Tim Hightower Richmond

Chris Long Virginia

Kevin Grayson Richmond

Dave Clawson Richmond

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Gary Michael, James Madison
(540) 568-6154
  
December 20, 2007


State Sports Info. Directors Present Division I Football Awards, Name All-State Team
 
 HARRISONBURG, Va. – The top season in team history earned the University of Richmond football program three of the top awards presented annually by the Virginia Sports Information Directors Association.
 
 2007 VaSID University Division Football All-State Team
 
 Spiders senior running back Tim Hightower has been named the association's state Division I offensive player of the year, Richmond redshirt freshman wide receiver Kevin Grayson state Division I rookie of the year, and Spider coach Dave Clawson the Virginia Division I coach of the year.
 
 Also recognized Wednesday in VaSID voting was University of Virginia senior defensive end Chris Long as state Division I defensive player of the year.
 
 Sports information directors from throughout Virginia took part in the VaSID voting that in addition to the top individual awards named all-state first and second teams on offense and defense.
 
 Clawson led Richmond to an 11-3 record, to a share of the Colonial Athletic Association title and to the semifinals of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs.  The 11-win season was the first in program history, and the Spiders set team season records for scoring, total offense and rushing offense.  Clawson also was state coach of the year in 2005 when he led Richmond to the NCAA playoffs.
 
 Hightower ran for Richmond season records of 1,924 yards and 20 touchdowns and twice was national offensive player of the week.  He caught 32 passes for 228 yards and three scores and was first-team All-CAA, runner-up for the state's Dudley Award, a first-team Walter Camp All-America and a second-team Associated Press All-America.
 
 Long was a consensus All-America, the Ted Hendricks Award winner as the nation's top defensive end, the Atlantic Coast Conference defensive player of the year, and the Dudley Award winner as the state's top player.  He had 75 tackles in 12 regular-season games, including 19 for loss and 14 quarterback sacks.  He was the ACC's only unanimous first-team all-league performer, and he is third nationally in sacks.
 
 Grayson, the rookie of the year in the CAA, caught 68 passes for 970 yards and seven scores.  He had four 100-yard receiving games, including a 122-yard, two-touchdown effort at Appalachian State in NCAA play, and he was second-team All-CAA.  Grayson set a Spider freshman mark for receiving yards and had the program's No. 3 all-time receiving yards total despite missing two games because of injuries.
 
 Virginia Tech, which earned an Orange bowl invitation by winning the ACC title, led the overall all-state voting with 13 honorees, including six to the first team.  Liberty had eight selections, Virginia seven, James Madison six, Richmond five, Hampton four, Norfolk State three, William & Mary three, and Virginia Military Institute one.
 
 Seven players were repeat selections to the all-state first team, including James Madison safety Tony LeZotte, who was a fourth-time choice.  Repeat honorees on offense include Virginia tight end Tom Santi and guard Branden Albert and Virginia Tech tackle Duane Brown.  Joining LeZotte as repeat choices on defense were Long, Hampton lineman Kendall Langford, and Virginia Tech back Brandon Flowers.

All-State teams are selected by active members of the Virginia Sports Information Directors Association.  For more information, please visit the VaSID site at http://www.ferrum.edu/athletics/vasid.