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Courtney Robinson Named To CSN's Fabulous 50 FCS All-American Team
Jan. 5, 2009
UMass senior cornerback Courtney Robinson has been named to the College Sporting News 2008 Fabulous 50 FCS All-American Team after his great season. Joining Robinson as Honorable Mention All-Americans are junior receiver Victor Cruz and senior punter Brett Arnold. Robinson continues to gain honors as he was an New England All-Star and All-CAA first-team selection. He leaves UMass his 1,388 career kickoff return yardage is first all-time at UMass. He was named first-team All-CAA at cornerback for the second year in a row. He became leader at #13 New Hampshire (11/15), passing Stephen Parnell (1,317). Robinson is fifth in career kickoff return average at UMass 23.8. He had 35 tackles including a sack and 11 pass break-ups this season. Returned 18 kicks for 404 yards (22.4 avg.) as many teams kick short and away from him. Robinson finished tied for second in CAA in pass break-ups with 11. Cruz was an All-CAA first-team pick. He led UMass with 71 catches for 1064 yards and six touchdowns. He became the sixth 1,000-yard receiver in a single season in UMass history. He had the fourth-best single-season receiving yards total and fifth-best in catches for a year. He led the CAA and ranks 13th in NCAA in receiving yards per game with 95.3. Also ranks second in CAA and tied for 27th in FCS with 6.2 catches per game. He had two games with 10 or more catches and three games with 100 or more yards. It is Arnold's second All-American accolade. He was the Associated Press First-Team All-American punter as well.Arnold was an All-CAA first-team selection and All-New England pick after he finished second in FCS in 2008 in punting average 45.22 just one-tenth behind NCAA leader Robbie Dehaze of Northern Arizona (45.23). Arnold led the CAA in punting. Arnold's season mark of 45.22 set a new UMass single-season record. The former record was 43.3 by Andy Maclay in 1998. Arnold is now first all-time in career punting average with 41.4 at UMass. Record was held by Christian Koegel (40.94). His career mark of 41.4 is fifth among all active FCS punters.
Here is the complete release from College Sporting News CSN Announces the 2008 Fabulous Fifty Division I FCS All-American Team CHICAGO, ILL. - National champion Richmond dominated the selections of the College Sporting News Fabulous Fifty Division I FCS All-American team released today with three major award winners and five total selections. In all, 36 teams and 13 conferences are represented on the team. Richmond landed four players on the squad, James Madison had three, while nine other teams also had multiple selections -- Appalachian State, Central Arkansas, Elon, Liberty, Montana, Northern Arizona, Northern Iowa, UC Davis, and Western Illinois. Counting the Honorable Mention selections, 65 schools and all 14 conferences were honored. Unlike other All-American teams, the CSN honor's squad is designed to be like a real team, capable of taking the field and competing in a game. It includes everything from quarterbacks, who can run or pass and often-overlooked fullbacks, to long snappers and other special teams performers. The Fabulous Fifty also emphasizes players who have exhibited character and other team-oriented traits, not just lofty statistics, or talent. Mike London, who led Richmond to its first NCAA championship season was named as CSN's coach of the year. A first year head coach returning to his alma mater, London guided the Spiders to a 4-3 start in the season before Richmond ripped out a nine game win streak which included toppling the No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 seeds in the playoffs. Under his tutelage, Richmond became only the second private school ever to win the Division I football crown. Walter Payton award winner Armanti Edwards, the All-Southern Conference quarterback from Appalachian State was named as CSN's Offensive Player Of The Year. Giving opposing defenses fits again this year, Edwards finished the regular season with 2,902 passing yards, 941 rushing yards and a SoCon-record 41 touchdowns responsible for (30 passing, 11 rushing). and led his Mountaineers to another Southern Conference championship and into the playoff quarterfinals. Armanti was selected to the team in 2007 as the Playoff Most Valuable Player. Buck Buchanan award winner and All-Big Sky Conference defensive end from Eastern Washington, Greg Peach was honored as CSN's Defensive Player Of The Year for 2008. Peach led the FCS in sacks (1.64 per game, 18 total for 103 yards in losses) and tackles for loss (2.05 per game, 22.5 total, 133 yards), racking up six multi-sack games and 72 tackles. Peach won the Buchanan Award by the largest margin in the honor's history. Matt McCracken, All-Colonial Athletic Association offensive guard at Richmond was named as CSN's Offensive Lineman Of The Year. McCracken's 37-consecutive starts are a team high and he helped pave the way for another impressive rushing performance by the Spiders. Richmond is ranked as the league's fourth-best rushing team (188.9 yards/game) and is one of the league's best teams at converting on third-and-short. Richmond defensive end and captain Lawrence Sidbury, Jr. garnered the Playoff Most Valuable Player nod for his astounding performances while leading the Spiders to their historic championship. Sidbury, All-Colonial Athletic Association for the second straight year. anchors the league leading "Stonewall" defense of the Spiders which held Montana to a season low 39 yards rushing in the championship game. He accounted for four sacks in the game and five total in the playoffs for 28 yards in losses. CSN's Freshman Of The Year honors went to All-Big South Conference runningback Edwin Gowins from Stony Brook. Gowins set new Stony Brook records for yards and yards per carry in a season, finishing second in the Big South with his 1,310 yards and 119.1 yards per game average. His total yards is also the top mark among all freshman at the NCAA Division I FCS level in 2008, with his 278 yards against Iona setting a new Big South single-game record. Seven players were repeat selections from last year on the team, including Edwards of Appalachian State, three-time pick Ramses Barden of Cal Poly, Terrell Hudgins of Elon, Zach East of Prairie View A&M, Lardarius Webb of Nicholls State, Colt Anderson of Montana, and Dan Pope of Liberty. 2008 NCAA DIVISION I FCS FABULOUS FIFTY ALL-AMERICAN TEAM HONORS Coach of the Year: Mike London, Richmond OFFENSE QB Nathan Brown, Central Arkansas DEFENSE DT Everette Pedescleaux, Northern Iowa SPECIAL TEAMS K Andrew Wilcox, Elon HONORABLE MENTION (*Players named here might have also been on the Fab 50 team but were also cited as considerations for the top honors) *Coach of the Year: Clint Conque, Central Arkansas; Ron McBride, Weber State. POSITIONAL HONORABLE MENTION QB - Cameron Higgins, Weber State; Rhett Bomar, Sam Houston State. |
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