Southwest Minnesota State University Athletics

KINGSVILLE, Texas - Southwest Minnesota State University senior offensive lineman Bill Noethlich has been chosen to participate in the 2010 Valero Cactus Bowl, on Friday, Jan. 8, in Kingsville, Texas, starting at 6:35 p.m.

The Cactus Bowl, an all-star game featuring NCAA Division II senior football players, will be played at Javelina Stadium on the campus of Texas A&M-Kingsville.  The annual bowl game was originally known as the Snow Bowl and was played in Fargo, N.D., from 1994 to 2000 before being renamed the Cactus Bowl and relocated to Kingsville, Texas, in 2001.  There have been over 100 players signed by NFL teams after playing in the Cactus Bowl.

Noethlich, who will play for the West team in the game, is the fourth Mustang player in school history to play in a major postseason all-star game.  Wide receiver Wayne Hawkins played in both the Blue-Gray All-Star game and the East-West Shrine game following the 1991 season, while wide receiver Alvin Ashley (1994) and defensive end Andre Thompson (1995) both played in the Snow Bowl.

Noethlich, a 6-foot-7, 301-pound senior from Doland, S.D., was named second team All-NSIC South Division this season earning postseason honors for the third straight season.  He was named honorable mention All-NSIC South in 2008 and was a second team All-NSIC honoree in 2007.  Noethlich, a 2009 team captain, started 41 of his 44 career games, including 40 consecutive starts from late in the 2006 season through this year.  This season he helped anchor an offense that averaged 36 points per game, the second highest per game average in school history and 396.2 yards per game.  SMSU also scored 30 or more points in eight games, tying a school record for the most 30-point games in a single-season.  The Mustang offense finished the season ranking 13th in the country in both scoring and passing offense this season.

Played in an East/West format, the teams are comprised entirely of the 'best of the best' NCAA Division II college seniors. The Cactus Bowl Committee, comprised completely of volunteers, is responsible for all aspects of organization for the contest and net profits from the Cactus Bowl are donated to Shriners Hospitals for Children throughout the United States, Mexico, and Canada.  The Al Amin Temple of Corpus Christi will be involved in the Cactus Bowl pre-game preparation and game-day operations.  The game will feature 80 Division II players from all over America.

For more information on the game, please log onto: www.cactusbowl.org