Football Spring Practice Begins

March 1, 2008

WEATHERFORD, Okla. – Southwestern Oklahoma State University football coach Ryan Held will welcome over 60 players on Monday as the Bulldogs formally begin spring practice. The Bulldogs will continue their on-the-field practice until Friday, March 14 before taking time off for Spring Break. Practice will resume on Monday, March 24 will culminate with the Annual Blue vs. White Spring Game on Saturday, April 5.

SWOSU returns 37 letterman and 10 starters from last year’s team that finished with a 6-5 record. The linebacking corps returns intact and is expected to be a major strength in 2008. Starting replacements need to be found in both the defensive line and defensive backfield.

Offensively, quarterback Steve Day is back along with star wide receiver Johnathan Haggerty and speedy tailback Patrick Weaver. Finding starters in a re-tooled offensive line will be one of the major keys in the development of the offense.

“This is an extremely important spring practice for us,” Held said. “We’ve got a number of holes to fill and establishing some depth across the board is a must.”

Held also said emphasis will be placed on being more physical on both sides of the ball and creating turnovers on defense.