William Penn’s football program received some national exposure on Sunday when Statesmen tight end Andy Stokes became the final player selected in the NFL draft. The player has that’s chosen last in the draft each year has been dubbed “Mr. Irrelevant” by draft watchers. Stokes was an NAIA All-American this past season after transferring from Snow junior college in Utah. He was taken by the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots and Penn coach Todd Hafner got the word while he was on the golf course. He says his wife called and said she saw it on TV and he called an assistant coach and confirmed the news. Hafner says he was thrilled when he got the news. He says it’s a great time for Stokes, and says he definitely deserves it and they wish him luck.
Hafner says Stokes was drawing some interest from teams so his selection was not “out of the blue”. Hafner says some eight teams watched him workout during a pro day and they thought he might get drafted around the fourth round. He says it doesn’t matter what round you get drafted in as long as you take advantage of the opportunity. Penn was 3-8 last season, Hafner’s first as head coach and says this type of exposure will give the program a boost. He says they can tell kids they’re recruiting that if you have aspirations to move on, you’re gonna get noticed. And he says everyone across the country saw the name William Penn when Stokes was drafted.
Stokes had 42 receptions in 2004, including five for touchdowns.