D-C grad expected to grab Ball State spotlight

When Dante Ridgeway left Ball State's football program for the NFL draft this spring, the Cardinals sustained a big loss.
Gone are Ridgeway's 194 catches over the last two seasons, which could benefit Mikey Steinhaus. - NFL Football -
Steinhaus, a Dundee-Crown graduate, figures to play an even bigger role with the Cardinals when they open the season Sept. 3 at Iowa in an 11 a.m. ESPN telecast.
Plenty of football observers are taking notice of Steinhaus, a junior tight end whose 12 career receptions include six touchdowns.
CollegeFootballNews.com, a Web site run by FoxSports.com, called Steinhaus the team's unsung star on the rise and its top NFL prospect. - NFL Football -
"It's good to come home and have all your friends know about it," said Steinhaus, who is slated to be the team's starting tight end. "It's nice publicity, but it really doesn't mean anything because I still have to go out and prove it."
Ridgeway, a wide reciever who was drafted in the sixth round by the St. Louis Rams, caught a Mid-American Conference record 105 passes last season for 1,399 yards and eight touchdowns. The rest of the team, meanwhile, managed 98 receptions for 900 yards and six TDs.
"Offensively, we had a great weapon in Dante Ridgeway and utilized him to the fullest," Ball State coach Brady Hoke told reporters this spring.
During a 2-9 season last fall, Steinhaus was limited to mainly blocking for an offense that included a freshman quarterback, a freshman tailback and a green offensive line.
"I knew why we had to do it, so I wasn't upset," he said. "It made me a better player."
This fall, though, the Cardinals are hoping a new-look offense under first-year quarterbacks coach Stan Parrish – a former Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant in their 2003 season – greatly increases its production. - NFL Football -
"It's a more spread-out offense that going to get a lot of people involved," said the 6-foot-3, 256-pound Steinhaus. "It uses the tight end a lot more, too. I like it because a lot more people are going to be a part of it."
North Texas newcomer: Huntley grad Frank Gray is listed as a reserve right guard for the University of North Texas football team.
Gray sat out last season after transferring from Miami University in Ohio, where he played defensive line.
North Texas has won four consecutive Sun Belt Conference titles and played in the past four New Orleans Bowl games.
Gray, a 6-foot-1, 285-pound junior, will have a chance to block for two of the nation's top running backs this fall. - NFL Football -
The Mean Green returns 2003 NCAA rushing champion Patrick Cobbs (157.2 yards a game) for a fifth season. Cobbs suffered a knee injury last season. His backup, Jamario Thomas, led the nation with 180.1 last fall as a true freshman.
North Texas opens its season Sept. 3 at LSU.
Concordia ace: Crystal Lake Central grad Zach Byrd pulled double duty at D-III Concordia University in River Forest.
Byrd, who started all 20 games last fall for the school's soccer team, helped Concordia's tennis team win the Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference regular-season and tournament championships in the spring. - NFL Football -
Byrd, who will be a sophomore this fall, was named to the All-NIIC team after winning the league's No. 4 singles and No. 2 doubles titles.
In singles, Byrd completed a 7-0 season by beating Clark College's Brian Stith, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3, in the conference tournament's championship match.
Byrd and Alex LaChapelle teamed up in doubles to claim a conference crown without losing a set in the NIIC tournament. - NFL Football -
Thanks to Byrd's contributions, Concordia claimed its first NIIC tournament title since 1997.

BARRY BOTTINO