Rockets notebook: Local talent plays at Ball State

10/3/2004

After an outstanding career at St. John's Jesuit, where he earned second-team All-Ohio honors, Blair Kramer got the chance to play in the Ohio/Pennsylvania All-Star Game. But his football fortunes then took him to Indiana, where he has played defensive end for Ball State for the last two seasons.

Last night Kramer made his fifth straight start at defensive end, and got to play in front of the hometown crowd from the visitors' side of the Glass Bowl. He made four tackles including one for a loss.

The 6-3, 254-pound junior sat out the 2001 season as a redshirt, then earned seven starts as a freshman in 2002. He started three games last year, and Kramer has played in all 29 games in his Ball State career.

Kramer, who played under coach Matt Dzierwa at St. John's, was a three-year letterman for the Titans. He was an All-City and all-district performer his senior year. Kramer had 63 tackles, 17 for a loss, and nine sacks as a senior. He finished his St. John's career with 103 tackles (28 for losses) and 14 sacks.

WYNN STREAK: Northview graduate Charles Wynn is the backup fullback for Ball State who had 12 carries for 63 yards entering last night's game. He worked in the backfield for the Cardinals last night and had 29 yards on eight carries, caught one pass for eight yards, and had 24 yards in kick returns.

Wynn, who has averaged a team-best 5.2 yards per carry this season, completed the first pass of his career last week against Western Michigan. With eight minutes left in the third quarter, Wynn completed a 25-yard pass to Dante Ridgeway, which gave the Cardinals a first down and led to a Ball State field goal and a 20-7 lead.

Wynn played in all 12 games for the Cardinals last year and earned his second letter. He had a touchdown run in Ball State's win over Toledo last year, but his best individual performance was against Pittsburgh when Wynn had a career-high 17 carries for a career-best 66 yards.

The 5-10, 221-pounder suffered a broken leg in spring practice in 2002, and tried to work his way back while playing in 10 games in the 2002 season. Wynn sat out 2001 as a redshirt after a standout career at Northview.

GAMBY BACK: Toledo linebacker Rodney Gamby saw his first action of the season, working on the kick coverage teams. Gamby, who was sidelined with a knee injury, was an All-Ohio running back at St. Francis de Sales and helped the Knights win a state championship.

UT HISTORY: Ball State head coach Brady Hoke spent the 1987 and 1988 seasons as an assistant coach at Toledo. UT head coach Tom Amstutz has spent 27 years with the Rockets as an assistant coach and as the top man, but the only three seasons Amstutz has not been at UT since 1977 - while he was doing a stint on the staff at Navy - included the two years that Hoke was on the Rockets' staff.