University of Massachusets Athletics
James, Koegel Named Walter Camp, TSN Football All-Americans
December 12, 2005 | Football
Dec. 12, 2005
AMHERST, Mass. - UMass' Shannon James (Stratford, Conn.) and Christian Koegel (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) were named to the Walter Camp All-American Team. James was named to the team for the second time in as many years while the junior punter Koegel was recoginzed for the first time. The last time UMass had two first-team All-Americans was in 1999 when they had four. The Walter Camp presents just one team which counts as the first team.
James was also named a First Team All-American by the Sports Network while Koegel was named a Third Team All-American by TSN.
James is the first two-time First Team All-American since Kole Ayi in 1999 and 2000. Koegel is the first All-American punter at UMass since David Sanger in 2001, who was a second teammer.
A 2004 All-American James had a strong season with 55 tackles and four interceptions also earning A-10 First Team honors and All-New England honors. He finished his UMass career as the all-time leading in interceptions with 20 and fourth in career solo tackles with 253. He was named the A-10 Defensive Player of the Year in 2004 in addition to being a First Team pick.
The A-10's Special Teams Player of the Year, Koegel led the Atlantic 10 and ranks third nationally with a 43.0 average on 49 punts. The junior dropped 18 punts inside the opponents' 20-yard line and has boomed at least one 50-yard punt in 14 of his last 19 contests. He is UMass' all-time leader in career punting average as well at 40.95. He was named to the A-10 First Team and the named to the New England Football Writers All-Star Team.
Here is the complete release
PHILADELPHIA, PA -- New Hampshire quarterback Ricky Santos and safety Tony LeZotte of James Madison, the 2005 Atlantic 10 Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively, are among nine standouts from the Atlantic 10 Football Conference named to the Walter Camp Football Foundation I-AA All-America Team, announced on Friday.
One of three finalists for the Walter Payton Award, Santos led the A-10 in five offensive categories, including passing yards (3,797) and touchdown passes (39). The first sophomore to be named the league's Offensive Player of the Year since former UNH standout Jerry Azumah in 1996, Santos surpassed the 300-yard passing mark seven times this season, tops in the Conference, while averaging 292.0 passing yards per game, the most by a sophomore in league history.
LeZotte collected 95 tackles and broke up seven passes in anchoring a James Madison defense that led the Conference in rushing yards per game (106.8) and ranked second in scoring (15.2 ppg.). The Augusta, GA, native shared the league-lead with three forced fumbles and tied an Atlantic 10 record with a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown on November 19 in the Dukes' 55-14 win over Towson. He is the first player to earn first-team A-10 All-Conference acclaim as a freshman and sophomore since former Boston University offensive lineman Bob Speight (1978-79).
Joining Santos on the All-America offensive unit are New Hampshire junior wide receiver David Ball and senior tight end Jonathan Williams, along with senior offensive lineman Matt Magerko of James Madison. LeZotte is joined on defense by senior linebacker Brian Hulea of Villanova, Massachusetts senior defensive back Shannon James, and UMass punter Christian Koegel. The 2005 Atlantic 10 Special Teams Player of the Year, Koegel led the Conference with a 43.0 average on 49 punts, 18 of which he dropped inside the opponent's 20-yard line.
With three selections on the 25-player squad, New Hampshire had the most players represented of any team in I-AA. The Atlantic 10 had the most selections (nine) of any conference, followed by the Big Sky with four and the MEAC and Southern conference with three players each. Ball and James were joined by Cal Poly senior defensive lineman Chris Gocong as the only repeat selections.
Walter Camp, "The Father of American Football," first selected an All-America team in 1889. A former Yale University athlete and football coach, Camp is also credited with developing play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side. The Walter Camp Football Foundation - a New Haven based all-volunteer group - was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting All-America teams for 1-A and 1-AA.
