Three Jayhawks To Play In East-West Shrine Football Game Saturday
Jan. 22, 2010
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Three Kansas football seniors – wide receiver Kerry Meier, quarterback Todd Reesing and safety Darrell Stuckey – will compete in the East-West Shrine all-star football game Saturday. The game, which is being played in Orlando, Fla., will be televised on ESPN2 at 2 p.m. Central.
KU’s three selections match the three Jayhawks invited to play in the 2008 contest for the most KU players chosen to play in the East-West Shrine Game. In 2008 wide receiver Marcus Henry and running back Brandon McAnderson played in the game, while defensive lineman James McClinton was held out due to a health issue.
The players reported to Orlando on Saturday, Jan. 16. The players visited children at Shriners Hospital on Sunday before working out in front of NFL personnel throughout the week.
The West team, which features Meier, Reesing and Stuckey, is coached by former Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach Marty Schottenheimer. The East team is guided by Romeo Crennel, who was recently hired as the defensive coordinator for the Chiefs.
Kerry Meier
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Meier was a consensus All-Big 12 Second Team honoree his senior season. He ranked fourth in the NCAA with 8.5 receptions per game and was 26th in receiving yards per game (82.08). His 102 catches were a school record.
After playing quarterback as a freshman and for half of his sophomore year, Meier transitioned into the wide receiver position and finished his career as the school’s leader in career receptions (226), season receptions (102 in 2009) and game receptions (16 vs. Iowa State in 2009).
Reesing capped his career as the Kansas record holder in most every passing and total offensive category. As a three-year starter he guided the Jayhawks to a 25-13 record and two bowl victories, while throwing for 11,194 yards and 90 touchdowns.
In 2009 Reesing, who was a semifinalist for the O’Brien and Unitas Awards and was an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection, ranked fourth in the country in total offense (311.25 per game) and sixth in passing yards (301.33).
Todd Reesing
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In his last game in a Jayhawk uniform he established a school record with 498 passing yards against Missouri. Off the field, he was recognized as a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete, an academic all-district honoree and was a three-time Academic All-Big 12 First-Team selection.
Stuckey was a standout on and off the field during his Kansas career. Off the field he was an AFCA Good Works Team honoree and a Senior CLASS Award finalist. On the field last season he was an All-Big 12 selection by the Associated Press (first team), Kansas City Star (second team) and league coaches (honorable mention).
In 2009 Stuckey became the first non-linebacker to lead Kansas in season tackles since 2000. He made 93 stops on the year, including a career-high 15 vs. Missouri in his final game at KU.
Stuckey recorded 295 career tackles for the second most by a Jayhawk defensive back in school history.
Darrell Stuckey
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All three players served as team captains, along with running back Jake Sharp, during the 2009 season.
Kansas All-Star Game Notable
* – The three players are the 45th, 46th and 47th Jayhawks to participate in the East-West Shrine game.
* – Todd Reesing is the third Kansas quarterback selected to play in the game joining John Hadl (1961) and David Jaynes (1973).
* – Reesing is the first KU quarterback to participate in a postseason all-star game since Mike Norseth played in both the Blue-Gray and Senior Bowl in 1985. Norseth was named the MVP of the Blue-Gray game.
* Here are times three Jayhawks participated in the same bowl game in a season:
– 1968 American Bowl (Bobby Douglass, John Zook, Dave Morgan)
– 1968 Senior (John Zook, Bobby Douglass, Keith Christensen)
– 1969 Coaches All-America (John Zook, Bobby Douglass, Keith Christensen)
– 1971 College All-Star (Steve Lawson, John Riggins, Larry Brown)
– 1972 Blue-Gray (Eddie Sheats, Roger Bernhardt, Gary Palmer)
– 1972 Senior (Eddie Sheats, Roger Bernhardt, Gery Palmer)
– 1973 Senior (Don Goode, Mitch Sutton, David Jaynes)
– 1976 Senior (Terry Beeson, Mike Butler, Laverne Smith)
– 1985 Blue-Gray (Mike Norseth, Willie Pless, Sylvester Byrd)
– 2004 Hula (David McMillan, Brandon Rideau, Joe Vaughn)
– 2008 East-West Shrine (Marcus Henry, Brandon McAnderson, James McClinton)
– 2010 East-West Shrine (Kerry Meier, Todd Reesing, Darrell Stuckey)
