Dec. 30, 2005

CLEVELAND, Ohio -

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University of Northern Colorado senior safety Reed Doughty; North Dakota State University senior linebacker Kole Zimmerman and senior offensive tackle Tim Popowski, and UC Davis junior quarterback Jon Grant were four of 44 student-athletes named to the Eighth Annual University of Northern Colorado senior safety Reed Doughty; North Dakota State University senior linebacker Kole Zimmerman and senior offensive tackle Tim Popowski, and UC Davis quarterback Jon Grant were four of 44 student-athletes named to the Eighth Annual Division I-AA Athletics Directors Association (DI-AA ADA) Academic All-Star Team.

Doughty was also named one of seven finalists selected for the Fifth Annual Division I-AA ADA's $5,000 Postgraduate Scholarship.

The winners were chosen from 102 nominees and were announced at the Division I-AA football championship in Chattanooga, Tenn. Of the seven finalists for the postgraduate scholarships, two student-athletes will receive the awards during the Association's annual membership meeting held in conjunction with the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Convention, being held at the New Orleans Marriott and Sheraton New Orleans in New Orleans, Louisiana, June 20-23, 2006.

"We are proud of the young men who have earned this award," said Don Kaverman, chair of the Division I-AA ADA Academic All-Star Team Selection Committee and athletics director at Southeast Missouri State University. "They represent the outstanding students-athletes found in Division I-AA football."

Football players from all Division I-AA institutions are eligible for these prestigious awards. Each of the 102 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.

A special Review Committee of Division I-AA athletics directors was responsible for selecting the all-star team and scholarship finalists. Completing this task were Greg Burke, Northwestern State; Don Kaverman, chair, Southeast Missouri State; Marilyn McNeil, Monmouth; Jim Murphy, Davidson; John Parry, Butler; and Tim Van Alstine, Western Illinois.

Now in its 13th year, the Division I-AA Athletics Directors Association's mission is to enhance Division I-AA football. The Association is administered by NACDA, now in its 41st year. NACDA is the professional and educational association for more than 6,100 college athletics administrators at more than 1,600 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. More than 2,000 athletics administrators annually attend the NACDA Convention. Additionally, NACDA administers nine professional associations for the separate business units that report directly to the athletics director. NACDA also operates the Sports Academy Directors' Cup program, which honors the four all-sports champions in the NCAA Division I, II and III; and the NAIA. The Association has an awards program that includes the James J. Corbett Memorial Award, the highest administrative award presented in intercollegiate athletics; the GeneralSports TURF Systems Athletics Director of the Year Award, honoring the top 29 athletics directors by division across the country; and the Coca-Cola Community All-American Awards, recognizing seven student-athletes by division for their community service efforts. NACDA also provides a daily web clip service, the NACDA Daily Review; and a bi-monthly magazine, Athletics Administration.