Ballard to quarterback Team USA
5/23/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
May 23, 2007
VIENNA, Virginia -- Former TCU quarterback Jeff Ballard will play for Team USA at the 2007 World Championship of American Football, a six-country tournament to be held July 7-15 in Kawasaki, Japan.It will mark the first time the United States will play in the international event. John Mackovic is the head coach for Team USA.
This year's tournament is the third staged by the International Federation of American Football (IFAF). Team USA will face Germany and Korea in pool play. The other pool will consist of host and two-time defending champion Japan along with Sweden and France.
Ballard closed his TCU career by being named the Offensive Most Valuable Player in the 37-7 Poinsettia Bowl victory over Northern Illinois, leading the Horned Frogs to their third 11-win season in the last four years.
Ballard became just the fourth player in TCU football history to repeat as the Dan Rogers Most Valuable Player and the first since LaDainian Tomlinson in 1999 and 2000. The voting came from Ballard's teammates.
With a 19-2 (.905) record, Ballard has the highest winning percentage by a starting quarterback at TCU. He's also the Frogs' career leader in completion percentage (61.1). His 61.8 mark last year set a new single-season TCU record. Ballard's 59.9 percentage in 2005 ranks third.
Ballard's 4,204 yards passing place fourth on the TCU career list.
Ballard was a second-team All-Mountain West Conference selection as a senior. He ended the campaign with no interceptions in his final 154 pass attempts.
Ballard will report to Team USA's training camp on June 20 at San Jose State. After two weeks of practices, Team USA will depart for Japan.
