Nov. 27, 2001

2001 All-Patriot League Football Team
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Bucknell earned 10 berths while Colgate, Fordham and Lehigh all placed eight players on the 2001 All-Patriot League football team, as selected by the League coaches.

Lehigh, the four-time League champions who will host Hofstra in the first round of the 2001 NCAA championship tournament Saturday (12/1), tied Bucknell with six first-team all-star selections while Colgate had five and Fordham had four. Holy Cross and Towson each placed six players on the All-League team while Lafayette earned three All-PL berths.

The fifth-ranked Mountain Hawks gained three of the major post-season honors as Sr. WR Josh Snyder (New Tripoli, Pa.) was named the Offensive Player of the Year, Sr. DB Abdul Byron (Elizabeth, N.J.) was tabbed Defensive Player of the Year and coach Pete Lembo was named Co-Coach of the Year along with Fordham mentor Dave Clawson.

Lafayette Fr. RB Joe McCourt (Philadelphia, Pa.) picked up the final major award as the 2001 Patriot League Rookie of the Year.

Snyder led the League in receptions (74), receiving yards (1,241), receptions per game (7.4), receiving yards per game (124.1) and touchdowns (12). Snyder, who is making his first appearance on the All-PL squad, finished second in the League scoring race behind LU Jr. PK Brian Kelley (Kenneth City, Fla.), who earned second-team All-League honors this season after scoring a League-high 80 points.

Snyder, who ranks 20th on the PL career pass receptions list with 137 catches for 1,993 yards, is the fourth Lehigh player to be named PL Offensive Player of the Year and second in the last three years. RB Ronald Jean captured the Offensive Player of the Year award in 1999.

Byron, who is making his second-straight appearance on the first-team All-League squad, led the Mountain Hawks in total tackles (65) and solo hits (52). He also contributed one interception, broke up eight passes and was one of the top kickoff return specialists in the League for the second-straight season, ranking third with a 22.7-yard average.

Byron, who is a finalist for the Buchanan Award as the Division I-AA Defensive Player of the Year, is the third Mountain Hawk to win the PL Defensive Player of the Year award in the last four years. Lineman Nick Martucci (1998) and linebacker Ian Eason (1999) also won the Defensive Player of the Year award for LU.

Lembo and Clawson each gained the first Coach of the Year honor in their career.

Lembo, who took over the reigns from 2000 PL Coach of the Year Kevin Higgins, guided the Mountain Hawks to their second-straight undefeated regular-season (10-0), fourth-straight PL title and fourth-straight trip to the NCAA championship tournament. Higgins won the Coach of the Year title three times in his seven seasons at LU. Hank Small was also honored by his peers in 1993.

Clawson, in his third season at Fordham, guided the Rams to their best record (7-4) since moving up to NCAA Division I-AA and joining the Patriot League in 1989. The Rams ended the season with a five-game win streak and a third-place finish in the League (5-2), which is a four-game improvement over the team's final 2000 record of 3-8 overall, 1-5 in the PL.

McCourt, who finished fourth in the PL in total rushing yards (731) and fifth in yards per game (73.1), is the eighth Lafayette player to be named PL Rookie of the Year in the 16-year history of the League. It's the second-straight year the LC offense has grabbed the Rookie of the Year trophy, following in the footsteps of Soph. QB Marko Glavic, who won the 2000 Rookie of the Year award.

Byron is one of five players to make their second-straight appearance on the first-team All-PL squad. Colgate Sr. OL Ken Kubec (Parma Heights, Ohio), Fordham Sr. PK Brian Colsant (Vacaville, Calif.), Holy Cross Sr. DB Michael Blake (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Lehigh Sr. QB Brant Hall (Owings Mills, Md.) all return to the first-team All-League squad from 2000.

Hall led the PL this season in passing efficiency with a 167.2 rating (106-for-176, 60.2%, 1,684 yards, 16 TDs, 3 interceptions). Colsant, who led the League in field goal percentage (11-for-14, 78.6%), finished his career 16th on the PL scoring list, and sixth among kickers, with 199 points.

Three Bucknell players, Jr. DL Adam Lord (Troy, N.Y.) and Sr. DL Tom Kuhn (Pittsburgh, Pa.) were among six that moved up from second-team All-League last year to first-team this season. Sr. DB Reed Tunison (Brooklyn, N.Y.) also earns All-League honors for the second time after being named to the second team in 1999.

Also earning first-team All-League honors this year after second-team recognition in 2000 are Colgate Jr. DB Ameer Riley (Norwood, Mass.), Lafayette Jr. OL Chris Royle (Stockton, N.J.) and Lehigh Sr. punter Jay Heibel (Dodgeville, Wis.).

