Cactus Bowl (Division II)
Year Name School Initial NFL Team Round-Overall or Free Agent
2001 Marc Cerqua Carson-Newman Tampa Bay Buccaneers FA
2001 Dondre Gilliam Millersville San Diego Chargers FA
2001 Kendrick Office West Alabama Buffalo Bills FA
2001 Dominic Rhodes Midwestern State Indianapolis Colts FA
2001 Ronald Smith Lane Cincinnati Bengals FA
2001 Josh Stamer South Dakota Buffalo Bills FA
2001 Ben Steele Mesa State Green Bay Packers FA
2001 Colston Weatherington Central Missouri Dallas Cowboys 7-207
2002 James Atkins Virginia Union Tennessee Titans FA
2002 Keyon Nash Albany State Oakland Raiders 6-189
2002 Jared Peck North Dakota State Atlanta Falcons FA
2002 Erik Totten Western Washington Pittsburgh Steelers FA
2003 Khalid Abdullah Mars Hill Cincinnati Bengals 5-136
2003 Phillip Bogle New Haven San Diego Chargers FA
2003 Jacques Cesaire Southern Connecticut San Diego Chargers FA
2003 Clarence Coleman Ferris State Buffalo Bills FA
2003 Todd Devoe Central Missouri Denver Broncos FA
2003 Anthony Dunn Northern Colorado Tennessee Titans FA
2003 Steve Josue Carson-Newman Green Bay Packers 7-257
2003 Ben Nelson St . Cloud State Minnesota Vikings FA
Players in the NFL
Cactus Bowl players ( 2001–2010 ) who later appeared in the NFL . [ citation needed ]
The Cactus Bowl (formerly the Snow Bowl) was a postseason college football all-star game played each January in Kingsville, Texas, which showcased the best NFL draft prospects of those collegiate players who had completed their eligibility in NCAA Division II. First played in 1994 at the Fargodome in Fargo, North Dakota, as the Snow Bowl, the game moved to Javelina Stadium on the campus of Texas A&M University-Kingsville in 2001 as the Cactus Bowl. Proceeds went to the Shriners Hospitals for Children. The game typically consisted of 88 total players; in all but the final year, teams were designated East and West, composed of players from those regions of the United States. The game gave NFL scouts a chance to view the relatively low profile Division II talent, prompting its slogan of the best players you've never seen. The bowl's website (now defunct) said that more than 100 players of the game later signed with the NFL. The bowl lasted through 2011, after which it was merged with the USA College Football Bowl of NCAA Division III.