Complete List of Winners
 
Eastern Washington University center Spencer Blackburn has been recognized on the 20th Annual Academic All-Star Team as selected by the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Athletic Directors Association. The 49-member squad was announced on Friday (Jan. 6) by the FCA ADA, with 115 total nominees.
 
Blackburn is a 2014 graduate of Meridian High School in Bellingham, Wash., and has a 3.66 grade point average as a professional accounting major. A total of 21 awards have now been won by Eagles on the Academic All-Star team since the award began in 1998, including current Eagle head coach and Blackburn's former offensive line coach Aaron Best.
 
Blackburn enters his senior season in 2018 with 22 career starts in the 24 games he's played, and later in January will be named to the Big Sky Conference All-Academic team for the second-straight season.
 
He started all 11 games in 2017 and earned second team All-Big Sky honors for the second year in a row. Eastern was seventh in FCS in passing (320.5 per game) and sixth in total offense (476.7) in the 2017 season, and was also 20th in scoring (34.5) and 10th in third down conversions (46.1 percent).
 
He was a selected to the Hero Sports Sophomore All-America squad in 2016 after his 2015 season was wiped out with a thumb injury. Blackburn took over as Eastern's starting center in the fourth game of the 2016 season for injured senior Jerrod Jones, and earned second team All-Big Sky Conference honors. After Blackburn's insertion into the starting lineup beginning with the Northern Arizona game on Sept. 24, Eastern's five starters on the offensive line for the rest of the year consisted of two redshirt freshmen and a trio of sophomores.
 
 
 

EWU's Recipients of the FCS ADA Academic All-Star Team Award

2017 - Spencer Blackburn, Center
2016 - Cooper Kupp, Wide Receiver
2015 - Cooper Kupp, Wide Receiver
2015 - ***Jake Withnell, Tight End
2014 - Ronnie Hamlin, Linebacker
2013 - Ronnie Hamlin, Linebacker
2013 - Ashton Miller, Center
2012 - Jeff Minnerly, Safety
2011 - Jeff Minnerly, Safety
2011 - Mike Jarrett, Kicker
2010 - J.C. Sherritt, Linebacker
2010 - Matt Martin, Tight End
2009 - Chris Thomas, Offensive Tackle
2009 - Jacob Kragt, Defensive End
2007 - Tom McAndrews, Tight End
2005 - Joey Cwik, Linebacker
2003 - Kyler Randall, Wide Receiver
2003 - Kurt Sigler, Offensive Tackle
2002 - Josh Blankenship, Quarterback
1999 - Aaron Best, Center
1998 - Mike MacKenzie, Running Back
***Also post-graduate scholarship finalist.
 
 

More on the 20th Annual FCS ADA Academic All-Star Team

The 49 winners of the 20^th annual Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA) Academic All-Star Team were announced Jan. 5. There were 115 total nominees. The Missouri Valley Football Conference led all leagues with 9 student-athletes named to the All-Star Team, and the Ivy League followed with eight award winners from their member institutions.

"One of the most important responsibilities that the FCS ADA has is the selection of the Annual Academic All Star Team, stated FCS ADA President Thorr Bjorn, director of athletics at University of Rhode Island. "The 49 young men selected this year are truly impressive. They have been leaders on their individual campuses and have excelled in the classroom, their communities as well as on the football field.  They represent the best and the brightest within FCS football and now we have the honor of naming them to the 2017 Academic All Star Team."

Football players from all Football Championship Subdivision institutions are eligible for the award. Each of the nominees were required to have a minimum grade point average of 3.20 (on a 4.00 scale) in undergraduate study and have been a starter or key player with legitimate athletics credentials. He must have reached his second year of athletics and academic standing at the nominated institution and have completed a minimum of one full academic year at the nominated institution. He must also have participated in 50 percent of the games played at his designated position. 

Additionally, from the Academic All-Star team, nine finalists were selected for the 17th Annual FCS ADA $5,000 Postgraduate Scholarships. Two student-athletes will receive postgraduate scholarships during the Association's annual membership meeting held in conjunction with the 2018 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Convention, being held at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Washington, D.C., June 28-30. 

The finalists are Chris Schroer, Columbia University, RB, 3.94 GPA; Jack Heneghan, Dartmouth College, QB, 3.79 GPA; Justin Lea, Jacksonville State University, OL, 3.92 GPA; Chandler Burks, Kennesaw State University, QB, 3.88 GPA; Easton Stick, North Dakota State University, QB, 3.91 GPA; Marlon Walls, Stephen F. Austin State University, DB, 4.00 GPA; Max Michaels, University of San Diego, DB, 3.95 GPA; Brett Taylor, Western Illinois University, LB, 3.90 GPA; Jacob Judd, Western Illinois University, OL, 4.00 GPA.

A special Review Committee of Football Championship Subdivision athletics directors was responsible for selecting the all-star team and scholarship finalists. Completing this task were Thorr Bjorn, Rhode Island (chair); Bruce McCutcheon, Lafayette; Bill Smith, Bryant; and Nathan Pine, Holy Cross. 
Now in its 24th year, the Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association's mission is to enhance Football Championship Subdivision football. For more information on the FCS ADA, please visit www.fcsada.com. The FCS ADA is administered by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), which is in its 53rd year. For more information on NACDA and the 17 professional associations that fall under its umbrella, please visit www.nacda.com.