FOUR FOOTBALL DUKES NAMED TO ASSOCIATED PRESS ALL-AMERICA TEAM

FOUR FOOTBALL DUKES NAMED TO ASSOCIATED PRESS ALL-AMERICA TEAM

Senior defensive end Kevin Winston is among four JMU players named to the Associated Press Division I-AA All-America Football Team

HARRISONBURG, Va., Dec. 13, 2006 ? Four James Madison University football players Wednesday were named to the Associated Press Division I-AA All-America Football Team.

Named to the second team were senior linebacker Akeem Jordan (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg), junior safety Tony LeZotte (Augusta, Ga./Westside) and senior defensive end Kevin Winston (Beltsville, Md./High Point). Senior offensive tackle Corey Davis (Hampton, Va./Kecoughtan) was a third-team honoree.

The four selections are the most JMU has had on the Associated Press' combined first, second and third All-America teams in a season. The Dukes during a 9-3 playoff season in 1987 had a first-team and a third-team choice and three honorable mentions, and JMU in 1986 had five honorable mention selections.

LeZotte's Associated Press All-America selection is his third in three JMU seasons. He was a second-team choice in 2004 when JMU won the Division I-AA national title and a first-team honoree a year ago. In 2006, he was second on the JMU team in tackles with 82, including 35 unassisted stops, and was first-team All-Atlantic 10 Conference for the third straight year.

Jordan was the Atlantic 10's 2006 defensive player of the year, a first-team all-league choice, and a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award that is presented to Division I-AA's top defender and the Bill Dudley Award that is given to the top Division I-A or Division I-AA player in Virginia. He took part in 140 tackles, including 69 unassisted stops, 17 tackles for loss and 5.5 quarterback sacks in 2006.

Winston in 2006 was first-team All-Atlantic. He took part in 64 tackles, including 27 unassisted stops, 16 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. He also returned two fumbles for touchdowns.

JMU's 2006 defense allowed averages of 84.8 rushing yards, 280.4 total yards and 16.8 points per game. The Dukes ranked fourth nationally in rushing defense, 16th in scoring defense and 21st in total defense.

Davis has been a leading JMU offensive lineman for four seasons, and he started 49 of 50 games during his career with the Dukes. He was a first-team All-Atlantic 10 choice in 2006 while helping JMU average 218.3 yards rushing, 391.2 yards of total offense and 32.4 points per game. The Dukes were ninth nationally in scoring and total offense and 11th in rushing.

JMU finished the 2006 season with a 9-3 record and competed in the NCAA playoffs. The Dukes had a combined record of 29-9 during the last three seasons.