Texas A&M University-Commerce will be represented in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl by wide receiver Vernon Johnson and running back Joe Bergeron on American team under former NFL head coaching great Mike Holmgren. The game will be played in Sat., Jan. 17, in Carson, Calif.
Johnson after picked up AFCA All-American honors after concluding his Lion career as the most prolific receiver in school history after holding the records for receptions in a season with his 77 catches this season. He also held the record for touchdown receptions with 13 in 2013, only to see that record fall to teammate Ricky Collins in 2014. In Johnson's final game with the Lions, he caught just four passes but covered 191 yards including a dazzling 71-yard touchdown catch. He also scored on the Lions' first offensive play of the game; a 61-yard strike that saw Johnson blow by the opposing defenders something A&M-Commerce fans had become accustomed too. In just two seasons playing for the Blue and Gold, Johnson caught 147 passes and tallied a whopping 2,608 yards.
After his 1,345 yards in 2013, the A&M-Commerce single-season record, he became just the second receiver in Lion history to surpass the 1,000-yard receiving plateau. He became the first player in school history with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons when he repeated that feat in 2014.
Bergeron, a second team All-Lone Star Conference selection, came to A&M-Commerce at the beginning of the 2013 season after a stellar three-year career at the University of Texas was dominate and bruising back from the much improved Lion rushing attack.
He churned out 859 yards on 148 carries for averages of 85.9 per game and 5.8 per carry. He also recorded 12 TDs. Bergeron, who was instrumental in the Lions passing blocking scheme, was huge out of the backfield catching 15 passes for 187 yards and two touchdowns. He was third in the league in rushing TDs, fourth in total rushing yards and fifth in rushing yards per game.
The NFLPA Collegiate Bowl is of the three top tier bowl pre-draft bowl games for collegiate players to showcase their abilities for NFL coaches, scouts and general managers.
The NFLPA Collegiate Bowl experience is much more than a game for the participating players. For one week preceding the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl, participants will receive an in-depth introduction to their future union – the primary resource for players for information on the business of football and how to succeed in the NFL and in their post-football careers. Additionally, pro football players and coaching legends will work with the game's future stars, giving them first-hand insight on what it takes to win on and off of the field.
The NFLPA Collegiate Bowl also announced its continued relationship with ESPN. The game, scheduled for a 1 p.m. PT / 4 p.m. ET kickoff, will air live on ESPN2. In addition, American and National Team practices on January 14 and 15 will be televised live on ESPNU. The game and practices will also be available via WatchESPN.
With Holmgren at the helm, Johnson and Bergeron's American team will go against the National team and head coach Mike Martz another NFL head coaching great.
Holmgren, a seasoned NFL head coach, earned a Super Bowl title while leading the 1996 Green Bay Packers. Holmgren, who played quarterback collegiately at USC, has more than two decades of top-level NFL experience across the country, including as the head coach of the Packers (1992-1998) and the Seattle Seahawks (1999-2008) and president of the Browns (2010-2012).
Martz was the head coach in St. Louis from 2000-2005 but is perhaps best known for being the offensive coordinator behind the Rams' "Greatest Show on Turf" Super Bowl-winning season in 1999. He also served in a variety of NFL offensive coaching and coordinator roles with the Los Angeles/St. Louis Rams (1992-1996, 1999), Washington Redskins (1997-1998), Detroit Lions (2006-2007), San Francisco 49ers (2008) and Chicago Bears (2010-2011).
"The NFLPA Collegiate Bowl has been a great event, and we look forward to presenting the game and practices as part of ESPN's comprehensive offseason football programming lineup leading up to the NFL Draft," said Matt Volk, ESPN director, programming and acquisitions.