Jan. 11, 2002
Notre Dame, Ind. – Six Irish football seniors are scheduled to play in all-star games over the next few weeks.
Senior DE Grant Irons and FL David Givens already played on Dec. 25 in the Blue-Gray All-Star Classic in Montgomery, Ala. Members of the Blue squad, Givens led all receivers in the contest, while Irons had a solid defensive game. Irons also was honored as the student-athlete of the year for the Blue roster.
Tomorrow (Jan. 12), OLB Rocky Boiman, TB Tony Fisher and OT Kurt Vollers will play in the East-West Shrine Game at Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco. All three are members of the East team, coached by Illinois’ Ron Turner, with Fisher wearing No. 20, Boiman his customary No. 30 and Vollers in No. 75. The honorary coach of the East team is Chicago Bears’ great Dick Butkus. Follow Boiman, Fisher and Vollers on www.und.com, as Notre Dame’s official website will run LiveStats of the game.
Irons also has accepted an invitation to play in the Gridiron Rotary Classic on Saturday, Jan. 26, at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla.
Irish DE Anthony Weaver and Vollers will play in the 2002 Senior Bowl set for Jan. 26 at Ladd-Peeble Stadium in Mobile, Ala. Weaver and Vollers will play with other college greats such as Oregon’s Joey Harrington and Clemson’s Woodrow Dantzler in the game. Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Holmgren and Arizona Cardinals head coach Dave McGinnis will coach the two squads.
Boiman, Irons and Vollers are also scheduled to play in the 2002 Hula Bowl Maui game on Feb. 2 at War Memorial Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii. Game time is 8:00 p.m. The trio will join the likes of Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch, Indiana’s Antwaan Randle-El and Purdue’s Travis Dorsch in the game. Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops and Oregon State’s Dennis Erickson will serve as head coaches in the game.