Cuff signs with Titans, Byrne with Dolphins
Omar Cuff has signed with the Tennessee Titans.
8:27 a.m., April 29, 2008--Two more University of Delaware football players will join quarterback Joe Flacco as rookies in National Football League training camps this summer.

Flacco was a first round draft selection of the Baltimore Ravens, while running back Omar Cuff has signed as an undrafted free agent with the Tennessee Titans and offensive lineman Mike Byrne has signed with the Miami Dolphins.

The three players were key to an outstanding 2007 season in which the Fightin' Blue Hens reached the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision national championship game, falling to Appalachian State University.

Flacco became the first Blue Hen to be selected in the first round of the NFL draft on Saturday, when he was selected with the 18th overall pick by the Ravens.

Cuff capped an impressive career at UD as a consensus All-America, the first Blue Hen running back to be so honored since Gardy Kahoe in 1971.

Delaware's all-time leading scorer and second all-time leading rusher, Cuff enjoyed an outstanding season in 2007 as he set school single season records with 398 carries, 1,945 yards and 35 touchdowns while also catching 55 passes for 554 yards and four touchdowns. He led the nation in scoring with 15.6 points per game and ranked seventh in rushing with 129.7 yards per game.

Mike Byrne has signed with the Miami Dolphins.
Cuff set a single season NCAA Football Championship Subdivision record with 39 touchdowns, the third highest total in the history of college football, and with 35 rushing touchdowns. He set a Colonial Athletic Association record with 65 career rushing touchdowns and a UD record with 73 career touchdowns, while he is second on the school's all-time rushing yardage list with 4,364. In all, he set five NCAA, eight CAA and 28 Delaware records during his career.

Byrne was impressive both on the field and in the classroom during his four-year career with the Blue Hens. He earned his degree in just three and one-half years as a double major in psychology and criminal justice, was named the CAA Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year for football and earned a spot on the College Sports Information Directors of America District 2 All-Academic team each of the last two seasons.

He earned first team All-CAA and first team All-ECAC honors, and also was named an All-America selection. A four-year letter winner, Byrne played in 41 career games with 35 starts and anchored an offensive line that helped the Blue Hens rank among the national leaders and led the CAA in scoring offense (36.2 points per game, 11th in NCAA), passing offense (289.5 yards per game), and total offense (460.6 yards per game) this past season.

The UD rookies will join two other Blue Hens in NFL training camps. Mike Adams is a defensive back with the Cleveland Browns and Ben Patrick, a seventh round draft choice in 2007, is a tight end with the Arizona Cardinals.

For more information on UD athletics, see [www.udel.edu/sportsinfo].