University of Massachusets Athletics
Six Football Players Earn All-Atlantic 10 Conference Honors
November 22, 2000 | Football
Nov. 22, 2000
AMHERST, Mass. -- Six members of the University of Massachusetts football team have been selected to the 2000 All-Atlantic 10 Conference teams. The Minutemen had four selections to the first team, in senior linebacker Kole Ayi (Nashua, N.H.), junior free safety Jeremy Robinson (Syracuse, N.Y.), senior running back Marcel Shipp (Paterson, N.J.) and senior strong safety Brian Smith (Wilmington, Del.). Senior offensive lineman Joe Frawley (Waltham, Mass.) earned a spot on the second team, while senior defensive end Dan Schneider (Fitchburg, Mass.) was selected to the third team.
Ayi, who is a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, led the team and ranked fourth in the Atlantic 10 with 123 total tackles on the season, including 76 solo stops which is good for second in the conference. Ayi ends his UMass career as the school's all-time leader in career solo tackles with 330 and is ranked third in total tackles with 478.
Robinson led the team and was tied for third in the Atlantic 10 with four interceptions on the season. He led the team with eight pass breakups and was third on the team in total tackles with 75, including 52 solo tackles which was second on the team. Robinson led the team with 10 tackles and had an interception in UMass' 21-16 win over Northeastern.
Shipp, who is a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, rushed for 1,106 yards on 257 carries and 12 touchdowns this season, while also catching 23 passes for 230 yards. Shipp broke New Hampshire's Jerry Azumah's Atlantic 10 career rushing record of 6,193 yards with his own 6,250 yards. Shipp ends his career with a UMass record 63 touchdowns, while he is ranked sixth on the all-time NCAA Division I-AA career rushing list with his 5,383 yards not including post season yards. He became the first player in school-history to break the 1,000-yard mark in both rushing and receiving with 1,117 receiving yards.
Smith ranked fourth on the team in total tackles with 59 including 39 solo tackles. He was tied for second on the team in interceptions with two and in tackles for loss with 11. At Richmond he ranked third on the team with nine tackles, including three tackles for loss, and against William & Mary he tied for second on the team in tackles with six.
Frawley was one of the leaders of an offensive line which helped UMass to 4,430 yards of total offense. He helped pave the way for UMass to run for 170.4 yards per game, while also providing pass protection which allowed the Minutemen to throw for 232.4 yards per contest.
Schneider had 46 total tackles, including 18 solo tackles with 10 for loss. He also had four sacks on the season. He started for three seasons playing in 50 career games with 174 total tackles, including 94 solo tackles and 15 sacks.
UMass finished the 200 season with a 7-4 overall record and a 5-3 third place mark in the Atlantic 10.
