Thornhill Named Academic All-American
12/13/2000 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 13, 2000
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State junior linebacker Josh Thornhill, who led the team in tackles with 114 in 2000 and carries a 3.41 grade-point average in kinesiology, has been named second-team Verizon Academic All-American as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
A first-team All-Big Ten selection, Thornhill anchored a Spartan defensive unit that led the league in total defense, allowing 318.3 yards per game. The 6-foot-2, 232-pound middle linebacker reached double figures in tackles in seven of his last 10 games. He ranked third in the Big Ten in tackles, averaging 10.4 per game. The Lansing, Mich., native earned Spartan Defensive Player of the Week honors twice in 2000, vs. Purdue (14 stops) and Northwestern (season-high 15 tackles).
Last September, Thornhill became one of MSU's first student-athletes to be recognized as a "Champion in the Classroom."
"It's tough to balance academics and athletics but it's all about taking care of business," Thornhill said. "The bottom line is time management. I have to give a lot of credit to Student-Athlete Support Services because the staff there gave me a solid foundation to build upon.
"This is an accomplishment that I'd really like to share with my mother (Laurie) because she has taken a great interest in my schoolwork ever since kindergarten. My mother has always been there to provide help with my homework or projects while my dad (Charlie) has always been there to provide direction for my performance on the football field."
"I'm very proud of Josh Thornhill and he is most deserving of this honor," Spartan head coach Bobby Williams said. "Here is a young man who has excelled both on the football field and in the classroom.
"Josh is a very goal-oriented person, who wants to be successful in everything that he does. He's a great leader on and off the field and he's the type of guy who can elevate the performances of those around him."
CoSIDA created the Academic All-America program in 1952. To be nominated for the Academic All-America Team, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.2 cumulative grade-point average (on a 4.0 scale) for his career. He also must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing.