TOWSON -- For the first time in school history, three BYU football players have been named to the Academic All-America First Team in a single season. David Oswald, Matt Bauman and Kellen Fowler were recognized Wednesday as members of the 2008 ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America First Team, selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
“Coach Mendenhall puts a strong emphasis on academic success as well as on athletic success,” said BYU football academic coach Jim Hamblin. “That emphasis is exemplified in this award. These three young men have worked very hard and are very deserving.”
BYU’s three first-team honorees is tied for second-most nationally with North Dakota State behind Penn State’s four. Utah’s Louie Sakoda and New Mexico’s Zach Arnett, both of whom made the first-team list, are the only other players representing the Mountain West Conference.
Dating back to 1966, 61 BYU student-athletes have earned Academic All-America honors, accumulating 84 citations. Twenty-eight of those honorees have come from the BYU football team, with the program’s most recent CoSIDA Academic All-American being wide receiver Nathan Meikle back in 2005.
Oswald, from Sandy, Utah, is a two-year starter at right tackle for the Cougars and has maintained a 3.85 GPA while working towards a degree in international relations with a minor in geography. He is part of an offensive line which led BYU to two consecutive Mountain West Conference championships and is currently ranked ninth nationally in passing offense and second in third-down conversion percentage.
Bauman, a finance major and native of Salt Lake City, leads the team with a 3.92 GPA. He also leads the team with 101 tackles on the season, starting all 12 games for BYU at inside linebacker. Playing on a defense that ranks first nationally in fumble recoveries, Bauman recovered a key fumble in the Cougars’ 31-14 win over Utah State.
Also majoring in finance, Fowler is in his final semester as an undergraduate with a 3.82 GPA and has been accepted to attend law school at the University of Virginia following his graduation from BYU. A two-time Academic All-MWC and MWC Scholar Athlete honoree, the safety from Kaysville, Utah, has also started each game for the Cougars this season.
To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.
Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.
.
2008 ESPN the Magazine Academic All-America First Team
Name Position School Class Major
Tim Tebow QB Florida Jr. Family, Youth & Community Sciences
Brian Robiskie WR Ohio State Sr. Marketing
Kole Heckendorf WR N. Dakota St. Sr. Physical Education
Bart Bergfeld TE Dayton Sr. Philosophy/Religion
Tyler Roehl RB N. Dakota St. Sr. Physical Education
Kyle Minett RB S. Dakota St. So. Economics
Gerald Cadogan OL Penn. State Sr. Rehabilitation Services/Psychology
Andrew Pitz OL Penn St. Sr. Journalism
Phil Brunner OL Northwestern Gr. Chemical Engineering
Ryan McDonald OL Illinois Sr. Aerospace Engineering
David Oswald OL Brigham Young Sr. International Relations
Louie Sakoda K Utah Sr. Business Marketing
Mark Rubin DB Penn. State Gr. Finance/Advertising & PR
Andrew Berry DB Harvard Sr. Economics/Computer Science
Kellen Fowler DB Brigham Young Sr. Finance
Beau Hadley DB Weber State Jr. Technical Sales
Zach Arnett LB New Mexico Sr. History
Josh Hull LB Penn. State Sr. Environmental Systems/Engineering
Matthew Bauman LB Brigham Young Jr. Finance
Nick Reed DL Oregon Sr. History
Kyle Hawari DL Yale Sr. History
Brian Flagg DL Arkansas St. Sr. Electrical Engineering
Brandon Wingeier DL Dayton Jr. Mechanical Engineering
Tim Masthay P Kentucky Sr. Business Economics
BYU's Football Academic All-Americans
Name Year
Casey Boyette 1966
Virgil Carter 1966
Paul Ehrmann 1966
Dan Taylor 1972
Dan Taylor 1973
Steve Stratton 1973
Steve Miller 1976
Scott Phillips 1980
Dan Plater 1981
Steve Young 1983
Marv Allen 1984
Ty Mattingly 1986
Chuck Cutler 1987
Chuck Cutler 1988
Tim Clark 1988
Fred Whittingham 1989
Andy Boyce 1990
Brad Clark 1992
Bruce Jenne 1992
Eric Drage 1992
Eric Drage 1993
Cory Cook 1994
Alan Boardman 1994
Alan Boardman 1996
Chad Lewis 1996
Ben Cahoon 1997
Jared Lee 2000
Ryan Denney 2001
Nathan Meikle 2005
Matt Bauman 2008
Kellen Fowler 2008
David Oswald 2008