June 29, 2001

FIVE PALADINS NAMED SPORTS NETWORK
PRE-SEASON ALL-AMERICA

GREENVILLE -- Five Furman Paladins have been named to the Sports Network pre-season NCAA I-AA All-America team, the organization announced today.

Tailback Louis Ivory, center Chris Stewart, and linebacker Will Bouton were named to the first team; guard Marty Priore was selected to the second team; and tight end Trent Sansbury was tabbed as an honorable mention All-America. Furman's five senior pre-season All-America selections are the most of any school in I-AA, and the 15 Southern Conference players named paces all leagues.

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.

Stewart, from Palm Harbor, Fla., 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.

Bouton, a Greenville native who has started in 35 consecutive contests 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.

Priore and Sansbury have also been integral to Furman's success the last two years, helping the Paladins register back-to-back 9-3 seasons and a pair of NCAA I-AA playoff appearances. A Cincinnati, Ohio, product, Priore has started in 32 consecutive games at left guard while Sansbury, an outstanding blocker and two-time all-conference selection from Lilburn, Ga., has 28 catches for 441 yards and five touchdowns in his career.

Furman opens its season on Sept. 1 at Wyoming.