ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Team
Selected by CoSIDA
Utah’s Smith & Eastern New Mexico’s Touchstone Head
WALTHAM, Mass. – Junior quarterback Alex Smith of the University of Utah and senior defensive back Ty Touchstone of Eastern New Mexico University head the 2004 ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America® Football Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Smith was named the Academic All-America of the Year for the university division while Touchstone, who is making his third appearance on the national team, received the same honor for the college division.
Smith, a candidate for the Heisman, the Davey O’Brien Award and the Walter Camp Award, led Utah to an 11-0 regular season and a number six ranking in the latest USA Today/ESPN coaches poll. Owner of an incredible 7-1 touchdown-interception ratio, the La Mesa, Calif. resident has thrown for 2,624 yards and 28 touchdowns, and has rushed for 563 yards and another 10 scores.
Smith, the Offensive Player of the Year in the Mountain West Conference, graduated in May after just two years of school, compiling a 3.74 grade point average as an economics major, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in economics.
Touchstone, a repeat selection on the first team after earning second-team accolades in 2002, is majoring in business administration and computer information systems. He was the only NCAA Division II player chosen as a 2004 National Scholar-Athlete by the National Football Foundation and will receive an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship.
Touchstone, who hails from Lubbock, Texas, was third on Eastern New Mexico’s team with 78 total tackles, and second with 53 unassisted stops. He blocked three field goals, all coming in the fourth quarter of Greyhound wins, and had three interceptions while earning second-team All-Conference honors.
Six schools placed two athletes on the Academic All-America first team, including Utah and Pittsburgh. Smith was joined by teammate Morgan Scalley, a senior defensive back making his second straight appearance on the first team. Pitt had two defensive linemen repeat on the first team, Dan Stephens and Vince Crochunis.
Also with two first-team selections were Ole Miss (Rob Robertson, Cody Ridgeway), Northwest Missouri State (Troy Tysdahl, Josh Lamberson) and Juniata (Matt Garner, Patrick Brown).
Many of the 48 first team honorees played on teams that enjoyed great success in 2004, with six members of Division I-A top 25 teams, two that played in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs, seven who participated in the Division II playoffs and three whose teams earned NCAA Division III playoff berths.
The nationally-ranked Division I-A teams that had athletes earn first-team Academic All-America honors were Utah, Pitt, LSU (Rudy Niswanger) and Wisconsin ( Jim Leonhard) while Ben Cross of Delaware and Stephen Bono of Lafayette appeared in the Division I-AA playoffs.
Schools that participated in the NCAA Division II playoffs and had at least one Academic All-America first-team selection were Northwest Missouri, St. Cloud State (Ryan Koch), Shippensburg (John Kuhn), Michigan Tech (Joe Berger), East Stroudsburg (Matt Crispwell) and top-ranked Pittsburg State (Chris Beyer).
Mark Robinson of St. John Fisher, Eric Schneider of Mt. Saint Joseph and Mark Giesmann of Wartburg were first-team honorees who participated in the Division III playoffs.
A total of six athletes were repeat first team-selections. That list includes Touchstone, Crochunis, Stephens, Kuhn, Giesmann and Scally.
The Academic All-America Teams program honors 816 male and female student-athletes annually who have succeeded at the highest level on the playing field and in the classroom. Individuals are selected through voting by CoSIDA, the College Sports Information Directors of America; a 2,000-member organization consisted of sports public relations professionals for colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.
To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.20 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Division I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.
ESPN the Magazine is in its first year as the exclusive corporate sponsor of the Academic All-America program.
