Bulls in brief

The UB Athletics Department will be honoring two of its top teams of the past before the homecoming game on Saturday against Ball State. The 1986 and 1996 teams will be celebrating their 10th and 20th anniversaries during pre-game activities at UB Stadium.

The 1986 team will be honored for its 9-2 season, which is still the current record for most wins in a season for the Bulls. The team, which was coached by Bill Dando, was ranked as high as 15th in the Division III polls and was led by quarterback Ken Crosta, who still holds the record for highest passing efficiency rating for the Bulls.

The other leader on offense was running back O.D. Underwood who currently holds the record for single-season rushing yards, which included seven 100-yard games. The defense that year held its opponents to 1,224 total rushing yards and led Division III in fumble recoveries.

Ten years ago, the 1996 team recorded an 8-3 record and holds the most wins for a Buffalo team since becoming Division I. The Bulls earned a Top 25 ranking in Division I-AA and were lead by head coach Craig Cirbus.

The 1996 team is most noted for having three of its top players make the National Football League. The top player on offense was wide receiver Drew Haddad, who holds the record for career receiving yards.

Haddad played eight years in the NFL after being drafted in the seventh round of the 2000 draft by the Buffalo Bills. He also played with the Indianapolis Colts and the San Diego Chargers.

The punting game at Buffalo for the 1996 team was led by Gerald Carlson who punted for 9,732 yards while with the Bulls. Carlson signed a free agent contract with the New England Patriots after graduating.

Another top player on the 1996 team was offensive tackle Ed Ellis, who was the first Bull to be drafted in the NFL. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 1996 draft by the New England Patriots.

Both teams were invited to the ceremony but there is currently no official list on who will be attending the game. Each player who attends will be recognized on the 50-yard line and their name will be read to the crowd.

Bulls to host Big Twelve team

The athletics department announced that they have signed an agreement with Baylor University to play the Bears at home Sept. 22, 2007. In exchange, the Bulls will face Baylor on Sept. 11, 2010 at Floyd Casey Field in Waco, Texas.

It will be the first time that the Bulls have hosted a Big XII team and only the second time the Bulls have faced a team in that conference. The last Big XII team the Bulls played was in 1968 when they suffered a 28-10 loss to Iowa State.

It will be the first time that head coach Turner Gill will visit his home state of Texas with his football team. Gill, a former quarterback at Nebraska, also played in a current Big XII school.

The Baylor game is the second non-conference game added to the schedule. The first was Penn State, who will play the Bulls on Sept. 15, 2007.