Dec. 14, 2005

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Cal Poly defensive end Chris Gocong and Northern Colorado safety Reed Doughty were named to the prestigious 2005 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division I-AA Coaches All-America Team.

Gocong, a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award for the second straight year, is first in the nation in sacks per game (1.81), second in tackles for lost yardage (2.35 per game) and 23rd in forced fumbles (.31). He finished the 2005 season with 98 total tackles (46 solo), including a school-record 23.5 sacks and 31.0 tackles for lost yardage, leading the Mustangs to a 9-4 record, a second straight Great West Football Conference championship and the quarterfinal round of the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs.

The 6-3, 265-pound senior was named Great West Football Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and has 42.0 career sacks, 1.5 sacks shy of the career mark set by Tom Carey (1985-88). He recovered a Montana State fumble in the end zone for his first career Mustang touchdown.

He finished the 2004 regular season as the nation's sacks leader in Division I-AA with 17.5 (1.59 sacks per contest) and was No. 2 in tackles for lost yardage with 21.5 (1.95 a game). Gocong will play in the 2006 Las Vegas All-American Classic on Saturday, Jan. 14, in Sam Boyd Stadium.

Doughty was one of four defensive backs to make the first-team. He joined Jay McCareins of Princeton, Shannon James of UMass and Tony LeZotte of James Madison as defensive backs selected to the squad.

Doughty, a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award (given to I-AA's top defensive player), capped a stellar career by leading all of I-AA in tackles in 2005, registering 159 stops (14.45/game) during the season, including a season-high 19 against 2005 NCAA Playoff participant Cal Poly.

Doughty had double-digit tackles in 10 of 11 games during the year and ranked in the top-10 in the Great West Football Conference in forced fumbles (3), fumbles recovered (3), passes defended (8) and interceptions (4). He capped his career by ranking third in school history in career tackles (466), fifth in career interceptions (14) and eighth in career fumbles recoveries (6).

The epitome of a student-athlete, Doughty compiled a perfect 4.0 gpa, was the top vote-getter on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American team in 2005 as well as one of 16 finalists for the 2005 Draddy Trophy (a.k.a. The Academic Heisman), for which he won an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship. He completed his degree in sports and exercise science and graduated on Dec. 10.

Doughty will participate in the All-American Classic All-Star Game to be held Jan. 14 in Las Vegas and then continuing training for the NFL Scouting Combine, to be held Feb. 22-28 in Indianapolis.

The AFCA has selected an All-America team since 1945 and currently selects teams in all four of its divisions. It is the only All-American team chosen exclusively by the coaches themselves.

In all, 19 seniors and six juniors make up this year¹s AFCA Division I-AA All-America Team.

Members of the AFCA Coaches' All-America Team will receive a plaque commemorating their selection to the team. Voting was done by three head coaches from each of the AFCA¹s nine districts across the country as well as one other head coach who serves as the chairman of the AFCA¹s Division I-AA All-America Selection Committee.