Jan. 13, 2005
EVANSTON, Ill. - Three Northwestern football players will be competing in January all-star games, starting with this weekend's Gridiron Classic in Florida.
Senior running back Noah Herron (Mattawan, Mich./Mattawan) is playing in the 2005 Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., on Jan. 29. Senior linebacker John Pickens (Franklin Lakes, N.J./Ramapo) is playing in the Hula Bowl Maui All-Star game in Maui on Jan. 22, while offensive guard Matt Ulrich (Streamwood, Ill./Streamwood) is playing in The Villages Gridiron Classic College All-Star Game in The Villages, Fla., on Jan. 15.
Herron is competing in what some call the nation's most unique football game and college football's premier pre-NFL draft event. The game annually features the country's best senior collegiate football stars and top NFL draft prospects on teams representing the North and South. The two teams are coached by entire coaching staffs from two National Football League teams. The Oakland Raiders staff, headed by Norv Turner, will coach Herron on the North side, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers staff, led by Jon Gruden, will man the South sidelines.
Finishing the year with the fifth-best rushing performance in school history, Herron earned consensus second-team All-Big Ten honors and was named the Chicago Tribune's Big Ten Back of the Year. He ranked 14th nationally in rushing average (115.1 ypg) and 21st nationally in all-purpose yardage (144.3 ypg).
Herron, who was the Wildcats' third-leading receiver with 36 catches, averaged 5.5 yards per carry for his career, the best yards per carry average by a top-10 NU rusher. He also scored a touchdown in 10 games this year, which equaled a school record.
Herron scored four game-winning touchdowns--all against Big Ten foes--and finished his career with 2,524 rushing yards, 781 receiving yards and 3,536 all-purpose yards--the fifth-best mark in school history.
Senior Bowl practices are also attended by over 700 general managers, head coaches, assistant coaches, scouts and other front office personnel from the 32 National Football League teams.
Making his second trip to Hawaii in less than two months, Pickens, is representing the East squad in the 59th Annual Hula Bowl Maui All-Star game. A total of six players from undefeated regular-season teams Auburn and Utah, and six second team Associated Press All-Americans are among the headliners for this year's contest.
Pickens ended his Northwestern career with 292 total tackles, including 13 tackles for loss. He played in 44 games, registered six sacks, forced three fumbles and recovered one.
Ulrich is representing Northwestern in The Villages Gridiron Classic. The event, which is in its seventh year, will feature 99 college seniors from 62 schools. Every Division I conference will be represented along with selected seniors from Division I-AA.
In only six years of existence, the game has produced more than 400 players that have gone on to play in the NFL. Included in those numbers are current NFL stars Daunte Culpepper, Asante Samuel, Billy Volek, Darren Howard, Rock Cartwright and Brad Meester.
Ulrich started every game (37 straight starts) his last three years, playing both guard and center for the Wildcats. Right guard was his primary position. Ulrich, one of four team co-captains in 2004, played an instrumental role in Northwestern ranking 29th nationally in total offense (409.5 ypg). An elite lifter, "Chesty" holds the school incline record at 425 pounds.