Dec. 15, 2014
Schaffitzel Earns AFCA All-America Honors
Senior standout adds elusive coaches association All-America honors to long list of accolades
Schaffitzel Bio & Stats | AFCA Release | NFF Scholar-Athlete Award
WACO, Texas - The one major national award that has eluded Missouri State's most-heralded football player has now been bestowed on Bears' senior safety Caleb Schaffitzel. The American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) FCS Coaches' All-America Team was announced Monday with Schaffitzel landing a spot on the exclusive 25-man team.
Fellow Missouri Valley Football Conference standouts MyCole Pruitt (TE, Southern Illinois), Joe Haeg (OL, North Dakota State), Zach Zenner (RB, South Dakota State), Kyle Emmanuel (DL, North Dakota State), Colten Heagle (DB, North Dakota State) and Michael Schmadeke (K, UNI) also made the team.
The AFCA All-America team is the first of a series of All-America teams expected to be announced in the coming weeks. Last season, Schaffitzel was a first-team All-America pick by the Associated Press, Walter Camp Football Foundation, College Sporting News and The Sports Network to qualify as a consensus All-America pick.
On Dec. 4, Schaffitzel was named as an Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-American for the third time and second year in a row as a first-team selection on the elite Division I academic team. He followed that with an appearance in New York on Dec. 9 as a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy and a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete.
He has also earned All-MVFC first team and Academic All-MVFC first-team honors after his 2014 senior performance in addition to finishing 15th in the 2014 Buck Buchanan Award voting for the top defensive player in NCAA Division I FCS football.
Schaffitzel logged a team-high 96 tackles this season to rank sixth in the Valley during the regular season, including 42 solo stops. He also ranked sixth in the MVFC in passes defended (12), starting all 12 games this fall and 41 in a row to end his MSU career.
A team co-captain and 2013 consensus All-America choice, Schaffitzel finished his career with 385 stops and 10 interceptions, both of which rank among MSU's all-time leaders. Schaffitzel, a first-team All-MVFC pick the last three seasons, finished his senior campaign with four double-digit tackle totals this season, including three in Valley play.
The Fair Grove, Mo., native has a 3.93 grade-point average and was named FCS National Defensive Back of the Year in 2012.
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