Scheffler Earns National Honors

Kalamazoo, Mich. – Senior tight end Tony Scheffler was named the John Mackey Tight End of the Week by the Nassau County Sports Commission on Wednesday. Scheffler earned the award for his performance on the field on Sept. 24 at Temple. He snagged seven catches for a game-high 118 yards.

This season, Scheffler has 216 yards receiving and one touchdown on 16 catches. Against the Owls, the 6-6, 260-pound senior found open spots on the field and made the catches he needed. His biggest catch came with under a minute remaining on Western’s eventual winning drive, hauling in a pass from Robbie Haas for a 16-yard completion to Temple’s 20-yard line. Scheffler got out of bounds with 24 seconds remaining, which allowed Nate Meyer to attempt and make the winning field goal three plays later.

The John Mackey Tight End of the Week, recognizing solely on-field receiving performance, is an honor distinct and different from the annual John Mackey Award. This weekly honor was started in 2004 to draw attention to individual play by Tight Ends. The Tight End of the Week acknowledgment has no formal significance on the final John Mackey Award selection process.

The Nassau County Sports Commission, a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization created to enhance quality of life in “America’s First Playground” through sports, is responsible for the administration of the John Mackey Award and the John Mackey Award Selection Committee. The 2005 recipient of “The Mackey” will be announced mid-December and presented at the annual awards dinner on May 1, 2006.

Western Michigan hosts the University at Buffalo on Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. in Waldo Stadium. The game can be heard live locally on WFAT-96.5 FM, the Bronco Radio Network.