Thirteen
HBCU Performers Named to Sports Network All-America Team
December 20, 2002
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) - Thirteen performers from
HBCUs were named to the Sports Network 2002 All-America Team.
Five of those players made the first team; three on offense
and two on defense.
I-AA national championship participants McNeese State and Western
Kentucky combined for six players on team, including three on
the First-Team for the Cowboys and two for the Hilltoppers.
McNeese offensive lineman Jason Davis was named to the First-Team
offense, while Cowboy linebacker Roderick Royal and safety Hadley
Prince received First-Team accolades on defense. For WKU, offensive
lineman Chris Price and linebacker Sherrod Coates were recognized
as First-Teamers by a panel of I-AA media members and sports
information directors. While 'Topper offensive lineman Buster
Ashley was noted as a Second-Team member.
The First-Team backfield consists of three players hailing from Illinois
institutions, with Eastern Illinois quarterback Tony Romo gracing the list
along with teammate J.R. Taylor and Southern Illinois' Mo Abdulqaadir at
tailback. Romo won the Walter Payton Award as the I-AA player of the year,
following a season in which he threw for 33 touchdown passes and 2,950
yards. Taylor had a big year as well, rambling for 1,434 yards and 18
touchdowns for the OVC co-champs. Abdulqaadir, meanwhile, was on his way to
a record-breaking season before breaking his thumb against Southwest
Missouri State on Oct. 26. Despite the abbreviated campaign, the junior
rushed for 1,331 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Wide receivers Tramon Douglas of Grambling State
and Willie Ponder of Southeast Missouri also drew first-team
praise. Douglas completed his season with eye-popping totals
of 92 catches for 1,704 yards and 18 touchdowns, while Ponder
went for 87 receptions, 1,453 yards, and 15 TDs. Tight end Casey
Cramer of Dartmouth was also named to the First-Team following
his 72-catch, 1,017-yard effort during the regular season.
Along with Davis and Price on the first-team offensive line
are Charles Clarke (Georgia Southern), Kevin Hill (Eastern Illinois),
and Terry Riley (Grambling State).
Delaware State kick returner DeShaun
Morris and Western Illinois kicker Justin Langan finish
out the First-Team, with Morris three kickoff returns for TDs
and Langan's 20-25 field goal performance swaying voters.
Three Southern Conference defensive linemen found their way
onto the First-Team, with Appalachian State's Josh Jeffries,
Wofford's Anthony Jones, and Georgia Southern's Freddy Pesqueira
joining Alabama A&M's Robert Mathis on the
initial squad. At linebacker, Buck Buchanan Award finalists
Boomer Grigsby (Illinois State) and Nick Ricks (Eastern Illinois)
received First-Team praise along with Coates and Royal. Four
Buchanan finalists were among the First-Team defensive backs,
as Mark Kasmer (Dayton), Rashean Mathis (Bethune-Cookman),
Prince, and Trey Young (Montana) were named to the squad. Western
Illinois punter Mike Scifres, who averaged more than 48 yards
per kick on the year, finishes out the Defensive First-Team.
In all, 76 players from 13 different conferences were selected to either
the first-, second-, or third-team, along with two players from independent
Samford. The Gateway Football Conference, which landed a pair of teams in
the I-AA quarterfinals, led all leagues with 15 selections, followed by the
Southern Conference with nine picks and the Atlantic 10, Ohio Valley,
Southland, and SWAC with seven each. Voting was conducted among I-AA Sports
Information Directors and selected I-AA media, with more than 100 ballots
being cast.
