BIG RAPIDS — Ferris State University will honor a Bulldog legend and one of the National Football League’s top defensive linemen on Friday, retiring the jersey of alum Zach Sieler during the annual Crimson & Gold spring football game.
Sieler has spent the past seven years in the NFL and was named the Miami Dolphins’ Most Valuable Player this fall. He became the first-ever Bulldog to be drafted by an NFL franchise in 2018 when he was picked in the seventh round by the Baltimore Ravens. Sieler wore jersey No. 96 during his Ferris State career.
“We’re looking forward to honoring Zach on Friday and he’s extremely deserving of this recognition,” head coach Tony Annese said. “He has been an ambassador for Ferris State University and Bulldog Football on the game’s biggest stage in the National Football League and we’re proud of his achievements and thankful for what he’s meant for our university.”
Sieler is only the second Ferris State football player in the program’s 116-year history to ever have his jersey retired, following former teammate and two-time Harlon Hill Trophy winner Jason Vander Laan.The three-time national champion Bulldogs will close out spring drills with the annual Crimson & Gold contest presented by Jersey Mike’s at 3 p.m. on Friday.
The game will be broadcast live on YouTube @ferrisathletics along with local radio flagship station Sunny 97.3 FM and the Bulldog Sports Network online at FerrisStateBulldogs.com with pregame coverage starting at 2:30 p.m.A force on the defensive front during his Bulldog career, Sieler was selected 238th overall in the 2018 NFL Draft by the Ravens after his career at Ferris State, where he joined the team as a walk-on. He played for the Ravens in parts of two seasons before moving the Dolphins in 2019.
Sieler was an All-American in each of his final two seasons and twice received the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Defensive Lineman of the Year honor along with being chosen in both 2016 and 2017 as the Division II Conference Commissioners Association Super Region Defensive Player of the Year.
He was also twice chosen as a national finalist for the Cliff Harris National Small College Defensive Player of the Year honors. He was successful in the classroom as well, being a three-time GLIAC All-Academic Team honoree.
Originally from Pinckney, Sieler was selected this past season to receive the Dan Marino Most Valuable Player Award, an honor voted on by South Florida media members who regularly cover the Dolphins. The team captain led a defensive unit that ranked among the league’s best, consistently disrupting offensive backfields over the course of the year and delivering game-changing plays in pivotal moments.
Sieler is the league’s only interior defensive lineman in the NFL to record 10-plus sacks in each of the last two seasons. He earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week recognition this past fall for the first time in his professional career.
Sieler has tallied 30 sacks with 49 tackles for loss and 170 solo tackles with 140 assists in 91 games over his seven seasons in the league. Along with being honored at halftime, Sieler will also be the keynote speaker on Friday evening for the Bulldogs’ National Championship Ring Ceremony.
Admission to Friday’s spring game is free, and gates will open one hour prior to kickoff.