalo football players Mark Graham (Monroe, MI/Monroe) and Adam Johnson (Alta Loma, CA/Etiwanda) have been selected to play in senior all-star games.

Graham, a free safety, will participate in The Villages Gridiron Classic in Florida on January 31 at 12 noon, while Johnson, a long snapper, will play in the Hula Bowl in Hawaii on January 17 at 8 pm. Both games will be broadcast live on ESPN.

This will be the sixth year of the Gridiron Classic, formerly called the Rotary Gridiron Classic, and the game has moved from the Citrus Bowl in Orlando to The Villages, 60 miles north of Orlando, this year. The Gridiron Classic has seen 109 alumni of its game drafted into the National Football League, while more than 225 players have signed NFL contracts as free agents. The previous format of the game pit college football seniors from the state of Florida against seniors from the rest of the nation, but this year's contest will feature a North vs. South team setup. The North team will be coached by Wisconsin's Barry Alvarez, while the South team will be directed by Georgia head coach Mark Richt.

Graham will make it two straight years that a former Bull has participated in the Gridiron Classic, as two-time All-MAC tight end Chad Bartoszek played in the game last year and caught a touchdown pass for the winning Team USA.

Mark Graham

Graham was a second-team Mid-American Conference selection despite missing the final two games of his career due to a hip injury suffered at Toledo in week 10. Despite missing those games, Graham still led the Bulls in tackles (84), solo stops (57), quarterback sacks (3) and fumble recoveries (3). In addition, the tri-captain added 6¹/₂ tackles for loss, second on the team, three pass breakups, one interception and three quarterback hurries. His 57 solo tackles this season were eighth most in a season by a Bulls defender.

Graham took over a starting role midway through his freshman season and had a team-best 38 straight starts at the time of his injury. The Michigan native is the school's career leader in passes defended (interceptions + pass breakups) with 37 and is fourth all-time in turnovers captured with 15 (12 interceptions and three fumble recoveries). He also finished his career third all-time in solo tackles (182), ninth in total tackles (266) and tied for fourth in interceptions (12).

Johnson, meanwhile, will serve as the long snapper in all situations for the Kai team in the Hula Bowl, which has been played annually since 1947. The head coaches for the game will be Maryland's Ralph Friedgen and Ohio State's Jim Tressel.

Adam Johnson

For the native Californian, it's another chance to show NFL scouts his ability to long snap, a talent that head coach Jim Hofher feels that Johnson is as good as anyone in the country. A transfer from Chaffey JC, Johnson has also played on the UB basketball team, while playing quarterback, wide receiver and starring on specials teams for the Bulls. His uncle, Bob Johnson, was a Pro Bowl center for the Cincinnati Bengals (1968-79).

"This will be the second straight season that our program has been represented in prestigious all-star games and that's certainly gratifying as a coach," said Hofher. "Mark and Adam will no doubt represent themselves, their families and our program very well among some of the best collegiate football players in the nation."