Morgan Adds AFCA NAIA All-American to List of Accolades

December 14, 2006
NFCA Official Release

Wise, VA – The long line of accolades to a record-breaking season continued for The University of Virginia’s College at Wise running back Ra’Shad Morgan. Less than a week after receiving the prestigious Dudley Award, Morgan has been named to the inaugural American Football Coaches Association NAIA All-American team.

For the first time, the AFCA has selected an All-American team solely from the NAIA ranks of college football. The organization had previously combined the NCAA Division II and NAIA players into one team until this season. The AFCA NAIA All-American team consists of the top 26 players across the nation.

The junior from Chesterfield, VA adds the All-American status to already being the Dudley Award winner for Virginia’s top collegiate player in Division II/III/NAIA, Mid-South East “Offensive Player of the Year” and Mid-South East first team acclaim.

The 5-10, 208-pound back led UVA-Wise to an 8-3 record, its best in a decade, first winning season in five years and a No. 24 ranking in the final regular-season NAIA poll.

The Meadowbrook High product ran his way to arguably the best season by a UVA-Wise running back. He set 11 Highland Cavalier season and single game records while leading the NAIA in three offensive categories. He rushed for 1,657 yards on 306 attempts with 25 touchdowns, all school season records. Morgan led the nation and had a new Cavs’ record of 150.6 rushing yards per contest. He also was tops in the NAIA for all-purpose yards (178.3 yds/gm) and scoring per game (13.6 ppg), both UVA-Wise records. Other Cavs’ season marks set by the running back included 1,961 all-purpose yards, 25 scoring touchdowns and 152 points scored.

Morgan shattered two single game UVA-Wise records with an 83-run last Saturday against Union after having set the record earlier in the year with an 80-yard scoring burst versus Lambuth. He set a single game rushing record of 289 yards on 34 attempts with four scores hosting Cumberland (TN) University. Morgan rounded out his 2006 stats with 35 receptions for 304 yards. He is now second in career rushing yards (2,947 yds.) and third in five other categories in the school books. Morgan produced four games with at least 190 yards on the ground and nine 100-yard contests in 11 games this season while scoring a rushing touchdown in 10 games.

2006 AFCA NAIA Coaches’ All-America Team
Offense
Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
WR Dusty Hovorka 6-2 205 Sr. Sioux Falls Kalen DeBoer McCook Lake, S.D. ( Dakota Valley)
WR Andy Ricca 6-1 205 Sr. Saint Xavier Mike Feminis LaPorte, Ind. ( Michigan City)
WR Phoenix Thompson 6-2 195 Sr. Belhaven Don Lee Foxworth, Miss. ( West Marion)
OL Darnell Whitaker 6-1 290 Sr. Southern Nazarene Mike Cochran Tulsa, Okla. (East Central)
OL Truman Ashby 6-3 280 Sr. Benedictine ( Kan.) Larry Wilcox St. Louis, Mo. ( DeSmet Jesuit)
C Jeremiah Hays 6-1 300 Sr. Evangel Scott Metcalf Fort Smith, Ark. (Southside)
OL Shawn Robinson 6-4 300 Sr. Morningside Steve Ryan Bettendorf, Iowa ( Bettendorf)
OL Mike Galassi 6-5 305 Jr. Walsh Jim Dennison Strongsville, Ohio (Holy Name)
QB Cris Reisert 6-2 205 So. Ohio Dominican Dale Carlson Cincinnati, Ohio (Archbishop Moeller)
RB Ra’Shad Morgan 5-10 208 Jr. Virginia-Wise Bruce Wasem Chestfield, Va. (Meadowbrook)
RB Adrian Smith 5-10 200 Jr. Bethel ( Tenn.) Dino Kaklis Ocala, Fla. (Forrest)

Defense
Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
DL Eric Williams 6-3 275 Sr. Kansas Wesleyan Dave Dallas Red Bluff, Calif. (Red Bluff)
DL Andy Wulf 6-0 270 Sr. Saint Ambrose Todd Sturdy Tipton, Iowa (Tipton)
DL Jeff McQuinn 6-3 255 Jr. Peru St. Terry Clark Council Bluffs, Iowa (Lewis Central)
DL Joe Maresh 6-2 215 Sr. Valley City St. Dennis McCulloch Glencoe, Minn. ( Glencoe-Silver Lake)
LB J.J. Perino 6-1 221 Jr. Montana Tech Bob Green Helena, Mont. (Capital)
LB Brian Hall 6-1 240 Sr. Geneva Geno DeMarco Rillton, Pa. ( Yough)
LB Brian Kurtz 6-1 220 Sr. Saint Francis ( Ind.) Kevin Donley Fort Wayne, Ind. (Bishop Luers)
DB Marc Samson 5-8 174 Jr. Montana St.-Northern Mark Samson Helena, Mont. (Capital)
DB Austin Janssen 6-0 203 Sr. Northwestern ( Iowa) Orv Otten Orange City, Iowa ( MOC-Floyd Valley)
DB Tanner Tetrault 6-2 190 Jr. Black Hills St. John Scott St. Onge, S.D. (Spearfish)
DB Michael Harrison 5-9 185 Jr. McKendree Carl Poelker Bloomington, Ill. ( Bloomington)

Specialists
Pos Name Ht. Wt. Cl. School Coach Hometown (High School)
P Ben Chaet 6-0 195 Sr. Carroll ( Mont.) Mike Van Diest Helena, Mont. (Helena)
PK Rick Lebeda 6-3 190 Sr. Dana Bill Danenhauer Omaha, Neb. (Northwest)
AP Clay Hamblen 6-0 185 Jr. Georgetown ( Ky.) Bill Cronin Danville, Ind. ( Danville)

-Go Cavs-