Jan. 4, 2008

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. - With the National Football League entering the 2007 playoffs, there are a couple NAIA athletes who will be in the spotlight. Three NAIA players dot NFL playoff rosters, however just one of them will be on the active roster for the first round starting this weekend.

Perhaps one of the most notable current NAIA stars in the playoffs hails from the Dallas Cowboys. Wide receiver Patrick Crayton, the former Northwestern Oklahoma State star, is having a career season with personal-highs in all major receiving categories. He is third on the club in receptions (50), yards (697) and yards per catch (13.9). His seven touchdown catches is good for second on the club behind All-Pro wide receiver Terrell Owens' 15 TDs. In his fourth season, Crayton is the team's primary punt returner with 22 returns posting an average of 9.1 yards per return.

At Northwestern Oklahoma State, Crayton earned second team All-America honors starting at quarterback while also handling kickoff returns, punt returns and logging time at wide receiver. In 2003, he rushed for a school single-season record 1,476 yards with 13 touchdowns on 173 carries while adding 15 receptions for 331 yards and four scores. He became the first player in NAIA history to score a touchdown passing, receiving, rushing and on kickoff and punt returns in a single season. As both a sophomore and junior, Crayton earned All-America honorable mention and All-Central States Football League first team honors at receiver. In his four years at Northwestern, Crayton amassed 5,688 all-purpose yards, including 3,718 yards in total offense and 46 touchdowns.

The Cowboys have a first-round playoff bye and will host the second-round on the weekend of Jan. 12.

The other two former NAIA players will be on the injured reserve list to open the playoffs, the New York Giants Derrick Ward and the San Diego Chargers Tyronne Gross.

Another superstar used to the big lights is New York Giants running back Derrick Ward, who is in his fourth season. In eight games this year, the former Ottawa (Kan.) University stand-out has rushed for 602 yards on 125 carries (4.8 avg.) and found the end zone four times (1 receiving). Most recently, he carried for a career-best 154 yards on 24 carries in the 21-16 win on Dec. 2 at Chicago. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury to his left ankle and has not appeared in a game since Week 13.

Ward played his final season of collegiate football at Ottawa after transferring from Fresno State (Calif.) for his senior campaign. Ward set NAIA single-season records with 2,061 rushing yards, 28 touchdowns and 7.8 yards per carry (263 attempts).

The New York Giants visit NFC-South Champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a first-round showdown on Sunday, Jan. 6 at 1 p.m. EST on FOX.

On the AFC side, Tyronne Gross (Eastern Oregon University), a second-year running back for the San Diego Chargers, is on the playoff roster. After appearing in three preseason games in 2007, Gross is listed on the injured reserve heading into the playoffs.

In one season at Eastern Oregon, Gross led the Mountaineers' to a NAIA Top 20 ranking as he excelled in the backfield. An NAIA All-America Fourth Team pick, Gross broke a 20-year mark as he set a school single-season record with 1,223 rushing yards and averaged 135.9 yards per game. He scored 12 touchdowns and was named the Frontier Conference Player of the Week after a 161-yard, three-touchdown game in 2005 against Whitworth College. He spent the 2001-04 seasons at Cal State-Sacramento.

San Diego hosts Tennessee on Sunday, Jan. 6 at 4:30 p.m. EST on CBS.

The NFL playoffs culminate with Super Bowl XLII set for Feb. 3 in Glendale, Arizona.

Former NAIA Players on current NFL Playoff Rosters
·          Patrick Crayton - Dallas Cowboys (Northwestern Oklahoma State, 2003)
·          Tyronne Gross - San Diego Chargers (Eastern Oregon, 2005) ^
·          Derrick Ward - New York Giants (Ottawa (Kan.), 2003) ^

^ Injured