Dec. 12, 2006

PHILADELPHIA, PA - Senior linebacker Akeem Jordan of James Madison, the 2006 Atlantic 10 Defensive Player of the Year, is one of five players from the Conference named to the American Football Coaches Association I-AA All-America Team, it was announced on Tuesday.

Jordan collected a league-high 140 tackles, including 17 behind the line of scrimmage in anchoring a JMU defense which ranks fourth nationally in rushing (84.8 ypg.) and 16th in scoring (16.8 ppg.). The senior from Harrisonburg VA, registered 5.5 of the Dukes' nation-leading 47 sacks along with four pass breakups, an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. One of 16 candidates for the Buck Buchanan Award, presented by The Sports Network to the most outstanding defensive player in I-AA, Jordan is the fourth player in program history and second in as many years to earn the Conference's Defensive Player of the Year award.

Joining Jordan on the AFCA All-America team are Delaware senior tight end Ben Patrick, offensive lineman Alex Miller of Massachusetts, New Hampshire wide receiver David Ball and defensive end Matt King of Maine. Miller will make his 50th consecutive start on Fri. evening as UMass faces Appalachian State in the finals of the 2006 NCAA Division I Football Championship, while Ball was named to the team for the second consecutive year.

With five players selected to the 25-member team, the Atlantic 10 was the most represented conference and its 85 selections since the formation of the AFCA I-AA All-America team in 1979 is the most of any league.

The AFCA's Division I-AA All-America Selection Committee is made up of three head coaches from each of the AFCA's nine districts, one of whom serves as a district chairman, along with another head coach who serves as the chairman of the selection committee. The coaches in each district are responsible for ranking the top players in their respective districts prior to a conference call between the district chairmen and the committee chairman on which the team is chosen.