Odessa, Texas----Wingate University quarterback Robbie Nallenweg ('14, Asheville, N.C.) has signed a contract with the West Texas Wildcatters of the Lone Star Football League (LSFL), team officials announced Sunday. The Wildcatters are a LSFL expansion team; they will play a 12-game schedule with six home dates in their inaugural season.
 
"There is no doubt in my mind Robbie possesses the skills necessary to play at the next level," Wingate head football coach Joe Reich says. "He has good size and arm strength. Obviously, he is extremely intelligent. I would love to see him get a shot before he goes to medical school."
 
Nallenweg's journey to West Texas started in an interesting way. "A friend of the head coach sent me a Facebook message," Nallenweg says. "He was serving as a scout for the team. He asked me to send film. I sent them a link to my Hudl account. The next day, they invited me to camp."
 
Nallenweg finished a one week mini-camp over the weekend. The Wildcatters play their first game Saturday, visiting the San Angelo (Texas) Bandits. The team's first home game is Saturday, April 12, when the Wildcatters host the Rio Grande Valley Sol. "I want to keep developing and keep getting better," Nallenweg says. "I want to make the most of this chance."
 
In early March, Nallenweg attended a Canadian Football League (CFL) combine. Lone Star Football League contracts are written so the player receives a release if he is offered an opportunity to play at a higher level.
 
Nallenweg was one of 28 candidates for the 2013 Harlon Hill Trophy as the NCAA Division II college football Player of the Year. He was named second team All-South Atlantic Conference by the league's head coaches. Nallenweg led the SAC in completions per game (28.1) and completion percentage (70.3). He was ranked fourth in the NCAA Division II in both categories.
 
His statistics line this season included 281-of-400 passes for 3013 yards and 24 touchdowns. He completed 24-of-28 passes for 273 yards and four TDs against Brevard, passing the career 5000-yard mark in the process.
 
Nallenweg posted 334 yards and three scoring strikes at Tusculum. The two-year team captain recorded a season-high 460 passing yards at Mars Hill. In his final collegiate game, Nallenweg completed 32-of-48 passes for 434 yards and four scores against number 21 Carson-Newman. His pass efficiency rating this season is 147.32.
 
In 2012, Nallenweg set school records for passing yards per game (331.3), completions in a game (43), completions in a season (326), attempts in a season (491) and completion percentage for a season (66 percent). His yards in a season (3644) and touchdowns in a season (29) are both second-most in a season at Wingate.
 
Nallenweg is a two-time winner of the SAC Scholar-Athlete of the Year Award for football. In the classroom, Nallenweg posted a 3.812 GPA with his Biology major. A two-time Capital One Academic All-Super Region 2 team member, Nallenweg has been included on the Wingate President's and Dean's Lists and the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll.
 
In the community, Nallenweg was involved with Special Olympics Field Day and the Union County Boys and Girls Club. He made a lunch visit with his teammates to Wingate Elementary School this fall. Nallenweg was a nominee for the 2012 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team® for his role in Wingate's initiative with the Union County Boys and Girls Club.
 
The Wildcatters will play their home games in the Ector County Coliseum, with a seating capacity of 5,206. The West Texas Wildcatters' ownership group consists of West Texas born-and-raised businessmen. The Wildcatters look forward to bringing exciting, fast-paced and hard-hitting entertainment for the whole family back to West Texas on Saturday nights.
 
WINGATE UNIVERSITY
 
Wingate University, ranked as the 8th "best value" in the South by U.S. News & World Report, serves more than 3,000 students on three campuses in Wingate, Charlotte and Hendersonville, N.C. Founded in 1896, the University offers 35 undergraduate majors, 37 minors and career concentrations, numerous pre-professional programs, graduate degrees in business, accounting, education, physician assistant studies and sport administration, and doctorates in pharmacy, physical therapy and education.
 
With a 14 to 1 student/teacher ratio, Wingate students gain the tools and support needed to excel in academics and apply that learning toward an extraordinary career and life. To view current news, video and story ideas, visit www.youtube.com/wingateuniversity. 
 
In addition to a robust intramural athletics program, Wingate student athletes compete in 22 NCAA Division II sports. The University has won the South Atlantic Conference Echols Athletic Excellence Award for the past seven years. For more information, go to www.wingate.edu.
 
Wingate is first among NCAA Division II Academic All-America®-producing private colleges in the 2000's with 59 selections. Among North Carolina's colleges and universities, Wingate's 59 Academic All-America® honorees are number one during this millennium. Wingate's 68 lifetime Academic All-America® picks are tops among all SAC schools. For more information on WU athletics, go to www.wingatebulldogs.com.