The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Four UAB Players Named First-Team All-Conference USA
12/7/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 7, 2004
DALLAS ----- UAB, gearing up for the program's bowl appearance Dec. 24th at the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl, had four players named Tuesday to the 2004 All-Conference USA first-team.
By having four players named to the first unit, the Blazers surpassed their best previous total for first-team selections, that being two in 2001. UAB, with four first-team selections, trailed only league champion Louisville in first-teamers (six). UAB also had one second-team selection and a trio of third-team choices.
The all-conference teams were voted on by the league's 11 head coaches and two media members in each conference city.
UAB, which finished the regular season at 7-4 and tied for second place (5-3) in the C-USA standings, placed two players on the conference first-team offense and two others on the first-team defense.
Senior Roddy White, a third-team pick a year ago, emerged in 2004 as one of the country's best offensive weapons and heads the Blazers' first-team selections.. The Charleston, S.C. product will enter the bowl game with 65 receptions for 1,339 yards and 13 touchdowns. His receiving yardage total established a C-USA record while his average (121.7) ranks No. 2 nationally . He is the only receiver in the nation averaging better than 20 yards per reception who has caught more than 60 passes.
White was joined on the first-team offense by teammate and senior offensive guard Andy Galloway. Galloway, who has started 33 games at UAB, has twice been a preseason all-conference selection but the 2004 honor is the first postseason accolade for the Dothan, Ala. native.
Linebacker Zac Woodfin, for the second straight season, is listed among the first-team defense selections. A second-team choice as a sophomore in 2002, Woodfin will end his UAB career in Hawai'i as one of the top defenders in Conference USA history. He set a Blazer record this season for career tackles and now has 368 all-time stops.
Also earning first-team honors on the C-USA defense is UAB sophomore defensive end Larry McSwain. McSwain, who made quite an impact in his first season with the Blazers after transferring from Jackson State in January of 2003, is surrounded by three seniors on the C-USA first-team defensive line. He led the conference in sacks with 11.5 and had 17 tackles for loss. McSwain is the only sophomore named to either the first or second-team C-USA offensive or defensive units.
Junior Reggie Lindsey was the only Blazer tabbed to the All-Conference USA second-team as he was named the unit's kick returner. Lindsey's play was instrumental in several UAB victories this season as he averaged 24.7 yards on kickoff returns and 10.9 yards on punt returns. He also caught 17 passes as a flanker with a team second-best four touchdowns.
The Blazers had three players named to the third unit with QB Darrell Hackney and RB Dan Burks leading the offense. Hackney, playing his first full season at UAB, threw for 2,653 yards and 24 touchdowns. Burks, splitting time in the UAB backfield with Corey White, rushed for 825 yards while averaging 5.5 yards per carry. The final third-team selection for the Blazers was junior safety Dominique Cosper, who tied Woodfin for team honors in tackles with 92 this season. Regarded as perhaps the team's hardest hitter among the defensive backs, Cosper forced four fumbles during the season.
Regular season champion Louisville placed a league-high six players on the All-Conference first team, finishing with 10 total selections. Three members of the Cardinals top-ranked offense dot the first team, including QB Stefan LeFors, the nation's leader in pass efficiency (185.4). Memphis tied UAB for the second-most selections on the first team with four and garnered nine overall picks.
Here are the complete lists of first, second and third-team All-Conference USA selections:
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE: QB - Stephan LeFors, Sr., Louisville; RB - Andre Hall, Jr., USF; RB - DeAngelo Williams, Jr., Memphis; OL - Anthony Alabi, Sr., TCU; OL- Gene Frederic, Memphis; OL - Andy Galloway, UAB; OL - Travis Leffew, Jr., Louisville; OL - Kyle Takavitz, Sr., Cincinnati; TE - Cody McCarty, Sr., TCU; WR - Roddy White, UAB; WR- J.R. Russell, Sr., Louisville; and WR - Roydell Williams, Jr., Tulane.
DEFENSE: DL - Trent Cole, Sr., Cincinnati; DL - Andre Frazier, Sr., Cincinnati; DL - Macrus Jones, Sr., Louisville; DL - Larry McSwain, So., UAB; LB - Michael Boley, Sr., Southern Miss; LB - Zac Woodfin, Sr., UAB; Robert McCune, Sr., Louisville; DB - John Eubanks, Jr., Southern Miss; DB - Marvin Goldbolt, Sr., TCU; DB - Kerry Rhodes, Sr., Louisville; and DB - Wesley Smith, Jr., Memphis
SPECIAL TEAMS: PK - Stephen Gostkowski, Jr., Memphis; P - Chris Beckman, So., Tulane; KR - John Eubanks, Jr., Southern Miss; and PR - Travis Williams, Fr., East Carolina.
SECOND TEAM OFFENSE: QB - Danny Wimprine, Sr., Memphis; RB - Carlton Jones, Jr., Army; RB - Eric Shelton, Jr., Louisville; OL - Joel Glover, Sr., Army; OL - Will Rabatin, Sr., Louisville; OL - Jeremy Parquet, Sr., Southern Miss; OL - Jeremy Rone, Sr., Memphis; OL - Jason Spitz, Jr., Louisville; TE - Brent Celek, So., Cincinnati; WR - Tavares Gideon, Sr., Memphis; WR - Vincent Marshall, Jr., Houston; WR - Hannibal Thomas, Sr., Cincinnati.
DEFENSE: DL - Joe Clay, Sr., Houston; DL - Albert Means, Sr., Memphis; DL - Chad Ruffin, Sr., Southern Miss; DL - Marcus West, Jr., Memphis; LB - James Enzor, Sr., Cincinnati; LB - Martin Patterson, Sr., TCU; Greg Washington, Sr., Army; DB - Trevis Coley, Jr., Southern Miss; DB - Joey Dawson, Sr., Tulane; DB - Daven Holly, Sr., Cincinnati; and DB - Doug Monaghan, Sr., Cincinnati.
SPECIAL TEAMS: PK - Darren McCaleb, So., Southern Miss; P - Ryan Dougherty, So., East Carolina; and KR - Reggie Lindsey, Jr., UAB.
THIRD TEAM OFFENSE: QB - Darrell Hackney, Jr., UAB; RB - Dan Burks, So., UAB; RB - Richard Hall, Sr., Cincinnati; OL - Phil Hawkins, Sr., Houston; OL - Alex Herron, Sr., USF; OL - Chase Johnson, Sr., TCU; OL - Derrick Sarosi, Sr., USF; OL - Clint Stickdom, Sr., Cincinnati; TE - Adam McCauley, Sr., Louisville; WR - Antwon Courington, Jr., Southern Miss; WR - Reggie Harrell, Sr., TCU; and WR - Cory Rodgers, So., TCU.
DEFENSE: DL: Antonio Harris, Fr., Tulane; DL - Kade Lane, Jr., Houston; DL - Lee Roy Selmon, Sr., USF; DL - Will Sullivan, Sr., Army; LB - Anthony Cannon, Jr., Tulane; LB - Tyjuan Hagler, Sr., Cincinnati; Chris Moore; Jr., East Carolina; DB - Zach Baker, Jr., East Carolina; DB - Dominique Cosper, Jr., UAB; DB - Stanford Routt, Sr., Houston; and DB - Mark Walker, Sr., TCU.
SPECIAL TEAMS: KR - Cory Rodgers, So., TCU; and PR - Fred Smith, So., Tulane.
