TOWSON, Md. - Record-setting quarterback Tim Tebow of number one-ranked Florida and University of Northern Iowa linebacker Josh Mahoney headline the 2009 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Football Teams, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Mahoney (Sioux Falls, S.D./O'Gorman HS) is the sixth different UNI Panther football player to earn Academic All-America® honors and first-ever to be a two-time Academic All-American®.

It marks the second straight season that Mahoney (4.0 GPA with a double major - English & Economics) has earned Academic All-America® honors and it's the first time he has earned first-team status. Mahoney tallied second-team honors last year. Mahoney is a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which will be awarded Dec. 8 in New York City. Mahoney led the Panthers in tackles in 2009 with 89 total stops. He ranks No. 8 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference in tackles per game (8.1). He helped the Panther defense rank first in the MVFC in total defense, rushing defense, tackles-for-loss and scoring defense. Mahoney registered a season-high 16 tackles against Southern Illinois. He notched 10 tackles in a 35-7 victory over Missouri State. He also garnered 11 tackles (four solos) against South Dakota State.

Tebow has been chosen as the winners of the Academic All-America® of the Year award in the University Division.

The winner of the Academic All-America® of the Year for the second year in a row, Tebow is the first Scholar-Athlete to be named as the Academic All-America® of the Year for University Division Football in two consecutive years. A four-year starter for the Gators, he is putting the finishing touches on a remarkable college career. He has led Florida to two national championships and a four-year record of 46-7. As a freshman, he quarterbacked Florida to a 13-1 record and a 41-14 victory over Ohio State in the national championship game.

After guiding the Gators to a 9-4 record as a sophomore, he quarterbacked Florida to a 13-1 record last season, including a win over Oklahoma in the national championship game. In his senior season, he has led the number one-ranked Gators to an 11-0 record. Florida currently owns the nation's longest winning streak at 21 consecutive games.

A Family, Youth & Communication Studies major with a 3.66 G.P.A., Tebow became the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy in 2007. A three-time All-American quarterback, he also won the Davey O'Brien Award and the Maxwell Award as a sophomore. In his sophomore year, he set an NCAA record by rushing for 23 touchdowns.

In 2009, he has thrown for 1,945 yards with 14 touchdown passes. He has run for 706 yards and scored 11 TD's.

A native of Jacksonville, Fla., Tebow has passed for 8,335 yards in his career. He has thrown 81 touchdown passes with only 15 interceptions. He has rushed for 2,562 yards and scored 54 touchdowns in his career. The Southeastern Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2008, Tebow has set four NCAA records, ten SEC records and 24 school records.

A leading candidate for the Heisman Trophy, he was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Football University Division first team for the third straight year.

Tebow is one of five repeat selections on the 24-member ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Football University Division first team. Junior running back Kyle Minett of South Dakota State, senior defensive lineman Brandon Wingeier of Dayton, senior linebacker Josh Hull of Penn State and senior defensive back Beau Hadley of Weber State were also selected to the first team for the second consecutive year.

An Environmental Systems Engineering major with a 3.56 G.P.A., Hull is one of three Penn State Scholar-Athletes to be named to the first team. A pair of Nittany Lion offensive linemen, graduate student Andrew Pitz and junior Stefen Wisniewski joined Hull on the first team.

Undefeated Texas, the third-ranked team in the nation, was the only other school with multiple selections on the first team. Graduate student Adam Ulatowski, an offensive lineman, and junior defensive lineman Sam Acho represented the Longhorns on the first team.

Senior Andre Anderson of Tulane joined Minett as the running backs on the first team while graduate student Zeke Markshausen of Northwestern and senior Blair White of Michigan State are the wide receivers. Senior tight end Colin Peek of undefeated Alabama was also named to the first team. Senior Jim McKenzie of Syracuse and junior Andrew Jackson of Fresno State complete the offensive line.

Senior Jacob Kragt of Eastern Washington and Adam Rundh of Valparaiso joined Acho and Wingeier as the four defensive linemen on the first team.

Seniors Josh Mahoney of Northern Iowa and Mike Nixon of Arizona State joined Hull to complete the linebacking corps on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Football University Division first team.

Joining Hadley as the defensive backs on the first team are graduate student Josh Cain of Jacksonville State and seniors Scott Johnson of Brigham Young and Chris Rocco of Liberty.

