Hafford Named SLC Defensive Player Of The Year
11/25/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 25, 2003
PLANO, Texas - McNeese State University wide receiver and return specialist B.J. Sams has been voted the Southland Conference football player of the year by the league's head coaches. The senior from Mandeville, La., becomes the second Cowboy in as many years to win the award after Hadley Prince received top billing from the coaches a year ago.
Sams (5-10, 173 pounds) was also voted first-team at wide receiver and second-team as a return specialist on the 2003 All-Southland Conference teams. He is one of 10 Cowboys placed on the first-team units with another five landing on the second teams.
Sams helped his McNeese team to its third straight Southland Conference regular-season title and has it positioned as the No. 1 seed in the NCAA I-AA playoffs which start this week. Heading into the postseason, Sams ranks second in the Southland with 58 receptions for 834 yards and a league-leading seven touchdown receptions. His 5.3 catches per game also lead the Southland. On special teams, Sams ranks third in the conference with a 23.6-yard average on 19 kickoff returns and fifth with a 9.9 average on 27 punt returns. In addition, Sams has 300 yards rushing to give him 1,849 all-purpose yards for an average of 168.1 per game, a number which ranks first in the league and 10th nationally.
Teammate Vick King, a senior from Cutoff, La., has been named offensive player of the year for the second consecutive season. The two-time first-team running back is the lone Southland rusher to average over 100 yards as he enters the postseason with a 115.9-yard average. King ranks second to Sams in the conference with 117.2 all-purpose yards per game.
After leading Stephen F. Austin State to a 7-4 record and second-place finish in the Southland Conference standings, Brent Hafford has been named defensive player of the year in the league. Hafford, a senior safety from Jasper, Texas, recorded 99 tackles to rank seventh in the league with 9.0 per game. He was tops in the conference with four forced fumbles, third in passes defended with 12 and fourth in fumbles recovered with two. The two-time first-team All-Southland pick is one of six Lumberjacks named to the top squad and one of 12 named first or second team.
Chance Dennis becomes the second SFA player in as many years to be named freshman of the year. The wide receiver from Houston, Texas, earns his award after finishing the year with 29 receptions for 709 yards and six touchdowns. Teammate Tony Tompkins received the award a year ago after leading the Southland with 163.2 all-purpose yards per game as a rookie. Tompkins finds himself on the first team at wide receiver this year after finishing his sophomore campaign with 1,173 all-purpose yards.
Northwestern State's Jamall Johnson is the newcomer of the year after transferring from Delta State University and putting up huge numbers. One of seven Demons named to the All-Southland squads, Johnson was voted first team at linebacker after finishing the regular season first in the Southland with 117 tackles and first with 19 tackles for lost yardage. The LaPlace, La., native was second in the league in quarterback sacks with 6.5 and second in forced fumbles with three.
McNeese State's Tommy Tate picks up his first Southland Conference coach of the year honor after helping his team to a 10-1 regular season and 5-0 league finish. His club has been ranked No. 1 in the Sports Network/CSTV poll all but one week this season and enters the postseason with a nine-game winning streak. The only loss was at Kansas State.
McNeese leads all team with 10 first-team all-league selections and its total of 15 on the two squads. Four other Cowboys were voted honorable mention All-Southland Conference. Stephen F. Austin placed 12 on the two teams while four others were named honorable mention.
2003 All-Southland Conference Football Teams
First Team Offense POS NAME UNIVERSITY HT. WT. CL. HOMETOWN QB Michael Williams Stephen F. Austin 6-0 196 Jr. Houston, Texas RB Vick King McNeese State 5-11 206 Sr. Cutoff, La. RB Jason Godfrey Sam Houston State 6-0 215 So. Tomball, Texas FB Luke Lawton McNeese State 6-0 236 Sr. Lafayette, La. WR B.J. Sams McNeese State 5-10 173 Sr. Mandeville, La. WR Tony Tompkins Stephen F. Austin 5-8 165 So. Port Arthur, Texas TE Kevin Landry Stephen F. Austin 6-2 255 Sr. Beaumont, Texas OL Dwight Hudler McNeese State 6-2 277 Sr. Mesquite, Texas OL Steve Izevbizua Sam Houston State 6-1 315 Jr. Houston, Texas OL Cody LeBlanc McNeese State 6-5 300 Jr. Lumberton, Texas OL Greg Buckley Northwestern State 6-3 279 Jr. Lewisville, Texas OL David Phillips Stephen F. Austin 6-5 305 Sr. Kemp, Texas PK John Marino McNeese State 5-9 198 Jr. Covington, La.