2004 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Football Team (University Division)
as selected by CoSIDA
First-Team Offense
NAME SCHOOL POSITION YR. HOMETOWN GPA MAJOR
Alex Smith •• Utah Quarterback Jr. La Mesa, Calif. 3.74 Economics
Kevin Knutson Valparaiso Wide Receiver Sr. River Falls, Wis. 3.75 Chemistry/Biology
Lance Moore Toledo Wide Receiver Sr. Westerville, Ohio 3.54 Business
Billy Bajema Oklahoma State Tight End Sr. Oklahoma City, Okla. 3.70 General Business (Pre-Med)
Evan Harney San Diego Running Back Jr. Fallbrook, Calif. 3.90 Business Administration
Nick Hartigan Brown Running Back Jr. Fairfax Station, Va. 3.87 Political Science
Stephen Bono Lafayette Offensive Line Sr. Upper Saddle River, N.J. 3.80 Civil Engineering
Trenton Franz Wyoming Offensive Line Sr. Fort Collins, Colo. 3.81 Civil Engineering
Brandon Mason Elon Offensive Line Gr. Martinsville, Va. 3.81 Business Administration
Rudy Niswanger LSU Offensive Line Jr. Monroe, La. 4.00 Pre-Medicine
Matt Tarullo Syracuse Offensive Line Sr. Albany, N.Y. 3.73 Psychology & Speech Comm.
Justin Langan Western Illinois Placekicker Sr. Davenport, Iowa 3.67 Biological Sciences
First-Team Defense
NAME SCHOOL POSITION YR. HOMETOWN GPA MAJOR
Luis Castillo Northwestern Defensive Line Sr. Garfield, N.J. 3.53 Economics
Vince Crochunis Pittsburgh Defensive Line Sr. Schuylkill Haven, Pa. 3.92 Pol. Sci./Communications /History
Ben Cross Delaware Defensive Line Sr. Hamilton, Va. 3.95 Civil Engineering
Dan Stephens Pittsburgh Defensive Line Sr. Wheeling, W. Va. 3.77 Urban Studies
Jonathan LeDonne Robert Morris Linebacker Sr. Aliquippa, Pa. 4.00 Manufacturing Engineering
Rob Robertson Mississippi Linebacker Sr. Centreville, Miss. 3.95 Biology
Chad Sievers Nebraska Linebacker Sr. Valley, Neb. 4.00 Business Administration
Jeff Backes Northwestern Defensive Back Jr. Columbus, Ohio 3.80 Psychology (Pre-Medicine)
Andrew Guman Penn State Defensive Back Sr. Allentown, Pa. 3.77 Finance
Jim Leonhard Wisconsin Defensive Back Sr. Tony, Wis. 3.44 Kinesiology
Morgan Scalley Utah Defensive Back Sr. Salt Lake City, Utah 3.96 Mass Communication
Cody Ridgeway Mississippi Punter Sr. Jackson, Tenn. 3.82 Banking/Finance
Second-Team Offense
NAME SCHOOL POSITION YR. HOMETOWN GPA MAJOR
Tony Stauss North Dakota State Quarterback Sr. Racine, Wis. 4.00 Mathematics
Vincent Jackson Northern Colorado Wide Receiver Sr. Colorado Springs, Colo. 3.32 Business Administration
Jason Wood Arkansas State Wide Receiver Sr. Sheridan, Ark. 3.85 Pre-Medicine
Jay Cline Liberty Tight End Sr. Danville, Va. 3.91 Exercise Science
Nick Chournos Weber State Running Back Sr. Tremonton, Utah 3.73 Criminal Science
Steve Verhoff Dayton Running Back Sr. Wellington, Ohio 3.43 Adolescent-Youth Adult Educ.
