Central Michigan University Athletics
CHIPPEWAS SIGN 21 GRID PROSPECTS
2/3/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
Feb. 3, 1999
MOUNT PLEASANT - Central Michigan University announced the signing of 21 student-athletes to national letters-of-intent to play football for the Chippewas.
Included in the list are six offensive linemen, four defensive linemen and four wide receivers.
"This recruiting class has a little different makeup than many of our past classes," said sixth-year head coach Dick Flynn. "We signed more players from out-of-state than we normally do but it's a talented group that will fit in well and be tremendous additions to our program."
Eight of the signees are from Michigan while six more are from Florida and two each from Pennsylvania and Illinois. CMU inked five from Florida in 1998.
"It was the biggest recruiting class we've had in a number of years and it allowed us to get players at nearly every position," Flynn said. "Our emphasis again was on speed, especially at the skilled positions and on defense. We signed a number of young men with excellent speed.
"I especially feel good about the wide receivers we're bringing in because that's an area of concern and I think we'll get some immediate help."
Heading the trio of wide receivers is 6-1, 180-pound Fletcher Smith of Ellsworth (Iowa) Community College who prepped at Miami (Fla.) Southridge. Smith had 38 catches for 470 yards and six scores last season at Ellsworth. Other receivers are Dante McKnight (Trenton, NJ/Valley Forge Military) and Robbie Mixon (Detroit/Denby), a prep running back.
Size is not a problem among the offensive line signees: Bill Baker (Marquette), 6-4, 275, Kyle Croskey (East Lansing), 6-3, 285, Nate George (Riverview), 6-7, 269, Tom Langton (Westfield, N.J.), 6-9, 275, Derek McLaughlin (Berrien Springs), 6-5, 290, and Eric Schulenburg (Springfield, Ill./Sacred Heart-Griffin), 6-4, 290. Croskey was a unanimous all-stater.
Defensive linemen coming to Mount Pleasant are Ikechukwu Ajoku (Brooklyn, N.Y./Tech), Charles Harris (Sarasota, Fla./Riverview), Dominic Mancini (Hinsdale, Ill./Fenwick) and Marvin Smith (Wellington, Fla./Suncoast).
The Chippewas signed a pair of highly touted quarterbacks in Darren Tooley (Lake Orion) and Derrick Vickers (Miami, Fla./Pace) and a promising running back in Spencer Dalton (Pottstown, Pa./Valley Forge Military).
Tooley threw for 2,344 yards and 32 touchdowns in 1988 and finished his career with 5,067 yards and 58 Tds. Dalton is a 10.7 sprinter in the 100 meters who prepped at Pottstown High before going to Valley Forge for a year.
Casey Rogowski (Livonia/Catholic Central) and Derrick Wallace (Naples, Fla./Lely) are two young linebacking candidates while Adam Supianoski (Manistee) is a running back/linebacker, Willie Hill (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./Stranahan) is a candidate for the defensive backfield and Brian Brandt (Wausau, Wis.) an outstanding punter.
Rogowski, captain of the Catholic Central's back-to-back state championship teams, and Supianoski, who rushed for 1,560 yards and had 122 tackles, were both first team all-state selections.
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| Name | Pos. | Ht. | Wt. | Hometown/School | Coach |
| Ikechukwu Ajoku | DE | 6-2 | 220 | Brooklyn, N.Y./Tech | James Dibenedetto |
| William Baker | OL | 6-4 | 275 | Marquette/Same | Jim Driscoll |
| Brian Brandt | P | 6-2 | 200 | Wausau, Wis./Same | Greg Harvey |
| Kyle Croskey | OL | 6-3 | 285 | East Lansing/Same | Jeff Smith |
| Spencer Dalton | RB | 5-10 | 190 | Pottstown, Pa./Valley Forge Military | Mike Muscella |
| Nate George | OL | 6-7 | 269 | Riverview/Same | Don Lessner |
| Charles Harris | DE | 6-4 | 218 | Sarasota, Fla./Riverview | John Sprague |
| Willie Hill | DB | 5-11 | 180 | Ft. Lauderdale, Fla./Stranahan | Vince Schiavo |
| Thomas Langton | OL | 6-9 | 275 | Westfield, N.J./Same | Ed Tranchina |
| Dominic Mancini | DT | 6-3 | 240 | Hinsdale, Ill./Fenwick | Paul Conner |
| Dante McKnight | WR | 5-10 | 175 | Trenton, NJ/Valley Forge Military | Mike Muscella |
| Derek McLaughlin | OL | 6-5 | 290 | Berrien Springs/Same | Duane McLaughlin |
| Robbie Mixon | WR | 5-10 | 170 | Detroit/Denby | Don Stuckey |
| Casey Rogowski | LB | 6-2 | 235 | Livonia/Catholic Central | Tom Mach |
| Eric Schulenburg | LB | 6-5 | 310 | Springfield, Ill./Sacred Heart-Griffin | Ken Leonard |
| Fletcher Smith | WR | 6-1 | 180 | Miami, Fla./Ellsworth CC | Mark Thomson |
| Marvin Smith | DL | 6-2 | 255 | Wellington, Fla./Suncoast | Carl Gibbons |
| Adam Supianoski | RB/LB | 6-3 | 225 | Manistee/Same | Tim Pant |
| Darren Tooley | QB | 6-3 | 180 | Lake Orion/Same | Chris Bell |
| Derrick Vickers | QB | 5-11 | 185 | Miami, Fla./Pace | Joe Zaccheo |
| Derrick Wallace | LB | 6-2 | 202 | Naples, Fla./Lely | Mark Swanson |
