KYW Radio Interview with Cuff

NEWARK, DE -- Joe Flacco won’t be the only University of Delaware standout keeping his professional football dreams alive this summer.

Running back Omar Cuff (top right) and offensive lineman Mike Byrne (bottom right), who teamed with Flacco to lead the Blue Hens to the 2007 NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision national title game last December, announced Sunday that they have signed National Football League free agent contracts.

Cuff will be joining the Tennessee Titans while Byrne has hooked on with the Miami Dolphins. The two will be looking to join Flacco, tight end Ben Patrick (Arizona), and defensive back Mike Adams (Cleveland) as former Blue Hen standouts in the NFL this fall.

Flacco, the All-American quarterback who led the Blue Hens to the 2007 NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision title game last December, became Delaware’s first-ever first round NFL draft pick Saturday when he was selected with the 18th overall pick by the Baltimore Ravens. He, Cuff, and Byrne will all be involved in their respective team’s rookie training camps over the next month.

Cuff, a 5-10, 200 lb. native of Landover, MD (Flowers High School), capped a career equally as impressive as Flacco’s this past fall when he was a consensus first team All-American in 2007. He was named to the first team of all five major All-American teams selected this season - The Sports Network, Associated Press, Walter Camp Foundation, American Football Coaches Association, and the College Sporting News. A two-time All-American, Cuff is Delaware’s first consensus pick at running back 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.

He set a single season NCAA record with 39 touchdowns, the third highest total in the history of college football, and with 35 rushing touchdowns. His 65 career rushing touchdowns is also a Colonial Athletic Association record while his 73 career touchdowns is No. 1 all-time at Delaware and his 4,364 rushing yards rank him No. 2 all-time at Delaware. In all, he set five NCAA records, eight CAA records, and 28 Delaware standards during his career.

Byrne, a 6-6, 295 lb. offensive tackle and co-captain from Lititz, PA (Manheim Central HS), was impressive on both the field and in the classroom during his four-year career with the Blue Hens. He earned his degree in just three and a half years as a double major in psychology and criminal justice in December and 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 this past fall while earning All-American honors on four different teams - first team Walter Camp Foundation, first team College Sporting News, second team The Sports Network, and third team Associated Press.

A four-year letterwinner, he 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, 11th in NCAA), passing offense (289.5), and total offense (460.6) this past season.

Tennessee, led by head coach Jeff Fisher, posted a record of 10-6 last year playing out of the AFC South Division and lost in the first round of the playoffs to San Diego. The Titans drafted East Carolina running back Chris Johnson with their first pick in the draft Saturday.

Miami, led by first-year head coach Tony Sparano, will be looking to improve upon last year’s 1-15 mark as members of the AFC East Division. The Dolphins drafted Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long with the first pick in the draft Saturday and also selected two offensive guards.