John Bechdol Harvard Offensive Line Sr. Long Lake, Minn. 3.35 Economics
Jeff Berk West Virginia Offensive Line Gr. Huber Heights, Ohio 3.60 Special Education
Perry Cox Western Illinois Offensive Line Jr. Carrollton, Texas 3.97 Management
Greg Eslinger Minnesota Offensive Line Jr. Bismarck, N.D. 3.57 Inter-College Program
Justin Gibson Bucknell Offensive Line Sr. Greensburg, Pa. 3.77 Accounting
Justin Zaitz Northern Colorado Place-kicker Jr. Boulder, Colo. 4.00 Finance/Economics
Second-Team Defense
NAME SCHOOL POSITION YR. HOMETOWN GPA MAJOR
Ryan Carter Air Force Defensive Line Sr. Waterloo, Wis. 3.55 Astronautical Engineering
Chris Jones UC Davis Defensive Line Sr. Stockton, Calif. 3.95 Biochemistry/Molecular Biology
Chris Mooney Delaware Defensive Line Sr. Huntington, N.Y. 3.51 Accounting
Ben Whitney Wofford Defensive Line Sr. Greensboro, N.C. 3.50 Mathematics
Joey King Portland State Linebacker Jr. Spokane, Wash. 3.91 Psychology
Jayd Kittelson North Dakota State Linebacker Sr. Velva, N.D. 3.67 Microbiology
Craig Unger Morehead State Linebacker Sr. Greenfield, Ohio 3.82 Business Administration (Finance)
Reed Doughty Northern Colorado Defensive Back Jr. Johnstown, Colo. 4.00 Sport & Exercise Science
Jared Essler North Dakota State Defensive Back Sr. Minot, N.D. 3.81 Social Studies Education
Kellen Huston Nebraska Defensive Back Sr. Ankeny, Iowa 3.90 Exercise Science
Doug Jones Dayton Defensive Back Sr. Zanesville, Ohio 3.48 Accounting and Finance
Adam Finley Michigan Punter Sr. Greenwood, Ind. 3.44 Biomedical Engineering
ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA® OF THE YEAR: Alex Smith, Utah
2004 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Football Team (College Division)
as selected by CoSIDA
First-Team Offense
NAME SCHOOL POSITION YR. HOMETOWN GPA MAJOR
Josh Lamberson Northwest Missouri Quarterback Jr. Wilber, Neb. 4.00 Corporate Recreation
Nick Cushman Albright Wide Receiver Sr. Perkiomenville, Pa. 3.70 Spanish/Latin Amer. Stud.
Ryan Koch St. Cloud State Wide Receiver Jr. Madison, Wis. 4.00 Computer Science
Cole Drussa Missouri-Rolla Tight End Sr. Springfield, Mo. 3.62 Metallurgical Engineering
John Kuhn Shippensburg Running Back Sr. York, Pa. 3.293 Chemistry
Mark Robinson St. John Fisher Running Back So. Bath, N.Y. 3.70 Communication/Journalism
Joe Berger Michigan Tech Offensive Line Sr. Newaygo, Mich. 3.80 Mechanical Engineering
Chris Beyer Pittsburg State Offensive Line Jr. Moundridge, Kan. 4.00 Automotive Technology
Patrick Brown Juniata Offensive Line Sr. Ebensburg, Pa. 3.982 Biology
Justin Galloway Rochester Offensive Line Sr. Webster, N.Y. 3.63 Chemical Engineering
Chris Lee Wisc.-Platteville Offensive Line Sr. Darien, Wis. 3.953 Animal Science & Mathematics
Mike Clark Augustana (Iowa) Kicker Sr. Bettendorf, Iowa 3.96 Accounting
First-Team Defense
NAME SCHOOL POSITION YR. HOMETOWN GPA MAJOR
Matt Crispell East Stroudsburg Defensive Back Sr. Berwick, Pa. 3.625 Health & Physical Ed.
Matt Garner Juniata Defensive Back Sr. Tyrone, Pa. 3.993 Biology
Ty Touchstone Eastern New Mexico Defensive Back Sr. Lubbock, Texas 4.00 Business Administration
John Woock Washington (Mo.) Defensive Back Sr. Louisville, Ky. 4.00 Biomedical Engineering
Michael Irvin Buena Vista Linebacker Sr. Bedford, Iowa 3.663 Mathematics
Isaac Sieling Gustavus Adolphus Linebacker Sr. Watertown, Minn. 3.974 Financial Economics
Troy Tysdahl Northwest Missouri Linebacker Sr. Hubbard, Iowa 3.93 Social Sci. Secondary Educ.
