SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Wofford’s Mitch Allen and Pat Illig were among the 52 student-athletes named to the 13th annual Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association Academic All-Star Team announced by the Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA).
“The FCS ADA looks forward to honoring the accomplishments of its football student-athletes each year with the announcement of the Academic All-Star Team,” said FCS ADA President Greg Burke, chair of the FCS ADA Academic All-Star Team Selection Committee and athletics director at Northwestern State University. “The dedication by these young men to perform successfully both on the field of competition and in the classroom epitomizes the definition of a Division I student-athlete.”
Mitch Allen, a junior from Cincinnati, Ohio, started all 13 games at quarterback for the Terriers this season. He was second on the team in rushing with 681 yards and four touchdowns and added 871 passing yards with eight touchdowns. Allen was eighth in the Southern Conference in total offense. A physics major, he was also named to the FCS ADA Academic All-Star team in 2009.
Pat Illig, a senior from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, helped pave the way for the nation’s top rushing offense with 297.77 yards per game. The Terriers had six games with over 300 yards rushing on the season. Illig was part of an offensive line that allowed an average of only one sack per game, which was ranked 13th in the nation. He earned the Southern Conference’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy this season and is a two-time first team All-Southern Conference honoree. An accounting major, he also was named All-American.
Football players from all Football Championship Subdivision institutions are eligible for these prestigious awards. Each of the nominees were required to have a minimum grade point average of 3.20 (on a 4.00 scale) in undergraduate study and have been a starter or key player with legitimate athletics credentials. He must have reached his second year of athletics and academic standing at the nominated institution and have completed a minimum of one full academic year at the nominated institution. He must also have participated in 50 percent of the games played at his designated position.
A special Review Committee of Football Championship Subdivision athletics directors was responsible for selecting the all-star team and scholarship finalists. Completing this task were Greg Burke, Northwestern State (chair); Peter Fields, Montana State; Brian Hutchinson, Morehead State; Marilyn McNeil, Monmouth; Ron Strollo, Youngstown State; and Jeff Tingey, Idaho State.
