BlueCats Add Quartet
February 9, 2006 - United Indoor Football Association (UIF)
Evansville BlueCats News Release
EVANSVILLE, IN: The Evansville BlueCats of United Indoor Football are pleased to announce that four more players have been added to the roster for the 2006 season. The group includes two returning players and two newcomers with various levels of indoor football experience. The group includes running back Michael Cosey, fullback/linebacker Matt Wycoff, quarterback Mike Pozzi, and lineman Greg Barnum.
Michael Cosey returns to the team after spending last season playing for the Fayetteville Guard. Last season, he appeared in four games, rushed 19 times for 46 yards and two touchdowns, and also had 10 receptions for 84 yards and one touchdown. He even saw action at quarterback where he was 8-19 passing with 104 yards, 1 touchdown, and 3 interceptions.
Cosey is an indoor football veteran who previously played in Evansville in 2003 and 2004 and still owns many team rushing records. He is the BlueCats franchise leader in rushing with 991 yards over his two seasons in Evansville. He owns the team record for most rushing yards (829) and most rushing touchdowns (27) in a single season. He holds the team record for most rushing touchdowns in a game with 6, and is tied with Dale Jennings for the BlueCats all-time lead in points scored with 34 touchdowns and 208 points.
In 2000 and 2001, he played for the Tennessee ThunderCats. The ThunderCats won the IPFL championship in 2000 and reached the NIFL semi-finals finals in 2001.
In 1998 and 1999, Cosey played for the Topeka Knights. Topeka reached the semi-finals in both seasons.
Cosey is originally from Lawrence, Kansas, where he attended Lawrence High School. He was a 3-year starter at running back and his team won the 6A-state title all four years. He was named Kansas Player of the Year, earned a spot on the Gatorade Top Running Backs list, and received high school All-American honors.
He went on to play college football for Texas Tech and Southwest Missouri State. He was a member of the 1994 Red Raiders team that played in the '95 Cotton Bowl before moving on to SMS in the fall of 1995 and 1996.
He led the SMS Bears in rushing in 1995, and also led the team in rushing, receiving, and all-purpose yards in 1996. He still owns several school records at SMS. His 1,453 rushing and 2,008 all-purpose yards in the 1996 season rank as the best single season totals in school history. He rushed for 100+ yards 9 different times in 1996, and 12 times during his SMS career overall, giving him the single season and career record for more 100+ yard rushing games. He rushed for 240 yards in his best single game performance, which is the second best single game total in school history. He also sits in 5th place on the single season pass receptions list with 46 catches in 1996.
He was named 1996 team offensive MVP, Football Gazette I-AA National Offensive Player of the Week twice, 1st team All-Gateway conference, and Football Gazette I-AA 1st team All-American.
Michael Cosey said, "I'm glad to be back in Evansville. I'm ready to help take the team to the next level and win a championship. I'm willing to help however I can."
Also signing with the BlueCats is linebacker/fullback Matt Wycoff. Wycoff made his professional debut last season with the Black Hills Red Dogs in Rapid City, South Dakota. Wycoff played in 3 games and rushed 5 times for 24 yards and scored one touchdown.
Wycoff attended Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where he was a versatile player and 4-year letter winner. He spent his first three years at Coe at fullback before becoming the feature back as a senior. As a fullback, he was the lead blocker for UIF 2005 Player of the Year, Fred Jackson.
As a junior, Wycoff was named 2nd team All-Conference. He rushed for 597 yards on 105 carriers and was second on the team in receiving with 20 catches for 254 yards. He scored 7 touchdowns. As mentioned above, he was also the lead blocker for Jackson who led the conference in rushing with 1,702 yards.
Wycoff was voted a team captain as a senior and became the feature running back of the offense. He led the conference in rushing with 1,363 yards on 273 carries and 16 touchdowns, giving him an average of 136.3 yards per game. He was named conference player of the week twice and was Don Hanson's National Weekly Gazette National Player of the week once. He ranked in the top 20 nationally among division III colleges in rushing and all-purpose yards. He was named 1st team All-Conference and 3rd team All-Region.
Wycoff finished his career at Coe with 2,115 rushing yards, good for 7th best all-time in school history. He was named to play in the 2004 National All-Stars Bowl College Football Classic in Dallas, Texas.
The third player is quarterback Mike Pozzi. Pozzi spent part of last year as the backup quarterback in Evansville. He played college football for Kansas Weselyan in Salina, Kansas.
At Kansas Weselyan, he was an All-Conference Honorable Mention in 2004. He has the 4th and 7th best single game passing performances in team history. His 2004 total in passing yards ranks as the 6th best single season in school history, and 4th best total for pass completions.
Pozzi is originally from Rochester, New York.
Greg Barnum played college football at the University of Tennessee and Stephen F. Austin. Barnum, a 6' 340 pound lineman, played center for the Volunteers in 1999 before transferring to SFA for the 2000, 2001, and 2002 football seasons.
Barnum was listed as the top rated center in the country coming out of high school and played in 5 games for Tennessee as a true freshman. The coaching staff at Tennessee projected him as the starter at center going into his sophomore season, but Barnum was unhappy at UT and to the surprise of his coaches, decided to transfer to be closer to home.
He played nose guard and defensive tackle for his first two seasons at Stephen F. Austin before moving back to center as a senior. He was elected team captain during his senior year and voted All-Southland conference and All-Region.
Barnum attended Ellison High School in his hometown of Killeen, Texas, where he earned All-District, All-State, and All-American honors. He led his team to playoff appearances in Texas all four years.
Last month he had a professional workout with the Nashville Kats and spent time in training camp with the Ottawa Renegades in 2004.
Season tickets and field level boxes for the Evansville BlueCats 2006 season are on sale now. Stop by the office located at 815 John Street Suite 150 in Evansville or call the season ticket hotline at 812-437-CATS (437-2287) for ticket information. For more information on the Evansville BlueCats, please visit the website at www.evansvillebluecats.com.
United Indoor Football Association Stories from February 9, 2006
- BlueCats Add Quartet - Evansville BlueCats
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