Bazuin, Staley Receive More All-Star Invites

MOUNT PLEASANT - Central Michigan University senior defensive end Daniel Bazuin of McBain (Mich.) High School and senior offensive tackle Joe Staley of Rockford (Mich.) High School have been invited to a pair of postseason all-star games.

Daniel Bazuin has been selected to participate in the 2007 Hula Bowl, while Joe Staley has been invited to the 2007 Senior Bowl. Both players had previously earned invitations to the 2007 East-West Shrine Game.

The Hula Bowl will be played on Jan. 14, 2007, at Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. ESPN will televise the contest. Offensive linemen Eric Ghiaciuc and Adam Kieft, both of whom participated in the 2005 Hula Bowl, were the most recent CMU participants in the game.

The Senior Bowl will be played Jan. 27, 2007, at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala. NFL Network will televise the game. Defensive lineman Jon McCall (1998) was the last CMU player to compete in that contest.

Bazuin, the reigning Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year, holds CMU career records for sacks (30) and tackles for loss (56.5). He ranks fourth and eighth, respectively, all-time in the MAC in those two categories. His 16 sacks in 2005 set a school record and tied a conference record. He was a 2006 preseason All-American and a member of the watch lists for six national awards.

Staley is a converted tight end who has started 30 consecutive games at tackle. He started all 11 games at right tackle in 2004 before moving to the left side in 2005. He anchors an offensive line that has helped CMU average 371.0 yards of offense per game, second-most in the MAC. A sprinter on his high school track team, the 6-5, 310-pound Staley was timed at 4.7 seconds in the 40-yard dash at CMU’s junior pro day last spring.

Central Michigan (5-3 overall, 5-0 MAC) is off this Saturday before closing out the nonconference schedule at Temple on Nov. 4. The Chippewas enter the bye week alone in first place in the MAC West Division.