Griz Players Headed to Little Rock All Star Game

Little Rock, Arkansas (1/24/12) - University of Montana All-America linebacker Caleb McSurdy and teammates Charles Burton and Jon Opperud have been selected to participate in the Players All-Star Classic on Feb. 4, and will represent the Football Champion Subdivision (FCS) in the contest.

Eighteen FCS players were invited to play in the all-star game, which features players from all NCAA levels. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. (Mountain time) at War Memorial Stadium, AT&T Field in Little Rock.

McSurdy was named to The Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS All-America first team after a senior season in which he ranked first at Montana and fifth in the Big Sky Conference with 9.3 tackles per game.  A 6-1, 242-pound senior linebacker from Boise, Idaho, McSurdy was also named to several All-American teams following his senior campaign.  He was chosen the Big Sky’s “Defensive Player of the Year” in 2011 by the league’s coaches.  He had a team-high 131 tackles for the fifth-ranked, 11-3 Grizzlies, along with 9.5 stops for loss and four sacks.

A three-year starter at offensive tackle, the 6-7, 300-pound Opperud, from Portland, Ore., was a first team all-league pick and named third team All-American by the Associated Press in 2011.  He was Montana’s offensive team captain this past season.  He played in 47 career games and had 36 starts.

Burton, a 6-5, 315-pounder from Long Beach, Calif., started at guard and at tackle the past two seasons for the Grizzlies.  He is listed as a center/offensive lineman on the North team.  He was an honorable mention all-conference selection the past two seasons.  Burton played in a 49 career games and had 25 starts.

The Players All-Star Classic will be televised live on both Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast (CSS) and Cox Sports Television (CST).