For the first time in its history, Ball State had three players drafted in the same year: Dante Ridgeway, Justin Beriault and Reggie Hodges. All three players got phone calls during the sixth round within 35 minutes of each other.
Ridgeway was first to go when he was selected by St. Louis with the 18th pick in the round and 192nd overall. Ridgeway was the 25th wide receiver to go in the draft.
The last time a BSU players were drafted was in 1997 -- punter Brad Maynard and safety Cory Gilliard. Maynard currently kicks for the Chicago Bears.
Ridgeway's agent, Roosevelt Barnes, said that he was surprised Ridgeway didn't get selected earlier.
"I'm hoping he uses that as motivation," he said.
A half hour after Ridgeway was drafted, the final two Ball State players were selected within minutes of each other. Dallas selected Beriault as the 208th overall pick and St. Louis took Hodges as the 210th overall pick.
"It was a dream come true," Beriault said. "I really can't describe the feeling in words."
Beriault knew he wasn't going to get drafted on Saturday, but as the minutes kept ticking away on Sunday, his nervousness grew.
"When you're going through it, it's not so much fun -- not as much fun as you think it would be," Beriault said about the wait.
In the end though, Beriault said he ended up with the coach he would have chosen; he considers Bill Parcells one of the greatest coaches.
"I don't think I could have went to a better team that fits me and my personality," he said.
All three players will now have to prove themselves in training camps.
Beriault said he flies to Dallas on Thursday for the first minicamp and will be there for good on May 16.
"I got to make the team," he said. "Hopefully I can get the opportunity for myself to play."
Barnes, who also represents Hodges, said that getting drafted is similar to graduating from high school. Now Ridgeway and Hodges will have to prove themselves, and they hope to sign a contract eventually, he said.
"I was really excited that they got an opportunity," Barnes said. "That's just the beginning."
---- Neither Hodges nor Ridgeway could be reached for comment. ----
Ridgeway broke numerous receiving records during his three years at Ball State. Last season, Ridgeway caught 105 passes, topping his old record of 89 set during his sophomore year. Ridgeway also broke his own receiving yardage record last season, amassing 1,399 yards.
Ridgeway led the country in receptions per game (9.55) and receiving yards per game (127.18) last season on his way to being named one of the three finalists for the Fred Biletnikoff Award, given to the nation's best receiver.
St. Louis already has seven wide receivers on its roster. The Rams were led by Torry Holt, who hauled in 94 catches and 10 touchdowns last season.
Beriault was an All-Mid-American Conference First-Team selection during his final two seasons at Ball State. He ranked second in the MAC and 10th in the nation in total tackles with 125. Beriault started all but one of the 46 games of his career at Ball State.
Dallas has five safties listed on its roster, but only two recorded tackles last season. Roy Williams was second on the team in tackles with 88, while Lynn Scott recorded 37.
Just like Ridgeway and Beriault, Hodges was also an All-MAC First-Team selection last year. Hodges was second in the MAC and 26th in the nation with a 42.59 punting average. He kicked 73 punts for 3,109 yards, while dropping 25 punts inside the 20-yard line.
St. Louis used two punters last season. Kevin Stemke took over midway through the season after the Rams cut Sean Landeta. Stemke averaged 39.8 punting yards after taking over in week 12.
Hodges broke the school record with 254 punts during his career. His 10,210 career punt yards ranks second only to Maynard.
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