The NCAA News - News and Features

January 12, 1998

Manning, Gray lead football Academic All-Americas

Tennessee quarterback Peyton Manning and MIT defensive lineman Brad Gray are this year's GTE Academic All-America Team Members of the Year in football.

Manning, a graduate student in sports administration, led the Volunteers to an 11-2 record and a berth in the Orange Bowl January 2 against Nebraska. The runner-up in this season's Heisman Trophy voting, Manning represents the university-division GTE Academic All-America Team as the member who best represents the qualities of an Academic All-America student-athlete.

Gray is the college-division team member of the year, and is one of three MIT players named as first-team college division Academic All-America honorees (the others are defensive back Duane Stevens and linebacker Mike Butville).

Gray is a chemical engineering major at MIT.

The GTE Academic All-America Teams in football were selected by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America.

Team members are varsity starters or key reserves who have maintained a cumulative grade-point average of at least 3.200 (4.000 scale).

This year's teams:

UNIVERSITY DIVISION

First-team offense

Quarterback -- Peyton Manning, Tennessee, sports administration.

Wide receivers -- Jeff Ogden, Eastern Washington, health education; David Patterson, New Mexico State, mathemtatics.

Tight end -- Cameron Quayle, Weber State, integrated studies.

Running backs -- Sean Bennett, Evansville, art education; Joel Mackovicka, Nebraska, biological sciences.

Linemen -- Jay Korth, Wyoming, mechanical engineering; Dominic Lanza, Dartmouth, government; Jeremy Lindley, Southern Mississippi, human performance; Johnny Rea, Alabama-Birmingham, biology/chemistry; Matt Stinchcomb, Georgia, business.

Kicker -- Cory Wedel, Wyoming, agricultural education.

First-team defense

Backs -- Levi Gillen, Tulsa, mechanical engineering; Brian Lee, Wyoming, business; Stephen Phelan, Virginia, history; Chris Shinnick, Hawaii, communications.

Linebackers -- Daryl Bush, Florida State, athletics administration; Dusty Renfro, Texas, business; Patrick Tillman, Arizona State, marketing.

Linemen -- John Kobalka, Cincinnati, industrial management; Steve Mattson, Eastern Washington, biology/premedicine; Ryan Olson, Colorado, civil engineering; Grant Wistrom, Nebraska, prepharmacy.

Punter -- Chad Kessler, LSU, microbiology

Second-team offense

Quarterback -- Scott Frost, Nebraska, finance.

Wide receivers -- Ben Cahoon, Brigham Young, physical therapy; Matt Moore, Dayton, accounting and finance.

Tight end -- Trent Huelsman, Dayton, management information systems.

Running backs -- Josh Branen, Montana, psychology; Benji Wood, Rice, human performance/health science.

Linemen -- Eric DeGroh, West Virginia, biology; Jerrell Moore, South Carolina State, professional English; Matthew Reischl, Iowa, finance; Shawn Stuart, UCLA, sociology; John Zatechka, Nebraska, forestry, fisheries and wildlife.

Kicker -- Chris Sailer, UCLA, communications studies.

Second-team defense

Backs -- John Bishop, Pennsylvania, finance; Jeff Killeen, Southwest Missouri State, biology; Chad Smith, New Mexico, biology/premedicine; Patrick Stephen, Northern Illinois, biological sciences.

Linebackers -- Brian Brown, Wyoming, business; Barry Gardner, Northwestern, communication studies; Willie Thompson, Morgan State, electrical engineering.

Linemen -- Jarrod Everson, Liberty, exercise science; Chad Kelsay, Nebraska, finance; Matt Simmons, Brown, philosophy/medieval culture; Chris Smith, Harvard, government.

Punter -- Barry Cantrell, Fordham, business administration.

COLLEGE DIVISION

First-team offense

Quarterback -- Bo Hurley, Findlay, business.

Wide receivers -- Ryan Hinske, Wisconsin-Oshkosh, special education; Chad Wemhoff, Nebraska Wesleyan, biology.

Tight end -- Ted Schultz, Augsburg, secondary education/history/coaching.

Running backs -- Mark Byarlay, Trinity (Texas), premedicine; Travis Walch, Winona State, elementary education.

Linemen -- Matt Hertzler, Chapman, exercise physiology; Chris Meskan, Augustana (Illinois), mathematics and business; Thayne Munce, Augustana (South Dakota), biology; Ian Reid, Southern Oregon, biology; Andy Roecker, Ohio Northern, pharmacy.

Kicker -- Shane Meyer, Central Missouri State, journalism.

First-team defense

Backs -- Mike Bramlage, Thomas More, biology; Matt Emmerich, St. John's (Minnesota), management; Tom Massey, Brockport State, exercise physiology; Duane Stevens, MIT, mechanical engineering; Mike Butville, MIT, mechanical engineering; Kyle Fulcher, Mississippi College, accounting; Brad Klein, Washington (Missouri), chemical engineering; Chris Cochran, Rensselaer, computer systems engineering.

Linemen -- Brad Gray, MIT, chemical engineering; Joel Hornby, Wisconsin-Stevens Point, biology; Matt Weiss, Cornell College, biochemistry/molecular biology.

Punter -- Brian Moorman, Pittsburg State, history.

Second-team offense

Quarterbacks -- Greg Kaiser, St. Thomas (Minnesota), business; Dusten Olds, Nebraska Wesleyan, physics.

Wide receivers -- Craig Dana, Buffalo State, math education; Scott Hvistendahl, Augsburg, marketing.

Tight end -- Wes Terrell, UC Davis, agriculture/managerial economics.

Running backs -- Brandon Graham, Hope, kinesiology; Jake Morris, North Dakota State, pharmacy.

Linemen -- Ron Briggs, Sewanee (University of the South), English/Spanish; Jami Deters, Fort Hays State, agribusiness; Dave Sabolcik, Slippery Rock, sport management; Ryan Shanesy, Nebraska Wesleyan, physics; Jeff Scott Stark, Otterbein, English/secondary education.

Kickers -- Chris Kondik, Baldwin-Wallace, business administration; Bryan Mader, Wisconsin-Whitewater, accounting

Second-team defense

Backs -- Tom Lopato, Western Maryland, mathematics/computer science; Nate Manderfield, Hamline, elementary education/psychology; Erik Schiller, Hobart, economics; Chris Smith, Colorado College, chemistry.

Linebackers -- Jeff Fisher, Ferris State, accounting/computer information systems; Sean Fredricks, North Dakota State, English; Trent Van Eaton, Fort Hays State, premedicine.

Linemen -- Ron Branch, Shepherd, secondary education; Lutul Farrow, Baldwin-Wallace, biology/premedicine; Matthew Harris, Ashland, marketing; Brian Mihok, Westminster (Pennsylvania), biology.

Punter -- Eric Wicks, Mercyhurst, sports medicine.