Three Gardner-Webb Grid Men Earn All-America Honors From Football Gazette
March 07, 2007 | Football
Photo Album
NORTH AURORA, Ill. - Gardner-Webb had three players earn NCAA
Division I FCS All-America honors from the Weekly Football Gazette,
giving the Bulldogs 21 All-America selections since 2000.
Junior defensive end Brian Johnston (6-5, 280) earned second-team
All-America honors, sophomore linebacker Mario E. Brown (6-2, 234)
earned third-team All-America honors and senior center Kris King
(6-3, 265) was named honorable mention All-America by Don Hansen's
Weekly Football Gazette.
Johnston, a San Diego, Calif., native and budding NFL prospect, was
also a second-team All-America selection by the Associated Press
following the 2006 season. The Big South Conference Defensive
Player of the Year was outstanding up front for a youthful
Gardner-Webb unit, recording a career-high 77 total tackles, 14
tackles for loss and a Big South-best 8.0 quarterback sacks.
The 6-foot-5, 280-pound standout led all defensive linemen in the
Big South with his 77 hits and added a career-high 23 quarterback
pressures in 11 starts. Johnston also had two forced fumbles. In
addition to his All-America accolades, Johnston was named NCAA
Division I FCS Central Region Defensive Lineman of the Year by the
Football Gazette, and was a first-team All-Region selection by the
publication.
He is a two-time All-Big South Conference selection, and has
recorded 15.0 career sacks and 32 career tackles for loss. Johnston
ranks No. 10 in GWU history in career sacks and ninth in career
tackles for loss.
Johnston is the sixth defensive lineman in GWU history to earn
All-America honors, joining Ralph Warthen (1980), Mark Kimel
(1989), Gabe Wilkins (1992, 1993), Jason Brewer (1995), Chris Mintz
(1999) and Harold Wells (2003, 2004). Both Warthen and Wilkins were
NFL draft picks, with Wilkins going on to win the 1996 Super Bowl
as a starter with the Green Bay Packers
Brown, a native of Greenville, S.C. (J.L. Mann HS), made the most
of his first year as a starter for GWU, finishing with a team-best
and career-high 109 total tackles (55 solo), three interceptions,
5.0 sacks and 12 tackles for loss in 2006. Brown set the Big South
Conference's single-game tackling record on Sept. 30, 2006, at
Southeastern Louisiana, earning consensus National Player of the
Week with 25 stops (15 solo) in a comeback win for GWU.
Brown, a first-team All-Big South selection, was also a first-team
NCAA Division I FCS All-Central Region choice by the Football
Gazette. Brown is the sixth Bulldog linebacker to earn All-America
honors since 1970, joining Richard Grissom (1973), Dunsey Harper
(1992), Raymond Jennings (1992), Bo Shannon (1998), Tory Atkins
(2000, 2001) and Jim Maxwell (2002).
King, a four-year starter for Gardner-Webb, anchored a young
offensive line that started three sophomores and was named to the
All-Big South Conference team for the second year in a row. The
Elberton, Ga., (Elbert County HS) native graded out higher than any
other Bulldog lineman consistently in 2006, and started all 11
games in 2006.
King is just the fourth offensive lineman in Gardner-Webb's 35
seasons of senior college football to earn a postseason All-America
certificate, joining an exclusive club that includes Bob Bolick
(1975), Jeff Carter (1978) and Richard Williams (2000, 2001).
Including its three All-Americans, Gardner-Webb placed 10 players
on the Football Gazette's All-Central Region team - a team made up
of players from the MEAC, Ohio Valley Conference, Big South
Conference and Pioneer Football League (See List Below).
FOOTBALL GAZETTE ALL-CENTRAL REGION (NCAA DIVISION I
FCS)
First Team
Kris King, Sr., Center *
Brian Johnston, Jr., Defensive End * ^
Mario E. Brown, So., Linebacker *
Third Team
Duvaughn Flagler, Jr., Receiver
Demario Deese, So., Offensive Tackle
Mike Pavelko, So., Linebacker
Daniel Cooke, So., Free Safety
Michael Hanna, So., Punter
Honorable Mention
Hunter Smith, Sr., Kicker
Thurston Lee, Sr., Defensive End
* Denotes All-American
^ Central Region Defensive Lineman of the Year
