|
« Coach Shuman on CBS Channel 19 |
Main
| National Signing Day »
A Championship Year for Fork Union Military Academy Alums
From top to bottom, it has been a championship year for Fork Union Military Academy. Former FUMA cadets could be found on numerous championship teams during this football season.
National Football League
Two former FUMA cadets won rings at the Super Bowl on February 3, 2008 as members of the world champion New York Giants. Plaxico Burress made the game-winning touchdown catch in the final moments of the game to complete the Giants' upset win over the New England Patriots. Rookie receiver Brandon London spent the week as he has all season as a member of the Giants practice squad, helping the team get ready for the game. During Super Bowl week, London played the role of Randy Moss, giving Giants defenders the preparation they needed to shut down the explosive receiver during the Super Bowl game.
NCAA Division I & I-AA
Freshman wide receiver Ian Harding (6-1 / 196 ) was a member of the Division I National Championship winning team, the Louisiana State University Tigers. The Tigers defeated the Ohio State University Buckeyes in the national championship game to become the first team to win multiple national titles since the advent of the BCS National Championship.
Offensive lineman Xan Thomas (6-2 / 270) was a freshman on the Appalachian State University Mountaineers team that won the NCAA Division I-AA National Championship. The Mountaineers season began in a memorable fashion with an upset victory over Michigan, marking the first time a Division I-AA team had defeated a nationally-ranked Division I-A school.
NCAA Division II
A senior at Valdosta State University, Bo May (6-2 / 270) earned his D-II ring playing defensive tackle on the team that beat Northwest Missouri State to claim the NCAA Division II National Championship.
College All-Americans
Anthony Castonzo and Kareem Jackson were both named to All-American Freshman Teams following the 2007 season. Castonzo (6-7 / 262 lbs.) started at right offensive tackle for Boston College in 2007 and was named to the Sporting News All-American Freshman First Team. Kareem Jackson (5-11 / 185 lbs.) started at cornerback for Alabama's Crimson Tide in 2007, and was named to the Sporting News All-American Freshman Second Team.
Anthony Castonzo was also honored as a member of the ACC All-Academic Team in 2007. Players selected to the team must have earned a 3.00 grade point average for the previous semester and maintained a 3.00 cumulative average during his academic career. Castonzo is a biochemistry major at Boston College.
NFL Draft
The 2007 NFL season got underway with the selection of FUMA alumnus Gaines Adams as the 4th overall pick in the draft. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers selected the defensive end out of Clemson, making him the 10th FUMA alumnus to be selected in the first round of the NFL draft.
The 2008 NFL Draft is expected to feature another FUMA alumnus as a potential first round draft selection. Defensive end Philip Merling, currently a junior at Clemson, is projected by Mel Kiper as a top ten first round pick.
Joining Merling at the upcoming NFL Combine will be FUMA alums Dorien Bryant of Purdue University and Josh Morgan of Virginia Tech, both wide receivers. Bryant is speedy, with a 4.36 time in the 40. Morgan is touted by Coach John Shuman as "a beast" who should really pick up attention at the Combine. Both are currently projected as mid-round picks, but Shuman believes they can rise in the rankings.
Posted by CPT Dan Thompson, Tuesday, February 5, 2008 01:16 PM
Alumni
|
