University of Massachusets Athletics
Five UMass Football Players Earn All-New England Honors
November 29, 2000 | Football
Nov. 29, 2000
AMHERST, Mass. -- Five members of the University of Massachusetts football team have been selected to the 2000 New England Football Writers Division I-AA All-Star Team. Senior linebacker Kole Ayi (Nashua, N.H.), junior free safety Jeremy Robinson (Syracuse, N.Y.) and senior running back Marcel Shipp (Paterson, N.J.) were all selected to the squad for the second year in a row, while senior defensive end Dan Schneider (Fitchburg, Mass.) and senior strong safety Brian Smith (Wilmington, Del.) were also honored. UMass had more players selected to the squad than any other school.
Ayi, who earned first team All-Atlantic 10 honors and 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. He also totaled six sacks, 14 tackles for loss and one interception. 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, who is a first team All-Atlantic 10 honoree, 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. For his career, Robinson has now totaled 12 interceptions, 20 pass breakups and 235 total tackles.
Shipp, a first team All-Atlantic 10 selection and 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 the Atlantic 10 career rushing record of New Hampshire's Jerry Azumah' (6,193 yards) with his career total of 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 regular 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 career receiving yards.
Schneider, a third team All-Atlantic 10 selection, had 46 total tackles this season, including 18 solo tackles with 10 tackles for loss. He also had four sacks, while starting all 11 of UMass' games. Schneider was a three-year starter along the defensive line for the Minutemen, playing in 50 career games with 174 total tackles, including 94 solo tackles and 15 sacks.
Smith, who also earned first team All-Atlantic 10 honors, 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. Smith finished his four year career with 304 total tackles, including 212 solo stops, and 23 pass breakups. He ranks sixth all-time at UMass in career solo tackles and seventh in career pass breakups.
UMass finished the 2000 season with a 7-4 overall record, and placed third in the Atlantic 10 with a 5-3 mark in conference games.
