January 18, 2011

Thomas and Bittner To Play in Post-Season Senior Games

BUFFALO, NY – Former Buffalo football standouts Josh Thomas and Peter Bittner will both have a chance to showcase their skills for National Football League scouts in senior all-star games in the next few weeks.

Thomas, a three-year starter at cornerback, will play in the 86th Annual East-West Shrine Game this Saturday in Orlando, FL. The game kicks off at 4 pm at the Citrus Bowl and will be shown live on the NFL Network.

Thomas, one of the top cover corners in UB history, finished his Bulls' career with 29 career passes defended, tied for fifth best in school history. The Cedar Hill, TX native racked up 24 career starts and was named to Phil Steele's All-MAC third team this past year.

As a senior, he started all 12 games and was fifth on the team with 58 tackles, including 30 solo stops. He added 5.5 tackles for loss, a pair of sacks, eight pass breakups, including an interception.

Bittner, meanwhile, will participate in the Dixie Gridiron Classic in St. George, UT on Saturday, February 5, at 2 pm EST (12 noon MST).

Bittner was a rarity in today's college football, a four-year starter who never missed a single game in his career. As a result, the Williamsville North HS graduate started in a school-record 50 games, including 14 starts in the Bulls' record-breaking Mid-American Conference championship season of 2008.

Bittner, who played left guard and some tackle in his career, was a catalyst of some of the greatest offenses in UB history, including blocking for Buffalo's career rushing (James Starks), receiving (Naaman Roosevelt) and passing (Drew Willy) leaders.

Bittner earned second-team All-MAC honors in 2009 after helping the Bulls accumulate more yards in total offense than any other in its Division I history.