ALLEN – Tarleton head football coach Cary Fowler and defensive end Rufus Johnson have each been selected to participate in the 2013 Texas vs. the Nation (TVN) collegiate senior All-Star football game, according to a release from the TVN office. The all-star game is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 2, 2013 and will be played at Eagle Stadium in Allen.
 
Fowler is just the third NCAA Division-II coach invited to participate in TVN following in the footsteps of D-II coaching legends Ken Sparks from Carson-Newman and former Northwest Missouri State University head coach Mel Tjeerdsma.  Coach Fowler will join a Team Texas staff lead by Dallas Cowboy great Bill Bates and is comprised of active NFL coaches.   
 
 “There is no one more committed to excellence and coaching than Cary Fowler.  I am excited to have him coach in Texas vs. the Nation this year”, said Texas vs. the Nation President/CEO, Kenny Hansmire.  “Coach Fowler is well respected and will be a great asset for Team Texas.” 
 
Meanwhile, Johnson, who is coming off a year where he was named Lone Star Conference Defensive Lineman of the Year, will suit up with a number of top collegiate players originally from Texas or who play college football in Texas against top players from around the nation. There have been 93 percent of TVN players who have signed NFL contracts. In TVN's short five year history, 515 players have signed NFL contracts, with one out of every 10 players on active NFL rosters having played in the TVN game. 
 
Johnson becomes the first Texan selected to participate in the TVN game and just the second player ever to participate in the elite all-star game. Nick Stephens played in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl last season.