Neil Baumgartner Saginaw Valley State Defensive Line Sr. Iron River, Mich. 4.00 Education
Ben Kessler St. Thomas (Minn.) Defensive Line Jr. Janesville, Wis. 4.000 Business / Philosophy
Eric Schneider Mt. Saint Joseph Defensive Line Sr. Cincinnati, Ohio 3.867 Rehabilitation Science
Kevin Yurkewich Mass. Inst. of Tech. Defensive Line Jr. Fairfield, Conn. 4.4 (5.0) Chemistry
Mark Giesmann Wartburg Punter Sr. Waverly, Iowa 3.910 Math/Engineering Science
Second-Team Offense
NAME SCHOOL POSITION YR. HOMETOWN GPA MAJOR
Zachary Bruney Mount Union Quarterback Sr. Martins Ferry, Ohio 3.837 Exercise Science
Dane Haskins Thiel Wide Receiver Jr. Coudersport, Pa. 4.00 Binary Physics
Craig Winfrey Missouri Southern Wide Receiver Sr. Bluejacket, Okla. 3.922 Accounting
Andrew Lehman Wisc.-La Crosse Tight End Sr. Onalaska, Wis. 3.97 Biology
Lee Marana Michigan Tech Running Back So. Ishpeming, Mich. 3.71 Information Systems
Travis Sleight Olivet Running Back Jr. Battle Creek, Mich. 3.96 Health, Phy. Edu., Rec., Math
Matt Bush Mary Hardin-Baylor Offensive Line Sr. Temple, Texas 3.81 Psychology
Marc Hedglin Ithaca Offensive Line Sr. Clarks Summit, Pa. 3.891 Biochemistry
Bob Jeske Minn. State -Mankato Offensive Line Sr. Springfield, Minn. 3.91 Human Biology
Patrick Regan St. Lawrence Offensive Line Sr. Glenfield, N.Y. 3.941 Neuroscience
Josh Van Auken Hobart Offensive Line Sr. Rochester, N.Y. 3.80 English
Will Rhody Valdosta State Kicker Sr. Jupiter, Fla. 3.44 Finance, Accounting
Second-Team Defense
NAME SCHOOL POSITION YR. HOMETOWN GPA MAJOR
Justin Andes Baldwin-Wallace Defensive Back Sr. Canal Fulton, Ohio 3.739 Biology/Pre-Med
Jason Dauch Fairmont State Defensive Back Sr. Bowling Green, Va. 3.82 Civil Engineering
Neil Harrison Rose-Hulman Defensive Back Sr. Tucson, Ariz. 3.90 Mechanical Engineering
Jordan Talge Concordia-Moorhead Defensive Back Sr. Moorhead, Minn. 3.735 Economics / Political Science
Grant Cochran Rensselaer (RPI) Linebacker Jr. Kent, Wash. 3.80 Biomedical Engineering
Matt Hawn Saint John’s (Minn.) Linebacker Jr. Eau Claire, Wis. 4.00 Biology / Pre-Dentistry
Lloyd Price California Univ. (Pa.) Linebacker Jr. Monongahela, Pa. 3.83 Elementary Education
David Bleitner Lake Forest Defensive Line Sr. St. Louis, Mo. 3.71 Business
Ben Hare North Central Defensive Line Jr. Marengo, Ill. 3.857 Social Science / History
Ryan Meredith Pittsburg State Defensive Line So. Bartlesville, Okla. 3.90 Management
Chris Purtell Hobart Defensive Line Sr. Sardinia, N.Y. 3.588 Economics/Political Science
Daniel Eggertsson Franklin & Marshall Punter Sr. Royal Palm Beach, Fla. 3.38 Religious Studies
ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA® OF THE YEAR: Ty Touchstone, Eastern New Mexico