College football: Eastern Washington's Cooper Kupp headlines the 2016 AFCA FCS All-America Team

WACO, TEX. — Four-time AFCA All-American Cooper Kupp of Eastern Washington and Norfolk State linebacker Deon King headline the 2016 AFCA Football Championship Subdivision Coaches’ All-America Team announced today by the American Football Coaches Association.

The AFCA has selected an All-America team since 1945 and currently selects teams in all five of its divisions. Beginning this year, the AFCA has started selecting a first and second team. What makes these teams so special is that they are the only ones chosen exclusively by the men who know the players the best — the coaches themselves.

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Kupp, who became the first player in FCS history to be named a four-time AFCA All-American, leads FCS in receiving yards per game (126.7), is second in receptions per game (8.9), and is third in receiving touchdowns (15). Kupp has now broken 15 FCS, 11 Big Sky and 25 EWU records in his illustrious career. Cole led the FCS with 142 total tackles and was second in the nation with 85 solo tackles. He also recorded eight tackles for loss, two interceptions, four pass breakups and three forced fumbles.

**-2013-2014-2015 All-American        *-2015 All-American

Team Background: 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. In 2006, the Division I-A and Division I-AA teams were renamed Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), respectively. In 2006, the AFCA started selecting an NAIA-only team.
From 1965-81, a 22-player (11 offensive, 11 defensive) team was chosen. In 1982, a punter and placekicker were added to the team. A return specialist was added in 1997, giving us the current 25-player team. The return specialist position was replaced by an all-purpose player in 2006.

Top Teams: Delaware has the most AFCA All-America selections of any current FCS school with 29 selections by 26 players. The Blue Hens are followed by Montana (28/27), Eastern Kentucky (26/24), Eastern Washington (26/22), North Dakota State (23/21), Northern Iowa (22/19), Grambling State (20/19), New Hampshire (20/17), Lehigh (19/19), Furman (19/18), South Carolina State (19/18), North Dakota (19/17), Portland State (18/17), Weber State (18/17), Eastern Illinois (18/16), Youngstown State (18/16), Northern Colorado (17/14), Montana State (16/16), Western Illinois (16/15), Cal Poly (16/14), James Madison (15/15), Abilene Christian (15/14), Stephen F. Austin (15/14), Tennessee State (15/14) and South Dakota State (15/12).

2016 Conference-by-Conference Breakdown: Colonial – 7; Big Sky – 6; Missouri Valley – 6; Southwestern Athletic – 6; Southern – 5; Mid-Eastern Athletic – 4; Big South – 3; Patriot – 3; Pioneer – 3; Southland – 3; Ohio Valley – 2; Ivy – 1; Northeast – 1.

Consecutive Years: Eastern Kentucky leads all schools, having had at least one player named to the AFCA FCS Coaches’ All-America Team in each of the first 15 years a FCS team was chosen (1979-93). Eastern Washington has the longest current streak at nine straight years from 2008 to present.

Double Duo: For the first time in FCS Coaches’ All-America Team history, teammates have earned back-to-back honors. Tennessee-Chattanooga’s Keionta Davis (DL) and Corey Levin (OL) were both named to the 2015 and 2016 teams. They join seven duos in FBS: USC’s Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush (2004 and 2005); Army’s Glenn Davis and Doc Blanchard (1945 and 1946); Notre Dame’s George Connor and Johnny Lujack (1946 and 1947); Michigan State’s Bubba Smith and George Webster (1966 and 1967); Ohio State’s Jack Tatum and Jim Stillwagon (1969 and 1970); Notre Dame’s Ken MacAfee and Ross Browner (1976 and 1977) and Colorado’s Joe Garten and Alfred Will­iams (1989 and 1990).

Long Time Coming: Offensive lineman Carl Jones makes the AFCA FCS All-America Team for North Carolina Central, marking the first time the Eagles have had a representative since 1996, when linebacker Tommy Dorsey made the team. Not to be out-done, with Detrez Newsome’s all-purpose selection, Western Carolina puts a student-athlete on the FCS All-America Team for the first time since 1998 when defensive back Eric Johnson was named to the team. 

First Time School: Offensive lineman Erik Austell of Charleston Southern has earned AFCA All-America honors for his school, for the first time, in 2016.

Repeat After Me: Eastern Washington’s Cooper Kupp (2013-16) joins Texas A&M-Kingsville’s Johnny Bailey as the only players to earn AFCA Coaches’ All-America honors in four consecutive years at any level. Bailey was a four-year pick at running back in Division II from 1986-89.

Third Time’s A Charm: South Dakota State running back Zach Zenner (2012-14), Tennessee-Chattanooga defensive lineman Davis Tull (2012-14), and linebackers Gary Reasons of Northwestern State (1981-83) and Dexter Coakley of Appalachian State (1994-96), are the only three-time AFCA All-Americans in Football Championship Subdivision history.

Yearly Leaders: Eastern Washington (2016-WR Cooper Kupp, DL Samson Ebukam and QB Gage Gubrud) and North Dakota (2016-OL Michael Coe, DB Deion Harris and DB Cole Reyes) join North Dakota State (2014-OL Joe Haeg, DL Kyle Emanuel and DB Colten Haegle), Alabama State (2012-OL Terren Jones, DB Kejuan Riley and P Bobby Wenzig), Jackson State (1996-QB Grailyn Pratt, LB Otha Evans and DB Sean Woodson) and Grambling State (1979-DL Joe Gordon, LB Aldrich Allen and DB Robert Salters) as the only schools to have more than two players named to the AFCA FCS Coaches’ All-America Team in one year.

Two Players, Two Schools: Punter Mark Bounds and placekicker Greg Zuerlein are the only players to earn Coaches’ All-America honors at two different schools. Bounds was named to the AFCA College Division I team in 1990 while playing for West Texas A&M. He transferred to Texas Tech after West Texas dropped football and earned I-A All-America honors as a Red Raider in 1991. Zuerlein was named to the Division II Coaches’ All-America Team in 2009 while playing for Nebraska-Omaha. He transferred to Missouri Western State after Nebraska-Omaha dropped its football program and earned Division II honors in 2011 as a Griffon.

Class Distinction: This year’s AFCA FCS Coaches’ All-America Team is made up of 34 seniors, 13 juniors and three sophomores.