Southeast Missouri State University senior quarterback Jack Tomco is among the first 50 players chosen to compete in the inaugural NCAA Division I-AA College Football All-Star Classic, which will be played Dec. 30 in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The Football Network, a new national cable network devoted to all forms of football programming, created the game in cooperation with 13 Division I-AA conferences. TFN will televise the event.

Participating players are seniors who were chosen by a committee of coaches, administrators and media from the 13 conferences. An additional 50 players will be selected in October to complete the rosters.

Tomco, a junior-college transfer, rewrote the Southeast record book last year in his first season with the Indians. He broke nine school marks, including throwing for 3,132 yards and 29 touchdowns. He completed 65 percent of his passes and ranked eighth nationally in passing efficiency.

The teams will compete as two teams named for Eddie Robinson, the legendary coach of I-AA powerhouse Grambling State, and the late Walter Payton, a product of I-AA Jackson State who went on to star for the Chicago Bears.

-- Marty Mishow