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Princeton University Athletics
Four Football Players Land First-Team All-Ivy Honors
November 25, 2003 | Football
Nov. 25, 2003
PRINCETON, N.J. - Senior defensive ends Joe Weiss and Tim Kirby earned First Team All-Ivy honors to go along with their Academic All-District honors and the Poe-Kazmaier Trophy they both earned at the postseason football banquet. Weiss and Kirby, arguably the greatest tandem of defensive ends ever to play at Princeton, join sophomore linebacker Justin Stull and freshman punter Colin McDonough on the All-Ivy First Team.
Senior defensive back Blake Perry earned All-Ivy second-team honors, while senior offensive lineman Kevin Manning, junior offensive lineman Paul Lyons and junior wide receiver B.J. Szymanski earned All-Ivy honorable mention. Weiss, a two-time All-Ivy First Teamer, finished second on the team with 73 tackles (38 unassisted). He led the team with 16 tackles for loss and tied for the team lead with four sacks. He was second in the Ivy League in tackles for loss, and he was Princeton's lone unanimous first-team selection.
Joining him on the All-Ivy First Team defensive line is Kirby, who earned second-team honors last season. Kirby finished third at Princeton with 62 tackles (27 unassisted), and tied for the team lead with four sacks. Kirby had nine tackles for loss and six passes defensed, and he was tied for second in the Ivy League with three forced fumbles.
Stull and McDonough both earned All-Ivy honors for the first time this season, and both did it in dramatic ways. Stull led the Ivy League in tackles with 114, 15 more than his nearest closest competitor. He had 47 solo tackles, tied for the team lead with four sacks and finished second on the team with 14 tackles for loss. He also tied for second in the Ivy League with three forced fumbles, and he added seven passes defensed, one interception and one fumble recovery.
McDonough is the first freshman ever at Princeton and one of only three in the history of the league to be named to the All-Ivy First Team. He led the league in punting, averaging 39.0 yards per kick, and he pinned the opponent inside the 20-yard-line nine times. He is a former Ivy League Rookie of the Week.
Perry, who earned Honorable Mention last season, fought through an ankle injury to be named to the All-Ivy Second Team. He was fifth on the team with 56 tackles (30 solo), including two for losses. He also had two passes defensed, and he provided the team with one of its most exciting moments of the season, a 58-yard fumble return for a touchdown in the 34-14 win over Brown.
Szymanski, a First-Team All-Ivy centerfielder for the baseball team last year, earned his first football honors by catching 44 passes for 823 yards, a league-best 18.7 yards per catch (minimum 40 receptions). Szymanski caught four touchdown passes on the season, and is currently ninth on the all-time receiving list at Princeton.
Manning and Lyons anchored an improved offensive line this season. Manning was returning starter from the last two seasons and played left tackle, while Lyons rebounded from injury in 2002 to start all season at left guard.
2003 All-Ivy Teams in PDF Format
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Princeton announced its 2003 team awards. They are listed below, with a brief description of what the award honors:
Harland "Pink" Baker'22 Award (top defensive freshman): Colin McDonough
Donold B. Lourie Award (top offensive freshman): Eric Walz
Class of 1952 Award (special teams): Matt Antony, Tim Releford
Richard W. Colman Award (excellence on the field and in the classroom): George Pilcher
Ronald A. Rogerson Award (enthusiasm and spirit): Kevin Manning
Dr. Harry R. McPhee Award (leadership): Mike Chiusano and Blake Perry
Charles W. Caldwell Memorial Trophy (improvement): Blair Morrison
Henry T. (Hank) Towns Award (mentoring younger players, giving back to Princeton)*: David Splithoff
John P. Poe-Richard W. Kazmaier Trophy (most valuable player): Tim Kirby and Joe Weiss
* - the Henry T. (Hank) Towns award was given for the first time in 2003 to honor Hank Towns, Princeton equipment manager, who will retire this year after 34 years of service to Princeton.