ST. LOUIS, Mo. – In a week already full of honors
from the Pioneer Football League, the Drake University Football team added even
more with six student-athletes being named to the Academic All-PFL Teams. Of
those six, five earned first team honors to tie for the most in the league.
Headlining the Bulldogs' honorees was senior linebacker and
the PFL Defensive Player of the Year, Tyler Moorehead (Mason City,
Iowa.). The selection was the third first-team honor of his career as he
becomes just the 28th student-athlete to earn Academic All-PFL
honors three times in a career.
Joining Moorehead on the first team was senior offensive
lineman Zach Bosch (Tuscola, Ill.), defensive lineman Brandon Coleman
(Cary, Ill.), linebacker Travis Merritt (Johnston, Iowa) and
defensive back Mike Ratelle (Edina, Mich.). Avery Fuhs (Chariton,
Iowa) was the team's lone representative on the second team.
Pioneer Football League athletic directors established the
Academic All-PFL squads in 1993 as a way to recognize the league's outstanding
student-athletes. To be eligible for Academic All-PFL consideration, a
student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative
grade-point average of 3.00 on a scale of 4.00 and reached sophomore standing
both athletically and academically at his current institution.
In addition to the Academic All-PFL honors, all five also
earned all-conference honors as well earlier in the week. In November, three of
the Academic All-PFL selections in Coleman, Merritt and Ratelle earned Capital
One Academic All-District honors as well.
All told, the PFL Champion Bulldogs garnered a total of 24
postseason honors from the league.
