Six Ohio Valley Conference football student-athletes have been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District first or second-teams as selected by CoSIDA.
The selections (which were all out of District IV) included five first-team selections and one second-teamer. The first-team selections were Austin Peay's Stanley Brooks, Eastern Kentucky's Derek Hardman and Emory Attig, Jacksonville State's Josh Cain and Tennessee Tech's Taylor Askew. The second-team selection was Austin Peay's Daniel Becker.
For making the first-team each of the five players will have his name appear on the national ballot for consideration for Academic All-American later this month. The ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America football team will be announced on Tuesday, Nov. 24.
Brooks earned second-team ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District honors a year ago. The fifth-year senior, who is a first-semester management graduate student, graduated last spring with a 3.71 grade-point average in criminal justice. The Burns native is a three-time member of the Dean's List (3.5 GPA or better) and was a member of the President's List (4.0 GPA) in Spring 2008. Brooks also is a two-time member of Ohio Valley Commissioner's Roll (3.25 GPA for year) and an eight-time member of the Athletic Director's Honor Roll. Prior to 2008, Brooks shifted from defensive tackle to offensive guard and moved into starting lineup in Week 2 in 2008-he has started every game since. He helps man a line that sports the OVC top rushing game.
Hardman, a native of Spencer, W.Va., has started 43 consecutive games on the Colonel offensive line. The three-time offensive line MVP made the move from right tackle to left tackle before the start of the 2008 season. A 2009 preseason All-American, Hardman was inducted into EKU's Chi Alpha Sigma National Athletic Honor Society in 2007 and earned the OVC Medal of Honor for a 4.0 GPA in 2008-09. He earned his bachelor's degree in Dec. 2008 and is now taking classes towards a master's degree in business administration.
Attig, a native of Alpharetta, Ga., has started all eight games this year at defensive tackle. He is tied for the team lead with 3.5 sacks and is among the team leaders with 7.5 tackles for loss. In the win over Murray State on Sept. 26, Attig posted a career-high seven tackles. The communication studies major also chipped in with 1.5 sacks in the win at No. 23 Eastern Illinois on Oct. 3. Off the field, Attig serves as the team representative on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).
Cain, who was just named to the AFC Good Works Team, is very active in numerous organizations. His off-the-field contributions include working with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) as a team huddle leader, a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program, a counselor for the Kanakuk Sports Kamps and he also has spent last summer with a medical missionary team in Tanzania, Africa. The Wetumpka, Ala., native also has excelled in the classroom, earning his degree in Computer Science this past summer with a 3.89 grade point average. He has also rolled up numerous academic honors, including being named to the President's List, Dean's List and the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll. He has also been awarded the Ohio Valley Conference Academic Medal of Honor, while being a representative for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and a member of the Phi Eta Sigman Honor Society and the Upsilon Pi Epsilon Honor Society.
Askew has a couple of streaks going. He has started 20 consecutive games at guard for the Tennessee Tech Golden Eagle football team, and he has now been named first-team Academic All-District three consecutive years. The junior from Knoxville owns a 4.0 grade point average while majoring in political science, and has been a starter for the Golden Eagles in every game both this season and last. He is part of an offensive line that ranks among national FCS leaders in fewest sacks allowed, and helped the Golden Eagles bring home the 2009 Sgt. York Trophy by going 3-0 against the league's in-state schools. Askew has been named to the TTU Athletic Director's Honor Roll all six of his semesters. The winner of the OVC Academic Medal of Honor for posting the highest GPA in the league among all conference football players each of the past two years, Askew was also named to the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll the last two seasons. A 2006 graduate of The Webb School in Knoxville, Askew helped his high school team to the TSSAA state playoffs and a runnerup finish in 2005. A verstile prep athlete, he also lettered in track & field, wrestling and lacrosse, and was was captain of both the football and lacrosse teams.
Becker owns a 3.59 GPA as a business major. He earned second-team Academic All-District in 2007. The Brentwood native was a semifinalist for National Football Federation Campbell Award and also is a NCAA post-graduate scholarship nominee. He is a six-time member of the Athletics Director's Honor Roll along with twice earning President's List (4.0 GPA) recognition and once Dean's List (3.5 GPA) honors. He is a two-time member of the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll. Last spring, Becker was chosen 2008-09 Male Athlete Leader of Year Award by APSU's Division of Student Affairs. He also is one of just three three-year captains in Austin Peay football history. He was a preseason second-team FCS All-American by Consensus Draft Service. He also was a preseason first-team All-OVC selection after earning second-team honors All-OVC honors last fall
To be eligible for nomination, a student-athlete must have reached sophomore academic standing and have at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average. District IV selections come from schools located within the states of Alabama, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee.
2009 OVC CoSIDA Academic All-District Selections for Football
Stanley Brooks, OL - Austin Peay
Daniel Becker, LB - Austin Peay
Emory Attig, DL - Eastern Kentucky
Derek Hardman, OL - Eastern Kentucky
Josh Cain, DB - Jacksonville State
Taylor Askew, OL - Tennessee Tech