Football's Joseph Named First Team AFCA All-American
Dec 11, 2017
WACO, Texas — The University of Dubuque's Michael Joseph (Sr., DB, 6-1, 190 lbs., OSwego. Ill./Oswego H.S.) earned another award for the Spartans by being named to the 2017 AFCA Division III Coaches’ All-America Team announced today by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). Joseph was one of two Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selections by the AFCA in 2017 and the Spartans first selection since Michael Zweifel in 2011.
The AFCA has selected an All-America team since 1945 and currently selects teams in all five of its divisions. What makes these teams so special? They are the only ones chosen exclusively by the men who know the players the best — the coaches themselves.
2017 AFCA Division III Coaches’ All-America Team - First Team
Offense
Pos. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
QB Chase Burton 6-2 195 Sr. Franklin (Ind.) Mike Leonard Corydon, Ind. (Central)
RB John Smith 6-0 218 Sr. Husson (Maine) Gabby Price Fayetteville, Ga. (Starr’s Mill)
RB Joey Valdivia 5-10 210 Sr. Lake Forest (Ill.) Jim Catanzaro Grayslake, Ill. (Central)
WR *Jesse Zubik 5-10 180 Sr. Washington & Jefferson (Pa.) Mike Sirianni Sewickley, Pa. (Avonworth)
WR Nick Holcomb 6-2 190 Sr. Wisconsin-La Crosse Mike Schmidt Germantown, Wis. (Germantown)
TE Jacob Maher 6-3 230 So. Worcester State (Mass.) Brien Cullen Marshfield, Mass. (Marshfield)
OL Matt Gono 6-4 305 Sr. Wesley (Del.) Mike Drass Cinnaminson, N.J. (Cinnaminson)
OL Derek Schipper 6-6 293 Sr. Wartburg (Iowa) Rick Willis Ackley, Iowa (AGWSR)
OL *Chris Simmons 6-3 300 Sr. Trinity (Conn.) Jeff Devanney Manchester, Conn. (Manchester)
OL Joe Fehrle 6-2 269 Sr. North Central (Ill.) Jeff Thorne Rockford, Ill (Boylan Catholic)
OL Cole Parrish 6-1 285 Sr. Mount Union (Ohio) Vince Kehres Creedmoor, N.C. (South Granville)
Defense
Pos. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
DL Montel Lee 5-10 260 Sr. Ferrum (Va.) Rob Grande Andalusia, Ala. (Andalusia)
DL Haston Adams 6-5 295 Sr. Mary Hardin-Baylor (Tex.) Pete Fredenburg Beckville, Tex. (Beckville)
DL Chase Greenlee 6-2 235 Sr. Wheaton (Ill.) Mike Swider Columbus, Ohio (Upper Arlington)
DL *Mamadou Soumahoro 6-2 235 Sr. Berry (Ga.) Tony Kunczewski Lawrenceville, Ga. (Berkmar)
LB Jason Farlow 6-0 220 Sr. Linfield (Ore.) Joseph Smith Ventura, Calif. (St. Bonaventure)
LB Jordan Hassan 5-11 210 Sr. Illinois Wesleyan Norm Eash Wheaton, Ill. (Glenbard West)
LB *A.J. LiCata 6-1 210 Sr. Alfred (N.Y.) Bob Rankl Lake View, N.Y. (Frontier)
DB Michael Joseph 6-1 190 Sr. Dubuque (Iowa) Stan Zweifel Oswego, Ill. (Oswego)
DB Jordan Powell 6-1 190 Jr. Widener (Pa.) Mike Kelly Morristown, N.J. (Mrisown)
DB Jaquan Harris 6-0 185 Sr. Framingham State (Mass.) Thomas Kelley Boston, Mass. (Quincy)
DB Daniel Gonzales 5-10 190 Sr. Redlands (Calif.) Mike Maynard Mentone, Calif. (Redlands East Valley)
Specialists
Pos. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
