June 29, 2001

SIX PALADINS EARN NATIONAL TOP 10 POSITION RATINGS;
IVORY, BOUTON, STEWART RATED NO. 1

GREENVILLE -- Six Furman Paladins have been ranked among NCAA I-AA football's top players, and three All-America performers -- tailback Louis Ivory, linebacker Will Bouton, and center Chris Stewart -- have been rated no. 1 at their respective positions, according to The Sports Network.

In addition to Ivory, Bouton, and Stewart, All-America Marty Priore is rated as the third best offensive guard, Trent Sansbury the third best tight end, and Richie Jackson the seventh best cornerback in I-AA football. All six Paladins are rising seniors and part of a contingent of 19 starters returning off Furman's 2000 squad that posted a 9-3 record and NCAA I-AA playoff appearance.

Ivory, the Walter Payton Award winner a year ago as the top offensive player in I-AA football, earned consensus All-America honors in 2000 after leading the nation in rushing with a Southern Conference record 2,079 yards and 16 touchdowns during the regular season. The Fort Valley, Ga., product already ranks second on Furman's career rushing chart with 4,176 yards.

Bouton, a Greenville native who has started in 35 consecutive games during his Paladin career, captured league defensive player-of-the-year and All-America honors in 2000 after totaling 134 tackles and 14 tackles-for-loss. He heads into the 2001 campaign with 375 career stops, good for 10th on the school's all-time tackles chart.

Stewart returns for his third season of starting duty at center, where last year he spearheaded a Paladin offensive front that helped Furman average a school record 307.5 rushing yards per game. The team's strongest player boasting a squat of 650 pounds, he counts 25 consecutive winning blocking performances.

Priore, Sansbury, and Jackson have also been integral to Furman's success the last two years, helping the Paladins to a combined 18-6 record and two NCAA I-AA playoff appearances.

Priore has started in 32 consecutive games and is coming off a 2000 season that saw him post the second best blocking grade (88.0 percent) along Furman's offensive front. Sansbury, an outstanding blocker and two-time all-conference selection, has 28 catches for 441 yards and five touchdowns in his career. Jackson, meanwhile, garnered all-conference honors a year ago and has earned starts in 35 straight games. He heads into the 2001 season with 14 career interceptions, only four shy of the Furman record.