Tunison and Riley were among seven players that shared the League lead this season with four interceptions. Heibel led the PL in punting average (40.0).

Heibel and BU Sr. RB Jabu Powell (Orlando, Fla.) are both making their third appearance on the PL All-League team. Powell finished his career ninth on the PL career rushing list (2,919 yards) and third in all-purpose yards (4,641). In addition to second-team PL honors last year, Heibel was a first-team all-star in his rookie season (1998) while Powell was named to the second-team PL all-star squad for the third-straight season.

Also making their second-straight appearance on the All-PL team are Holy Cross Sr. WR David Thompson (Tarrytown, N.Y.), Towson Sr. RB Noah Read (Cumberland, Md.) and Towson Sr. LB Rusty McKinney (Dover, Del.).

Read, who was a first-team All-League choice last year after leading the League in rushing, was named to the second-team squad this season after finishing second in the League in rushing. Reed finished 14th on the PL career rushing list with 2,577 yards in 41 games. Thompson and McKinney both earned second-team All-League honors for the second consecutive season.

Joining Snyder, Byron, Hall and Heibel on the first-team All-League squad from Lehigh were Jr. OL Jeff Santacroce (Mt. Airy, Md.) and Jr. DL Theo Moss (Bronx, N.Y.). Second-team choices for the Mountain Hawks include Kelley and Jr. DB Matt Salvaterra (Macungie, Pa.). In addition to leading the PL in scoring, Kelly shared the League lead in field goals with 12 (17 attempts).

Three of Bucknell's six first-team All-League choices staff the defensive line, including Lord, Kuhn and Jr. Joe Massey (Brooklyn, N.Y.). Also earning first-team all-star recognition for the Bison were Tunison, Jr. OL Jon Churchill (Cazenovia, N.Y.) and Sr. LB Mark Tallman (West Carthage, N.Y.). Massey will enter his senior season 16th on the League's career QB sacks list with 18 for 126 yards. Tallman shared the League lead in fumbles recovered with four.

Second-team selections for the Bison include Powell, Sr. OL Carson Book (Shermansdale, Pa.), Sr. TE Greg Readinger (Williamstown, Pa.) and Jr. WR Jim Horan (Pittsburgh, Pa.).

In addition to Kubec and Riley, Colgate placed Soph. TE John Frieser (Endwell, N.Y.), Jr. RB Nate Thomas (Dorchester, Mass.) and Sr. LB Ron Hampton (Miami, Fla.) on the All-League first-team. Second-team picks for the Raiders were Jr. OL Matt Shepard (Natick, Mass.), Soph. DL Mike Latek (Rochester, N.Y.) and Jr. DB Max Wynn (Atlanta, Ga.).

Fordham, which earned six offensive All-League berths after finishing second in the League in scoring, placed Colsant, Sr. OL Mark Manno (Pomona, N.Y.), Soph. WR Javarus Dudley (Hollywood, Fla.) and Soph. RB Kirwin Watson (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) on the first-team all-star squad. Second-team berths for the Rams were awarded to Sr. OL Maurice Briscoe (Milford, Mass.), Sr. QB Mark Carney (Lakewood, Ohio), Sr. DL Charlie Mull (Cumbola, Pa.) and Sr. LB Tony Downs (Philadelphia, Pa.).

Watson was the only player in the League to average more than 100 rushing yards per game this season, finishing with 1,076 yards in 10 games (107.6 average) while Dudley topped the PL in all-purpose yards (1,819), all-purpose yards per game (165.4) and kickoff return average (26.3).

Joining Blake and Thompson on the 2001 All-League squad from Holy Cross were first-team Jr. LB David Dugan (Washington, D.C.) and second-team selections Sr. OL Jefferson Exil (Boca Raton, Fla.), Sr. DL Sammy Siaki (Mesa, Ariz.) and Sr. DB Vernell Shaw (Stockton, Calif.).

Dugan was one of just two players in the League to record 100 tackles this season while Siaki led the League in sacks (10) and tackles for loss (21). Shaw led the League with 16 pass break ups.

Sr. DB Darnell "Sporty" Evans (Rockville, Md.), represented Towson on the first-team All-League squad while second-team picks included Read, McKinney, Sr. LB Sean Hendricks (Wenonah, N.J.), Jr. DL Juston Yelverton (Dover, Del.) and Soph. punter Steve Balcavage (Accokeek, Md.). Hendricks led the Patriot League in total tackles (114), assisted tackles (60) and tackles per game (11.4).

Lafayette earned three berths on the 2001 All-League team, including Royle and second-team players Soph. OL Kevin Moss (New York, N.Y.) and Sr. TE Stewart Kupfer (Plymouth Meeting, Pa.).