Dec. 7, 2004

Columbia, Mo. - A pair of seniors on the University of Missouri football team will extend their collegiate careers by at least one more game, as defensive tackle Atiyyah Ellison (St. Louis, Mo.) and wide receiver/punt returner Thomson Omboga (Grand Prairie, Texas) have each accepted invitations to play in upcoming all-star games.

Ellison, who was named 1st-Team All-Big 12 by conference coaches last week, will play January 29th in the 56th annual Senior Bowl, held in Mobile, Ala. Ellison, who was a key player on Mizzou's defense which led the Big 12 in total defense during the regular season, had 60 tackles on the 2004 season, and ranked third on the squad with 12.5 tackles for loss. The 6-foot-4, 300-pound lineman also recorded 2.5 quarterback sacks on the year, with four quarterback pressures, as well. Ellison will be MU's 49th representative in the senior bowl, and the first since former all-American center Rob Riti played in the 2000 contest.

Omboga has accepted an invitation to play in the Las Vegas All-American Classic, to be held January 22nd in Las Vegas, Nev. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound wideout caught 39 passes in 2004 for 392 yards, and ended his career ranked fourth on the Mizzou alltime receptions list, with 127. Omboga also was MU's top punt returner as a senior, as he ranked second in the Big 12 Conference, and 25th in the NCAA, with an average return of 12.44 yards. He will be MU's third-ever representative in the Las Vegas All-American Classic, which originally began as the Paradise Bowl. Previous Tiger players in the game included linebacker Marquis Gibson (1999) and offensive lineman Mike Hayes (2001).

The Senior Bowl will be televised live at 2 p.m. (central) on ESPN on the 29th.