Dec. 19, 2002
Dusty Burk Makes Division II All-Star Game: The Whataburger Cactus Bowl
On Jan. 3, Dusty Burk (Tuscola, Ill.) will leave to compete at the third annual Whataburger Cactus Bowl to be held on January 10th in Texas A&M-Kingsville's Javelina Stadium.
The NCAA Division II all-star game divides selected student-athletes into East and West squads. The contest is set for 6:30 pm CST and will be televised live on FOXSports Southwest. Those with DirecTV can tune in on channel 643, while Dish Network subscribers can watch on channel 416.
This is the ninth Division II all-star game played, and the third time it is being held in Kingsville under the Cactus Bowl moniker. The game originated in 1995 as the Snow Bowl in Fargo, N.D., and the West has a 5-2-1 lead in the series. The East earned win number two last season, 42-12. Proceeds from the game benefit the Shriners Hospitals for Children.
Burk racked up the second-most total offense yards in MIAA history this past season with 3,441, and finished second in NCAA Division II with 312.8 total yards a game. Burk, a transfer from Illinois State where he was the Gateway Conference freshman of the year, had the fourth- (411 vs. Drake), seventh- (378 vs. Missouri Southern) and eighth-best (376 vs. Quincy) total offense games in Truman history. He rushed for the most yards ever by a Bulldog quarterback when he ran for 160 in the season-opener. He also had 148 yards on the ground vs. Missouri Southern and 115 against Southwest Baptist. Burk contributed to four touchdowns in three games this year, running for three of those vs. MSSC, and has threw for three TDs in three games. He completed 30-of-52 passes for 253 yards in the Northwest Missouri game and threw for 291 yards, completing 20-of-26 passes against Missouri Western in the final game of 2002. For the season, he completed 229-of-378 passes for 2,621 yards and 19 TDs, along with gaining 820 yards on 173 carries and 12 touchdowns.
The MIAA will have a total of seven seniors participating on the 40-member West squad in the 2003 Whataburger Cactus Bowl. Four players were selected to the offense, one on defense and one on special teams.
Two members of the Central Missouri State receiving corps were chosen, Todd Devoe and Do Robinson.
The first quarterback in Division II history to throw for 5,000 yards and rush for 3,000 in his career, Josh Chapman of Missouri Southern, was selected. He had 2,398 passing yards and 1,010 rushing yards in his senior year, the first in Division II with a 2,000-1,000 season.
Offensive tackle Alex Tuttle of MIAA champion Northwest Missouri State rounds out the MIAA offensive picks.
Strong safety Dontaye McCoy led the Hornets of Emporia State to their first postseason win since 1989, as ESU captured a 34-27 win in the Mineral Water Bowl and will represent the MIAA, as well as Eric Roth of Washburn, the MIAA's top punter.
The Truman football team finished the 2002 campaign with a 6-5 overall record and was 4-5 in the MIAA, tying for fifth overall. The Bulldogs finished 20th among NCAA Division II total offense leaders with 419.4 yards a game.