GWU Picked Third In Preseason Big South Conference Football Poll
July 25, 2008 | Football
CHARLOTTE – Gardner-Webb was tabbed third in the 2008
preseason Big South Conference Football poll announced Friday at
the league's annual media day festivities.
The Runnin' Bulldogs had linebacker Mario Brown (Greenville, S.C. /
J.L. Mann HS) earn the league's preseason Defensive Player of the
Year honor as well. The 2008 event marked the third year in a row
that GWU had been tabbed third in voting done by head coaches and
media members.
Gardner-Webb finished with 52 votes, just six votes behind
second-place pick Coastal Carolina. Liberty paced the field with 77
overall votes and 12 of the 13 first-place votes cast.
Brown, a 6-foot-2, 230-pounder, enters his senior season with 22
consecutive starts under his belt and back-to-back All-America
seasons on the Division I FCS level. Brown notched 104 hits in
2007, earning first-team All-Big South Conference honors and
honorable mention All-America status from the Sports Network.
Brown, a lion in the classroom as well, carried a 4.0 grade point
average for the entire 2007-2008 academic year.
He has collected 213 tackles in the past 22 games, pacing the team
in 2006 with 109 tackles and finishing second on the squad with his
104 hits last season.
Brown was joined on the preseason All-Big South Conference team by
senior receiver and punt returner Dobson Collins (Stone Mountain,
Ga. / Stone Mountain HS), senior tackle Demario Deese (Charlotte,
N.C. / Independence HS), senior free safety Daniel Cooke
(Charlotte, N.C. / Independence HS), senior punter Michael Hanna
(Lawrenceville, Ga. / Collins Hill HS) and junior cornerback Cedric
McGowan (Greer, S.C. / Greer HS).
Gardner-Webb reports to preseason camp on Wednesday, July, 30,
beginning preparations for its season opener on Thursday, August
28, at OVC member Tennessee Tech (8 pm ET kickoff).
Practices will be open to media during the preseason. A schedule
will be available once the Bulldogs report on July 30.
