EL PASO, Texas -- Southwest Baptist University senior wide receiver Johnnie King has been selected to participate in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Texas vs. the Nation all-star game. The fourth annual event will be held Saturday, February 6, 2010, at 1 p.m. CST from Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, Texas. Texas vs. the Nation would pit top collegiate senior all-stars with ties to the state of Texas against top seniors from around the nation. Players from all divisions compete in the event.

King, a St. Louis native, tied for the SBU team lead with 51 catches and eight touchdowns and also racked up 730 receiving yards for the Bearcats during his senior season. He led NCAA Division II in receptions per game in 2008 as a junior at SBU after transferring from Oklahoma Panhandle State. He caught 89 passes in 10 games for 1120 yards and nine touchdowns in 2008.

This is the second all-star game King was selected to participate in following his senior campaign. King and Bearcat teammate Jarred Schumpert are set to play in the 2010 Valero Cactus Bowl in Kingsville, Texas, on Friday, January 6, beginning at 6:35 p.m. CST. That event features the top NCAA Division II seniors from around the nation.

The SBU Bearcats completed their first winning season since 2001, going 6-5. The Bearcats finished with a flurry after an 0-4 start, winning six of their last seven games, which were the most wins in a seven game stretch in school history. After going 0-11 in 2007, the Bearcats went 5-6 last year and bettered that by one this season. The eleven wins were more than the previous five seasons (2003-07) combined.

ABOUT TEXAS VS THE NATION
Texas vs. the Nation began in 2007 as an idea to bring a sense of rivalry and teamwork back to the all-star arena. After considering other locations including Aruba, the Bahamas, Phoenix, and San Diego, CEO Kenny Hansmire selected El Paso and the Sun Bowl Stadium to host the inaugural game.

The game has grown each season, with attendance nearly doubling from year two to last season. Last year's event drew 42,387 fans. The number of players signed by NFL teams has also increased each year. Last season, 25 players who participated in the contest were drafted by the NFL and 93% (111 of 119) signed NFL contracts. The 2009 event was nationally televised by CBS College Sports.

The initial 25 players announced for the event included: QB Tim Hiller, Western Michigan; RB Andre Dixon, Connecticut; RB Joique Bell, Wayne State (MI); RB Deji Karim, Southern Illinois; FB Cory Jackson, Maryland; WR Taylor Price, Ohio; WR Jared Perry, Missouri; WR Juamorris Stewart, Southern; WR Stephen Williams, Toledo; TE Gerald Harris, Mississippi; OG Brandon Carter, Texas Tech; OT Marlon Winn, Texas Tech; OT Selvish Capers, West Virginia; OT Jared Veldheer, Hillsdale (MI); DE Jammie Kirlew, Indiana; DE Hall Davis, UL-Lafayette; DE Danny Batten, South Dakota State; DE Austen Lane, Murray State; DT Travis Ivey, Maryland; LB Justin Cole, San Jose State; LB Carl Ihenacho, San Jose State; CB Patrick Stoudamire, Western Illinois; CB Akwasi Owusu-Ansah, Indiana (PA); S Damon Cromartie-Smith, UTEP; S Lucien Antoine, Oklahoma State.

Heading up the coaching staffs for this year's game will be Howard Schnellenberger, head coach for the Nation, and Bill Bates, head coach for Texas. Schnellenberger has been part of four collegiate national championships including the 1983 Miami Hurricanes who won the school's first national title ever defeating Nebraska in the 50th Orange Bowl. After a collegiate career at the University of Tennessee, Bates signed as an undrafted rookie free agent with the Dallas Cowboys in 1983 and went on to spend his entire 15-year NFL career in Dallas, winning three Super Bowls while with the Cowboys.

For more on the Texas vs. the Nation contest, please visit texasvsthenation.com