November 16, 2001
Release: Upon Receipt

FURMAN LANDS THREE ON VERIZON UNIVERSITY DIVISION
ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT III FOOTBALL TEAM

GREENVILLE -- The Furman Paladins football team placed three players on the Verizon University Division Academic All-District III Football Team, which was released today.

Senior tight end Trent Sansbury, senior defensive lineman Steve DeBeer, and junior defensive back Rodney Johnson were the three Paladins named to the 24-member squad composed of players representing the states of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia.

To be eligible a player must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 in the classroom and be a starter of key reserve on the field. Sansbury, DeBeer, and Johnson are now eligible for the national Academic All-America team, which will be announced Dec. 5. Furman has produced a Southern Conference leading 12 Academic All-Americans over the years, nearly double the number of every other conference member school.

Sansbury, a native of Lilburn, Ga., and two-time All-Southern Conference pick, has 27 receptions for 376 yards and one touchdown this season. DeBeer, a product of Atlanta, has totaled 21 tackles, three tackles-for-loss, and a sack, and Johnson, from Marion, N.C., has racked up 30 tackles, a pair of interceptions, and six pass deflections this year.

Currently 7-2 on the season and 6-1 in Southern Conference play, the NCAA I-AA third-ranked Paladins can clinch a share of the 2001 league championship with a win at Chattanooga on Saturday.