POCATELLO, Idaho- When Tavoy Moore stepped foot onto the campus of Idaho State the thought of being an All-American never crossed his mind. But after being one of the nation's top returners on kickoffs and punts all season, the Bengal junior earned first-team All-American honors by the American Football Coaches Association.
It is the second straight year ISU has had an All-American as punter Jon Vanderwielen earned several All-American honors last year.
“This wasn't my goal coming into the season but it is an honor for other coaches to recognize me as an All-American,” Moore said. “This is a reflection on my team and the great job they did on special teams blocking. To me our whole return team earned All-American honors.”
Moore became the first player in Big Sky history to return a kickoff and punt return back for a touchdown in the same game in two different contests. Against Northern Colorado he set a school record for all-purpose yards with 318 as he had a 91-yard kickoff return and an 81-yard punt return for a touchdown. Then, against Montana he broke his own record with 323 all-purpose yards, including a 100-yard kickoff and an 84-yard punt return. He returned 15 punts for 275 yards and 45 kickoffs for 1,086 yards.
The 1,086 return yards on kickoff returns was a school record, breaking JD Ponciano's record of 996 yards in 2008. Moore's average of 18.3 yards a return on punts was the third best mark in the school history while his 2,034 all-purpose yards was the second best mark in ISU history, just behind Merril Hoge's 2,113 in 1985. That year Hoge averaged 192.1 all-purpose yards. Moore's 184.9 average is the second-best single season record only to Hoge.
On the season, Moore finished second in the country in punt returns at 18.3 a return and fourth in all-purpose yards. In the Big Sky Conference he was first in punt return average, fourth in kickoff return average (24.1 yards) and second in all-purpose yards.
The AFCA has selected an All-America team since 1945 and currently selects teams in all five of its divisions. What makes these teams so special is that they are the only ones chosen exclusively by the men who know the players the best — the coaches themselves.
The Big Sky Conference had six players represented on the All-American team, tying the Colonial Athletic Association for most players represented on the team. No other conference had more than two players on the squad.
2010 AFCA Football Championship Subdivision Coaches' All-America Team
Offense
WR Raymond Webber 6-3 220 Sr. Arkansas-Pine Bluff
WR Tysson Poots 6-3 220 Sr. Southern Utah
TE Dean Rogers 6-3 250 Sr. UC Davis
OL Ben Ijalana 6-4 320 Sr. Villanova
OL Corey Konycki 6-5 315 Sr. Robert Morris
OL Johnny Culbreath 6-6 280 Sr. South Carolina St.
OL David Arkin 6-5 302 Sr. Missouri St.
OL Mike Person 6-5 295 Sr. Montana St.
QB Jeremy Moses 6-0 195 Sr. Stephen F. Austin
RB Nate Eachus 5-10 216 Jr. Colgate
RB Taiwan Jones 6-1 200 Jr. Eastern Washington
Defense
DL Martin Parker 6-3 283 Sr. Richmond
DL Jabari Fletcher 6-3 265 Sr. Appalachian St.
DL Dain Taylor 6-3 251 Sr. Drake
DL Kenneth Charles 6-3 266 Sr. Stephen F. Austin
LB Tyler Holmes 6-0 220 Jr. Massachusetts
LB J.C. Sherritt* 5-10 220 Sr. Eastern Washington
LB Eric McBride 6-2 231 Sr. Richmond
DB Mark LeGree* 6-0 200 Sr. Appalachian St.
DB Dino Vasso 5-9 175 Sr. New Hampshire
DB James Vercammen 5-10 192 Sr. Dayton
DBTrumaine Johnson 6-3 197 Jr. Montana
Specialists
P David Miller 6-0 183 Sr. William & Mary
PK Jason Cunningham 6-1 175 Jr. Montana St.
AP Tavoy Moore 5-7 195 Jr. Idaho St.
*-2009 All-American
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