Jan. 9, 2015
FCS ADA Release
CLEVELAND - The 50 winners of the 17th annual Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA) Academic All-Star Team were announced by the FCS ADA, today.
The Missouri Valley Football Conference led all leagues with nine student-athletes named to the All-Star Team, including Missouri State senior safety Caleb Schaffitzel (Fair Grove, Mo.).
Schaffitzel, who has a 3.93 GPA in conservation and wildlife management, is a three-time CoSIDA Academic All-American and a two-time FCS consensus All-American after he posted 96 tackles this season for the Bears and was a 2014 Buck Buchanan Award finalist. He started all 12 games and 41 in a row to end his MSU career. Schaffitzel ranked sixth in the MVFC in passes defended (12) and finished his career with 385 stops and 10 interceptions.
He was also a National Football Foundation National Scholar Award recipient this season.
Football players from all Football Championship Subdivision institutions are eligible for the award. Each of the 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.
Additionally, from the Academic All-Star team, 10 finalists were selected for the 14th Annual FCS ADA $5,000 Postgraduate Scholarships. Two student-athletes will receive postgraduate scholarships during the Association's annual membership meeting held in conjunction with the 2015 National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Convention, being held at the World Center Marriott Resort in Orlando, Fla., June 11-18.
Schaffitzel is an elite finalist for the FCS ADA Postgraduate scholarship along with: Corey Boemer, Southern Illinois University, C, 3.89 GPA; James Cowser, Southern Utah University, DL, 3.99 GPA; Kyle Emanuel, North Dakota State University, DE, 3.66 GPA; Jake Farley, University of Northern Iowa, LB, 3.69 GPA; Max Holcombe, Jacksonville State University, C, 3.72 GPA; Troy McClelland, University of San Diego, LB/S, 3.89 GPA; Jason Schneider, South Dakota State University, WR, 3.98 GPA; Esley Thorton, North Dakota State University, LB, 3.92 GPA; and Zach Zenner, South Dakota State University, RB, 3.86 GPA.
A special Review Committee of Football Championship Subdivision athletics directors was responsible for selecting the all-star team and scholarship finalists.
