CHIHUAHUA, Mexico - Linfield defensive back Andrew Woods will put the pads on one more time Saturday as a member of the American Football Coaches Association's Division III all-star team that will play the Mexican National Team in the 2007 Aztec Bowl.
One of 50 NCAA Division III seniors from around the country who will make up this year’s team, Woods and his new teammates arrived Sunday in preparation for Monday’s first practice. Former Widener, Delaware Valley and La Salle head coach Bill Manlove is coaching this year’s team.
A senior from Portland, Ore., Woods was a first team all-Northwest Conference selection this season. He finished 2007 with 15 tackles, three interceptions, five pass break-ups and one blocked kick.
He adds his name to a growing list of Linfield players selected to compete in the postseason all-star game, including linemen Robbie McCullough and Daryl Agpalsa, quarterback Tyler Matthews, and receiver Casey Allen.
This year’s game is scheduled to kick off at 4 p.m. PST on Dec. 8 at Estadio Olimpico Universitario in Chihuahua.
The Aztec Bowl is the traditional season-ending game for Mexico’s college football season. The game has been played 36 times since 1947 with the last 10 contests featuring the United States-Mexico match-up. The United States is 9-1 in the series and defeated Mexico, 28-7, in the 2006 game in Aguascalientes.
AZTEC BOWL FAST FACTS
Kickoff: Saturday, 6 p.m. CST
Site: Estadio Olimpico Universitario (cap.: 22,000) Chihuahua, Mexico
Internet: Webcast available at www.afca.com or www.aztecbowl.com
Results: Available at www.afca.com.
The Series: Eleventh USA National Team-Mexico National Team meeting. U.S. leads 9-1. Prior to 1997, Mexico had a record of 11-14-1 in 26 Aztec Bowls dating back to 1947. Opponents in those games were a mixture of junior colleges, NCAA and NAIA schools, military and international teams.
Last Year: Occidental’s Andy Collins threw for 142 yards and a touchdown and caught a 10-yard touchdown pass to lead Team USA to a 28-7 win over Mexico in Aguascalientes.
Event Background: The Aztec Bowl is the traditional season-ending game for Mexico’s college football season. The game has been played 36 times since 1947 with the last 10 contests featuring the United States-Mexico match-up.
Aztec Bowl Alumni: Three former USA Team members, Fred Jackson, London Fletcher and Clint Kriewaldt, are currently playing in the National Football League. Jackson was the MVP of the 2002 Aztec Bowl out of Coe College. He is currently a member of the Buffalo Bills. Fletcher, who played collegiately at John Carroll and was a member of the 1997 U.S. team, is a starting linebacker with the Buffalo Bills. Kriewaldt was the Detroit Lions’ 1999 fifth-round draft pick out of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and played in the 1998 Aztec Bowl. He is currently playing with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Past Linfield Participants: Four other Linfield graduates have taken part in the Aztec Bowl in recent seasons. They include offensive guard Daryl Agpalsa (2002), quarterback Tyler Matthews (2003), wide receiver Casey Allen (2005), and offensive tackle Robbie McCullough (2006).
USA Football Teams with AFCA: USA Football, the sport’s national governing body leading its development on a grassroots level, is teaming with the American Football Coaches Association for the first time to co-sponsor this year’s Aztec Bowl squad. USA Football’s involvement is part of its broader international program that includes organizing the first U.S. senior national team in the sport of football earlier this year. That team captured the gold medal at the 2007 World Championship of American Football in Kawasaki, Japan. Five members of the 2006 Aztec Bowl squad - Dustin Allen, Cody Childs, Rick Drushal, Rob Rodriguez and Steve Teeples - were members of that team.