PK Spenser Thompson-Meyers 6-2 230 Jr. St. Norbert (Wis.) Dan McCarty San Ramon, Calif. (California High)
P Tyler Kohman 6-3 185 Sr. Carnegie Mellon (Pa.) Rich Lackner Pataskala, Ohio (Columbus Academy)
AP De’Eric Bell 5-7 195 R-Jr. Guilford (N.C.) Chris Rusiewicz Jackson, Ga. (Jackson)
*-2016 AFCA All-American
2017 AFCA Division III Coaches’ All-America Team - Second Team
Offense
Pos. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
QB Michael Whitley 6-0 190 Sr. Lakeland (Wis.) Colin Bruton Vidalia, La. (Trinity Episcopal)
RB LeAnthony Reasnover 5-10 200 Jr. Eureka (Ill.) Kurt Barth Momence, Ill. (Momence)
RB Christiaan Williams 5-11 210 So. Ohio Northern Dean Paul Sidney, Ohio (Anna)
WR Cam Johnson 6-3 185 Sr. Hampden Sydney (Va.) Marty Favret Dillwyn, Va. (Buckingham)
WR Richard Johnson 6-4 205 Jr. East Texas Baptist Scott Highsmith Cleveland, Tex. (Cleveland)
TE Gregoire Franchomme 6-2 215 Jr. Greenville (Ill.) Robbie Shomaker Waterloo, Belgium (ITSSEP)
OL DJ Coker 6-2 320 Jr. Rhodes (Tenn.) Jim Ryan Buford, Ga. (Great Atlanta Christian School)
OL Christopher Hayden 6-2 245 Sr. Springfield (Mass.) Mike Cerasuolo Madison, Maine (Madison)
OL Vic Rodriguez 5-11 265 Sr. Hardin Simmons (Tex.) Jesse Burleson Mesquite, Tex. (Poteet)
OL Nolan Schuler 6-6 275 Sr. George Fox (Ore.) Chris Casey Bakersfield, Calif. (Christian)
OL Gage Blair 6-1 260 Sr. Case Western Reserve (Ohio) Greg Debeljak Elyria, Ohio (St. Edward)
Defense
Pos. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
DL Austin Jochum 6-2 253 Sr. St. Thomas (Minn.) Glenn Caruso Foley, Minn. (Foley)
DL Nick Giorgio 6-1 240 Jr. Springfield (Mass.) Mike Cerasuolo Cumberland, R.I. (Cumberland)
DL Casey Kerschner 6-2 255 Sr. Widener (Pa.) Mike Kelly Adamstown, Pa. (Cocalico)
DL *Austin Crow 6-2 245 Sr. Heidelberg (Ohio) Scott Donaldson Westerville, Ohio (Big Walnut)
LB Darin Hungerford 6-0 225 Sr. Kean (N.J.) Dan Garrett Dumfries, Va. (Forest Park)
LB Max Garrett 6-1 220 Sr. Washington & Lee (Va.) Scott Abell Fairfield, Conn. (Choate Rosemary Hall)
LB Mason McKenrick 6-4 220 Sr. John Carroll (Ohio) Rick Finotti Mentor, Ohio (Mentor)
DB Marcus Winters 5-11 170 Jr. Trine (Ind.) Troy Abbs Toledo, Ohio (Central Catholic)
DB Fred Hardgrove 6-0 186 So. Otterbein (Ohio) Tim Doup Columbus, Ohio (Walnut Ridge)
DB Micam Smith 5-11 198 Sr. Monmouth (Ill.) Chad Braun Annawan, Ill. (Annawan)
DB Shawn Miller 6-3 220 Sr. Delaware Valley (Pa.) Duke Greco Laurel, Del. (Laurel)
Specialists
Pos. Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
PK Willy Warne 6-2 195 Jr. Linfield (Ore.) Joseph Smith Vancouver, Wash. (Mountain View)
P Andrew DiNardo 6-1 205 Sr. Catholic (D.C.) Mike Gutelius Wilmington, Del. (Salesianum)
AP Bryce Wilkerson 5-8 165 Sr. Mary Hardin-Baylor (Tex.) Pete Fredenburg Tyler, Tex. (Lee)
*-2016 AFCA All-American
Team Background: The AFCA has selected an All-America team every year since 1945. The five teams now chosen for each AFCA division evolved from a single 11-player squad in 1945. From 1945 until 1967, only one team was chosen.
