June 28, 2001
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. - Western Kentucky University football coach Jack Harbaugh announced Thursday that Buster Ashley signed scholarship papers and plans on enrolling at the school in the fall.
A 6-3, 285-pound tackle, Ashley sat out last season as a redshirt freshman at the University of Louisville, though he was slated to start as one of the Cardinals' tackles at the end of spring practice.
Ashley, an Owensboro, Ky., native joins an offensive line that returns all five starters from a unit that helped WKU rank in the top 10 in the nation in rushing for the 10th consecutive season last year.
Ashley lettered three times at Owensboro Senior High School, playing both offensive and defensive line, where he earned Louisville Courier-Journal all-state honors and was among others named to the Lexington Herald-Leader's "Class of the Commonwealth". As a senior, he helped the Red Devils reach the AAA state title game after returning from a fractured ankle to record 35 tackles with seven tackles for loss, six sacks, three blocked punts and a pair of fumble recoveries.
"We're excited about the opportunity to have Buster join our program," Harbaugh said. "It's not very often that you have someone who was so highly recruited enroll in school with four years of eligibility remaining. It's a tribute to us that Buster wants to continue and finish his degree program at Western Kentucky University."
The Hilltoppers -- who begin their inaugural season in the Gateway Football Conference with a 6:30 p.m. (CDT) kickoff Thursday, Aug. 30, at defending league champion Western Illinois -- finished 11-2 in 2000 and were undefeated Ohio Valley Conference champions in their final year in the league. WKU reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs for the second time in the last four years and was fifth in the final Sports Network poll after finishing with its fifth consecutive winning season.
-- WKU --
