Honors Continue To Roll In For Bulls Football

Gill finalist for Bear Bryant Award; Roosevelt, Starks earn Honorable Mention All-American status

Turner Gill

BUFFALO, NY – The University at Buffalo's record-breaking football season continues to garner honors for its coaching staff and student-athletes. Head coach Turner Gill, who led the Bulls to their first Mid-American Conference championship, has been named a finalist for the Paul "Bear" Bryant national Coach of the Year award that will be awarded on January 15th in Houston, TX at the Hyatt Regency. The award is voted on by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association (NSSA).

Gill is a finalist along with Mack Brown (Texas), Mike Leach (Texas Tech), Houston Nutt (Mississippi), Chris Peterson (Boise State), Nick Saban (Alabama), Bob Stoops (Oklahoma) and Kyle Whittingham (Utah) for the prestigious award. In addition, he recently was one of just 11 coaches in America to receive a vote for the Associated Press National Coach of the Year, won by Alabama's Nick Saban.

He was also honored by the Columbus (OH) Touchdown Club as the Mid-American Conference Coach of the Year, after leading the Bulls to wins in six of their last seven games, including a 42-24 win over previously unbeaten and 12th-ranked Ball State in the MAC title game.

He will be honored at the TDC's 54th Annual Sports Awards Banquet on Saturday, February 7th, 2009 at The Lifestyle Communities Pavilion in downtown Columbus.

“I am honored to be recognized because these awards are really recognition of our entire program's success – from the administration, to the coaching staff to the student-athletes,” said Gill. “All of the hard work of those individuals goes into a coach or player being honored in such a way. It's tremendous exposure for our University and our football program and the Western New York region.”

James Starks

Two local Western New Yorkers also earned national recognition. Juniors James Starks and Naaman Roosevelt were each selected as honorable mention All-Americans by Sports Illustrated magazine.

Starks, who has rushed for a school-record 1,308 yards and 15 touchdowns this season, earned All-American honors, after being chosen as a first-team All-MAC selection. Starks, who is already the school's career rushing leader with a year left, had six 100-yard rushing games this season, despite missing two games. He currently ranks eighth in the nation in rushing at 118.9 yards per game.

Naaman Roosevelt

Roosevelt, another first-team All-MAC selection, ranks among the top ten in the nation in both receptions (seventh at 7.38 per game) and receiving yards (eighth at 100.9 yards per game). Roosevelt has 96 catches for 1,312 yards and 13 touchdowns this season – all school single-season records.

The Bulls still have a game left this season, as they will take on Connecticut on January 3rd in the International Bowl at Toronto's Rogers Centre. It will be the Bulls first-ever bowl game.