From 1967 through 1971, two teams – University Division and College Division – were selected. In 1972, the College Division was split into College I and College II.
In 1979, the University Division was split into two teams — Division I-A and Division I-AA.
In 1996, the College I and College II teams were renamed Division II and Division III, respectively. The AFCA began selecting an NAIA-only team in 2006. Also in 2006, the Division I-A and Division I-AA teams were renamed Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), respectively.
From 1965-81, a 22-player (11 offensive, 11 defensive) team was chosen. In 1982, a punter and placekicker were added to the team. In 1997, a return specialist was added, giving us the current 25-player team. The return specialist position was replaced by an all-purpose player in 2006. In 2016, the AFCA added a second team All-America.
Selection Process: The AFCA’s Division III All-America Selection Committee is made up of three head coaches from each of the AFCA’s eight districts, one of whom serves as a district chairman, along with another head coach who serves as the chairman of the selection committee. The coaches in each district are responsible for ranking the top players in their respective districts prior to a conference call between the district chairmen and the committee chairman on which the team is chosen.
The Award: Members of the AFCA Coaches’ All-America First Team will receive a plaque commemorating their selection to the team, while members of the Second Team will receive a certificate.
Top Teams: Mount Union has been represented a total of 26 times by 24 players on the AFCA Division III Coaches’ All-America Team since 1972. The Purple Raiders are followed by Linfield (23/21), Wittenberg (21/19), Washington & Jefferson (20/17), Augustana (Ill.) (19/17), Wisconsin-La Crosse (18/18), Mary Hardin-Baylor (18/16), Wisconsin-Whitewater (17/15), Wheaton (16/15), Springfield (16/14), Wesley (16/13), Widener (16/13), Central (Iowa) (15/14), Montclair State (15/13), St. Thomas (Minn.) (14/11), Emory & Henry (13/13), Ithaca (13/13), John Carroll (12/12), St. John’s (Minn.) (12/12), Salisbury (12/12), Frostburg State (12/11), Wabash (11/11), Hampden-Sydney (11/10) and Thomas More (11/9).
Consecutive Years: With Cole Parrish’s selection in 2017, Mount Union has had a player chosen to the AFCA All-America Team for seven straight seasons (2011-17), the longest active streak. Wesley had a player chosen for 11 consecutive years, from 2005-15, which is the longest streak in AFCA Division III All-America Team history. Second on the list is Mount Union, who had a player chosen for 10 consecutive years, from 2000-09. Tied for third on the list are Washington & Jefferson, who had a player chosen for nine straight seasons (2002-10), and Mary Hardin-Baylor, who had a player chosen from 2006 to 2014. Emory & Henry is fourth on the list, having had a player named AFCA All-American for eight straight seasons from 1985-1992. Augustana (Ill.) and Wheaton have had players selected for six consecutive seasons from 2000-05 and 2003-08, respectively.
Repeat After Me: No player has earned AFCA Division III All-America honors four times, however Texas A&I (now Texas A&M-Kingsville) running back Johnny Bailey did earn AFCA All-America honors four straight years (1986-87-88-89) in AFCA College Division I (now AFCA Division II).
Five players have earned AFCA Division III Coaches’ All-America Team honors three times. They are: DB Tom Deery, Widener, 1979-80-81; RB Scott Reppert, Lawrence, 1980-81-82; RB Joe Dudek, Plymouth State, 1983-84-85; DL Sean Brewer, Millsaps, 1990-91-92; and P Jeff Shea, California Lutheran, 1995-96-97.
Class Distinction: This year’s AFCA Division III Coaches’ All-America Team is made up of 37 seniors, 10 juniors and three sophomores.
