Football News

PURSELL NAMED TO AZTEC BOWL ROSTER
Manlove To Coach Squad

DOYLESTOWN (PA) - Delaware Valley College senior linebacker John Pursell (Middletown, DE/Middletown) has been selected to play for the American Football Coaches Association's Division III all-star team that will represent the United States against the Mexican National Team in the 2007 Aztec Bowl on December 8 in Chihuahua, Mexico.

Former Widener, Delaware Valley and La Salle head coach and current Aggie assistant Bill Manlove will coach this year's squad.

Pursell is one of 50 NCAA Division III senior from around the country who will make up this year's squad. The three-time all-Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) first team honoree finished his career as the Aggies' third all-time leading tackler with 319 stops. In 2007, Pursell paced the squad with 93 tackles, including 15 behind the line of scrimmage.

Pursell and the Aggies went 5-5 this season, including a 5-2 mark and a second place finish in the MAC. He was a member of the second-winningest class in Delaware Valley football class as the group won 37 games (37-10), captured two Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) titles and made two NCAA quarterfinal appearances in their four years.

Manlove won more than 200 games and a pair of NCAA Division III championships during his head coaching career. He has spent the last five years as an assistant coach at Delaware Valley where he was also the head coach from 1992 to 1995.

The Aztec Bowl is the traditional season-ending game for Mexico's college football schedule. The game has been played 36 times since 1947 with the last 10 contests featuring the United States-Mexico match-up. The United States, with former Aggie offensive lineman Kevin Harrigan on the squad, notched a 28-7 victory in last season's contest.

This year's game will kickoff at 6p.m. CST and will be played at Estadio Olimpico University. The game can be heard via a webcast that can be accessed on the AFCA's website at www.afca.com.