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BUFFALO, NY - The University at Buffalo football program took home two of the top awards at the annual UB Athletic Awards Banquet last week at the Adam's Mark Hotel in downtown Buffalo.

Record-breaking wide receiver Drew Haddad (Westlake, OH/St. Ignatius) earned the Male Athlete of the Year award while four-year lettermen and fifth-year senior Dan Poulsen (North Tonawanda, NY/North Tonawanda) earned the prestigious Clifford C. Furnas Scholarship award.

Haddad finished his four-year career as one of the most electrifying players in Bulls' football history. He set school records this past season with 85 receptions and 1,158 receiving yards, figures that ranked him first in the Mid-American Conference. Haddad ranked eighth in the nation in receptions and fifth in receiving yards and is one of only 30 players in NCAA history to have over 200 receptions and 3,000 yards receiving in a career. He leaves UB with a total of 12 school records and this past month was drafted in the seventh round by the Buffalo Bills in the NFL Draft.

The Furnas Award is given to a graduating student-athlete who accomplished outstanding undergraduate performance in scholarship and athletic prowess and plans to attend graduate school. Poulsen was a two-year starter on the football team (1997-98) and in 1998 was named as UB's first GTE Academic First Team All-American. In additon, Poulsen - a physical therapy major who plans on attending medical school - earned a $10,000 award to the general scholarship fund as part of Burger King's College Football Scholar-Athlete of the week program.

The awards capped an exciting spring for the Bulls' football program, one that saw Haddad, a seventh round draft choice of the Buffalo Bills, and teammates Josh Roth (Buffalo Bills) and Joe Hattendorf (Cincinnati Bengals) sign NFL contracts.

"It's obvious that our coaches are recruiting the type of students that reflect excellence in the classroom and continue to be a source of pride for all associated with our University," said head coach Craig Cirbus. "Not only Dan Poulsen, but our prior domination of the GTE Academic football teams by UB football players (the Bulls had 25% of the team in 1998) and the increasing performance level and graduation rates continually validates the road we are traveling."

"Furthermore, once these student athletes are here, our staff is obviously teaching and coaching football skills tremendously well. They have taken a group of I-AA recruits and developed them to a point that four years later brought out interest from the professional leagues," said Cirbus.