Football: Rockets Picked to Repeat as MAC West Champions by Street and Smith Magazine

June 28: Athlon magazine tabs linebacker Tom Ward as preseason Defensive Player of the Year




Senior linebacker Tom Ward was selected by Athlon magazine as its preseason MAC Defensive Player of the Year.
For a complete copy of this release, including full MAC preseason predictions, click on icon below.

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

June 28, 2002

Toledo, OH - At least one major preseason college football magazine has picked Toledo to repeat as champion of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference.

Street and Smith magazine, one of the oldest preview magazines of its kind, picked Toledo to finish in first place in the West. Another major preview magazine, The Sporting News, predicted that Toledo would come in second in the MAC West, while Athlon tabbed the Rockets for third place.

Athlon also put seven Rockets on its preseason All-MAC first or second team, and picked senior linebacker Tom Ward as its preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

Toledo, defending MAC and Motor City Bowl champions, was10-2 in 2001 and ranked in the top 25 in both final polls. Head Coach Tom Amstutz returns 12 starters, but must find a way to replace All-America tailback Chester Taylor and All-MAC quarterback Tavares Bolden.

The Rockets open their season on Thursday, Aug. 29 vs. Cal Poly at the Glass Bowl. The MAC season kicks off a week later when Toledo travels to Eastern Michigan on Sept. 7.