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Adams and Reese Named Associated Press All-Americans
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| Flozell Adams |
EAST LANSING, Mich.-- Michigan State offensive tackle Flozell Adams and outside linebacker Ike Reese added to their collection of postseason awards Tuesday as both were named Associated Press All-Americans.
Adams, the Big Ten's Offensive Lineman of the Year, was a second-team All-America selection. The 6-foot-7, 330-pound Adams graded out better than 80 percent seven times in 1997 and produced 34 pancake blocks. He was joined on AP's second team offensive line by Auburnis Victor Riley, Florida Stateis Tra Thomas, San Diego State's Kyle Turley and Houston's Ben Fricke.
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| Ike Reese |
"I'm in great company on the Associated Press All-America team," Adams said. "I'm not disappointed at all with the second-team selection because there are a lot of talented offensive linemen to choose from around the country. And itis difficult to evaluate our positions because we donit have comparable stats.
"I view this as another team award because I know I play on the best offensive line in the Big Ten and one of the best in the nation."
Reese, the team MVP who led the Spartans with 127 tackles in '97, was named to AP's third-team defense. The 6-3, 222-pound Reese reached double figures in tackles nine times during the regular season. As a four-year starter, he has recorded 410 career stops to rank third on MSU's all-time tackles chart. Reese teamed with Florida State's Daryl Bush, North Carolina's Kivuusama Mays and Air Forceis Chris Gizzi to make the third-team linebacker unit.
"The postseason honors keep rolling in," Reese said. "Honestly, it's a dream come true to be named All-American, especially by the Associated Press.
"Before the season, one of my goals was to earn All-America honors. I really didn't know what kind of a chance I had because a teamis record has a lot to do with a playeris evaluation. Sometimes, itis easy to get overlooked if you're not playing on a Top 10 team. This is a great reward for a lot of hard work."
A nine-person panel of sports writers selected the AP All-America teams.
Associated Press All-Americans
First Team
OFFENSE
Quarterback - Peyton Manning, Tennessee, 6-5, 222, senior, New Orleans.
Running backs - Curtis Enis, Penn State, 6-1, 233, junior, Union City, Ohio; Ricky Williams, Texas, 6-0, 220, junior, San Diego.
Wide receivers - Jacquez Green, Florida, 5-9, 168, junior, Fort Valley, Ga.; Randy Moss, Marshall, 6-5, 210, sophomore, Rand, W.Va.
Tight end - Alonzo Mayes, Oklahoma State, 6-2, 265, senior, Oklahoma City.
Center - Olin Kreutz, Washington, 6-4, 290, junior, Honolulu.
Guards-Tackles - Alan Faneca, LSU, 6-5, 310, junior, Rosenberg, Texas; Benji Olson, Washington, 6-4, 310, junior, Port Orchard, Wash.; Chad Overhauser, UCLA, 6-6, 304, senior, Sacramento, Calif.; Aaron Taylor, Nebraska, 6-1, 305, senior, Wichita Falls, Texas.
Placekicker - Martin Gramatica, Kansas State, 5-9, 170, junior, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
All-purpose - Tim Dwight, Iowa, 5-9, 185, senior, Iowa City, Iowa.
DEFENSE
Linemen - Greg Ellis, North Carolina, 6-6, 265, senior, Wendell, N.C.; Jason Peter, Nebraska, 6-5, 285, senior, Locust, N.J.; Andre Wadsworth, Florida State, 6-4, 282, senior, Miami; Grant Wistrom, Nebraska, 6-5, 255, senior, Webb City, Mo.
Linebackers - Sam Cowart, Florida State, 6-3, 239, senior, Jacksonville, Fla.; Andy Katzenmoyer, Ohio State, 6-4, 260, sophomore, Westerville, Ohio; Anthony Simmons, Clemson, 6-1, 225, junior, Spartanburg, S.C.; Brian Simmons, North Carolina, 6-4, 230, senior, New Bern, N.C.
Backs - Dre' Bly, North Carolina, 5-10, 185, sophomore, Chesapeake, Va.; Donovin Darius, Syracuse, 6-1, 205, senior, Camden, N.J.; Brian Lee, Wyoming, 6-2, 200, senior, Arvada, Colo.; Charles Woodson, Michigan, 6-1, 197, junior, Fremont, Ohio.
Punter - Chad Kessler, LSU, 6-1, 197, senior, Longwood, Fla.
Second Team
OFFENSE
Quarterback - Ryan Leaf, Washington State.
Running backs - Ahman Green, Nebraska; Skip Hicks, UCLA.
Wide receivers - Brian Alford, Purdue; E.G. Green, Florida State.
Tight end - Jerame Tuman, Michigan.
Center - Ben Fricke, Houston.
Guards-Tackles - Flozell Adams, Michigan State; Victor Riley, Auburn; Tra Thomas, Florida State; Kyle Turley, San Diego State.
Placekicker - Chris Sailer, UCLA.
All-purpose - Quinton Spotwood, Syracuse.
DEFENSE
Linemen - Jared DeVries, Iowa; Leonard Little, Tennessee; Jeremy Staat, Arizona State; Glen Steele, Michigan.
Linebackers - Jamie Duncan, Vanderbilt; Takeo Spikes, Auburn; Sam Sword, Michigan; Pat Tillman, Arizona State.
Backs - Marcus Ray, Michigan; Fred Weary, Florida; Shaun Williams, UCLA; Antoine Winfield, Ohio State.
Punter - Shane Lechler, Texas A&M.
Third Team
OFFENSE
Quarterback - Cade McNown, UCLA.
Running backs - Tavian Banks, Iowa; Fred Taylor, Florida.
Wide receivers - Troy Edwards, Louisiana Tech; Bobby Shaw, California.
Tight end - Rufus French, Mississippi.
Center - Kevin Long, Florida State.
Guards-Tackles - Eric Anderson, Nebraska; Jim Bundren, Clemson; Kyle Murphy, Arizona State; Matt Stinchcomb, Georgia.
Placekicker - Brad Palazzo, Tulane.
All-purpose - Kevin Faulk, LSU.
DEFENSE
Linemen - Lamanzer Williams, Minnesota; Leon Bender, Washington State; Ed Chester, Florida; Henry Slay, West Virginia.
Linebackers - Daryl Bush, Florida State; Kivuusama Mays, North Carolina; Ike Reese, Michigan State; Chris Gizzi, Air Force.
Backs - Larry Atkins, UCLA; Kevin Williams, Oklahoma State; Patrick Surtain, Southern Mississippi; Anthony Poindexter, Virginia.
Punter - John Baker, North Texas.