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Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Jay McCareins: All American
December 09, 2005 | Football
Dec. 9, 2005
PRINCETON - Senior defensive back Jay McCareins was the driving force behind the Princeton football team's 7-3 record and second-place finish in the Ivy League. The national leader in interceptions was honored Friday as a member of the 2005 Walter Camp Football Foundation Division I-AA All-America team.
McCareins is Princeton's second first-team All-America selection this century, following Taylor Northrop's selection in 2001. He is the first non-kicker to make the All-America first team since running back Keith Elias made it in 1993. Linebacker Zak Keasey, now a member of the Washington Redskins, was a second-team selection last season.
McCareins was the ultimate playmaker for a Princeton squad that won seven games for the first time since 1995. He scored four touchdowns this season despite not gaining one offensive yard all season. He returned interceptions for scores in wins over Lafayette and San Diego, and he returned a missed field goal 100 yards for a score in the season-ending 30-0 win over Dartmouth. His biggest play, and arguably the biggest play in the last decade of Princeton football, came when he returned a fourth-quarter kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown for the winning margin in a 27-24 victory at Harvard. The final play of his career, fittingly, was an interception, the ninth of his season and 18th of his brilliant career.
The team, selected by the head coaches and sports information directors of the Division 1-AA football schools, is certified by UHY Advisors, a New Haven-based accounting firm.
The All-America defensive squad is led 10 players who are finalists for the Buck Buchanan Award, including McCareins, which is presented annually to the top defensive player in 1-AA. Among the top defensive honorees include two repeat All-American selections - defensive end Chris Gocong (Cal-Poly) and defensive back Shannon James (Massachusetts). In all, players from seven conferences and 18 institutions were represented on the 1-AA All-America team. The Atlantic-10 had the most players (9), followed by the Big Sky (4), MEAC and Southern Conference (3 each). The Great West, Gateway Conference and Ivy League all had two All-Americans. The other Ivy representative is Brown running back Nick Hartigan, who led the Ivy League in rushing and is a finalist for the Walter Payton Award. Walter Camp, "The Father of American Football," first selected an All-America team in 1889. Camp - a former Yale University athlete and football coach - is also credited with developing play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side. The Walter Camp Football Foundation - a New Haven based all-volunteer group - was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting All-America teams for 1-A and 1-AA.
2005 Walter Camp 1-AA All-America Team
OFFENSEWR David Ball* New Hampshire Jr. 6-3 185 Orange, VT WR Laurent Robinson Illinois State Jr. 6-2 193 Rockledge, FL TE Jonathan Williams New Hampshire Sr. 6-3 235 Rochester, NY OL Chad Motte Georgia Southern Sr. 6-4 303 Arab, FL OL Matt Magerko James Madison Sr. 6-0 290 Farnham, VA OL Willie Colon Hofstra Sr. 6-3 315 Bronx, NY OL Gerell Golightly Hampton Sr. 6-3 303 Lancaster, TX C Jeff Bolton Montana State Sr. 6-4 302 Tampa, FL QB Ricky Santos New Hampshire Soph. 6-2 215 Bellingham, MA RB Nick Hartigan Brown Sr. 6-2 220 Fairfax Station, VA RB Joe Rubin Portland State Sr. 5-11 225 Tacoma, WA PK Jaret Johnson Idaho State Sr. 5-10 200 Phoenix, AZ
DEFENSE
DL Chris Gocong* Cal Poly Sr. 6-3 255 Santa Barbara, CA DL Brent Hawkins Illinois State Sr. 6-2 244 Godfrey, IL DL Marques Murrell Appalachian State Jr. 6-2 230 Fayetteville, NC DL Jeff Charleston Idaho State Jr. 6-4 260 Monmouth, OR LB Chad Nkang Elon Jr. 6-0 214 Hyattsville, MD LB Justin Durant Hampton Jr. 6-2 235 Florence, SC LB Brian Hulea Villanova Sr. 6-1 235 Canfield, OH DB Jay McCareins Princeton Sr. 6-0 190 Naperville, IL DB Shannon James* Massachusetts Sr. 5-10 195 Stratford, CT DB Reed Doughty Northern Colorado Sr. 6-1 210 Johnstown, CO DB Tony LeZotte James Madison Soph. 6-0 190 Augusta, GA P Christian Koegel Massachusetts Jr. 6-0 185 Deerfield Beach, FL KR Ricky Williams Bethune Cookman Sr. 5-10 178 Gulfport, FL
* - 2004 Walter Camp Division I-AA All-America selection