First Team Defense DL John Paul Jones McNeese State 6-3 300 So. Carencro, La. DL Quintene Newhouse Northwestern State 6-2 285 Jr. Emery, Texas DL Troy Phipps Sam Houston State 5-11 270 Sr. Coldspring, Texas DL Jerrell Zeno McNeese State 6-4 240 Sr. Sulphur, La. LB Roderick Royal McNeese State 6-1 241 Sr. Baton Rouge, La. LB Jamall Johnson Northwestern State 6-0 195 Jr. LaPlace, La. LB T.J. Dibble Sam Houston State 6-1 230 Sr. Keller, Texas CB Keith Smith McNeese State 6-0 185 Sr. Leesville, La. CB Chris Thompson Nicholls State 6-0 190 Sr. New Orleans, La. S Brent Hafford Stephen F. Austin 6-0 185 Sr. Jasper, Texas S David Crocker Stephen F. Austin 5-11 200 Sr. Killeen, Texas P Cory Elolf Texas State 6-1 175 So. Converse, Texas RS Chris Crawford Nicholls State 5-10 180 So. Baker, La.
Second Team Offense QB Scott Pendarvis McNeese State 6-3 219 Jr. Walker, La. RB Derrick Johnese Northwestern State 5-10 215 Jr. Baton Rouge, La. RB Phillip Brock Nicholls State 6-0 205 Sr. New Orleans, La. FB Eric Chapman Stephen F. Austin 5-9 195 Jr. Fort Worth, Texas WR Britt Brodhead McNeese State 5-9 175 Sr. Lafayette, La. WR Vince Butler Nicholls State 6-1 184 Jr. Tampa, Fla. TE Matt Gore McNeese State 6-3 225 Sr. Katy, Texas OL Jomaul Mason Texas State 6-1 285 Sr. Houston, Texas OL Adam Gardner Nicholls State 6-6 280 Jr. New Orleans, La. OL Chris Louvier Sam Houston State 6-5 290 Jr. Dayton, Texas OL Ken McKoy Texas State 6-5 365 Jr. Killeen, Texas OL Jeff Breaux Nicholls State 6-2 270 Sr. Sulphur, La. PK Ryan Rossner Stephen F. Austin 6-3 230 Jr. Metairie, La.
Second Team Defense DL Josh Tubbs Texas State 6-1 282 Sr. Belton, Texas DL Ryan Smith Stephen F. Austin 6-3 215 So. Newton, Texas DL Kenneth Winters Stephen F. Austin 6-3 275 Jr. Hull, Texas DL Gary Wesley Northwestern State 6-2 245 Jr. Monroe, La. LB Jeremy Davis Stephen F. Austin 6-2 240 Jr. The Colony, Texas LB Ryan Garrison McNeese State 6-1 230 Sr. Franklin, La. LB David Simmons Texas State 5-11 200 So. Houston, Texas CB David Pittman Northwestern State 6-0 160 So. Gramercy, La. CB Nick Houston Stephen F. Austin 5-11 190 Sr. Alief, Texas S Eric Louis Northwestern State 5-8 197 Sr. Zachary, La. S Andrew Highman Sam Houston State 6-0 200 Sr. New Caney, Texas P John Manly Nicholls State 6-2 180 Sr. Shake Heights, Ohio RS B.J. Sams McNeese State 5-10 173 Sr. Mandeville, La.
HONORABLE MENTION: QB: Josh Son, NICH. RB: Terrell Harris, TXST; Shelton Sampson, NWLa.. FB: Issa Banna, NWLa.; Colt Colletti, NICH. WR: Toby Zeigler, NWLa.; Jarrod Fuller, SHSU; Vincent Cartwright, SHSU; K.R. Carpenter, TXST. TE: Mark Morris, NWLa. OL: Matt Hoelscher, SFA; Justin Brown, NWLa.; Dustin Denault, NICH. PK: Jay Jones, NICH. DL: Mike Young, NICH; Chris Hester, NICH; Phil Robin, NICH; Vernon Holman, SFA. LB: Torrian Thomas, NICH; Tyree Broden, McN; Penn Morris, NICH. CB: Jerry Goldsmith, NWLa.; Chris White, McN; Jamaal Cato, SFA. S: David Willis, NICH; Joe Ogletree, NICH; Neil Ponstein, NWLa.; Harold Watson, TXST; Rod Gulley, McN; Cedric Lars, McN. P: Clay Gilbert, SFA.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: B.J. Sams, McNeese State OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Vick King, McNeese State DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Brent Hafford, Stephen F. Austin FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Chance Dennis, Stephen F. Austin NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR: Jamall Johnson, Northwestern State COACH OF THE YEAR: Tommy Tate, McNeese State