Graduate student Brandon Hellevang of North Dakota is the place kicker on the first team while graduate student Zoltan Mesko of Michigan was selected as the punter

An Environmental Systems Engineering major with a 3.56 G.P.A., Hull leads Penn State with 110 tackles. A starter in all 12 games, he has helped the 14th-ranked Nittany Lions compile a 10-2 record as a senior. A former "walk on" who has started all 25 games at middle linebacker the last two years, Hull ranks fourth in the Big Ten Conference in tackles. A native of Millheim, Pa., Hull had five consecutive 10-tackle games this season.

A second team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Football University Division choice last year, Wisniewski has started 24 of 25 games over the last two seasons. A starter in every game at guard in 2008, he has been the Nittany Lions' starting center this year. A Secondary Education major with a 3.89 G.P.A., the Bridgeville, Pa. native has helped Penn State lead The Big Ten in total offense.

A graduate student with a 3.93 G.P.A., Pitz has been the long snapper for the Nittany Lions in 2008 and 2009. A former "walk on," he has not made any errant snaps the last two seasons. A native of Bettendorf, Iowa, Pitz earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2008.

A two-year starter on the defensive line for the Longhorns, Acho is a junior with a major in Honors Business and a 3.62 G.P.A. A starter in all 11 games for Texas, he ranks among the team leaders with 41 tackles. He has made ten tackles for lost yardage and six quarterback sacks. A native of Dallas, Texas, he leads the nation with four fumble recoveries. In 2008, he was named to the Academic All-Big 12 first team. Now 11-0, Texas clinched the Big 12 South Division title on Saturday with a win over Kansas.

A graduate student who earned his B.A. degree in Corporate Communications, Ulatoski is pursuing his Master's degree in Advertising and has a 3.89 G.P.A. A starting tackle in 41 of 47 career games, he was named first team All-Big 12 Conference in 2008. A candidate for the Outland Trophy, he anchors the third-leading scoring offense in the nation. A native of Southlake, Texas, he was named first team Academic All-Big 12 three times.

An Economics major with a 3.60 G.P.A., Minett led South Dakota State to an 8-3 record and its first-ever NCAA FCS playoff berth this season. A starter in all 11 games at running back, he has rushed for 1,173 yards and scored 14 touchdowns. The Ruthton, Minnesota native also caught 16 passes for 115 yards and one touchdown. A repeat selection on the first team, he was honored as the Missouri Valley Football Conference Player of the Week in September. The Jackrabbits will make their NCAA FCS playoff debut at Montana.

Anderson, a senior majoring in Computer Information Systems with a 3.50 G.P.A., is a two-year starter at running back for Tulane. In 11 games, he rushed for 913 yards and scored seven touchdowns for the Green Wave. One of the leading rushers in Conference-USA, he has caught 27 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown. A native of Stone Mountain, Ga., he was the winner of the Conference-USA Sportsmanship Award in 2008.

Markshausen and White, two of the top receivers in the Big Ten Conference, are the wide receivers on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Football University Division first team.

A graduate student who earned his degree in Mechanical Engineering with a 3.46 G.P.A., Markshausen has caught 79 passes for 774 yards and 3 touchdowns. While leading the Wildcats to an 8-4 record, he is the second-leading receiver in the Big Ten. A native of Capron, Illinois, he was named to the Academic All-Big Ten team twice.

A Human Biology major with a 3.89 G.P.A., White has helped the Spartans post a 6-6 record. The leading receiver for Michigan State, he has 64 catches for 876 yards and eight touchdowns. The Saginaw, Michigan native leads the Big Ten in touchdown receptions.

Wingeier, a Mechanical Engineering major with a 3.78 G.P.A., is a repeat first team choice on the defensive line. While helping Dayton post a 9-2 record and a share of the Pioneer Football League title, he led Dayton with 6.5 sacks. A member of one of the top defensive units in NCAA FCS, he has 39 tackles, including 8.5 tackles for lost yardage.

A starter in all 11 games at Weber State, Hadley is a Technical Sales major with a perfect 4.0 G.P.A. A first team All-Big Sky Conference selection in 2008, he has helped the Wildcats, ranked 15th in NCAA FCS, post a 7-4 record, while earning a berth in the NCAA FCS Playoffs. A third team NCAA FCS All-American safety as a junior, he has 71 tackles and two interceptions this season. He has 225 career tackles and seven interceptions.

Cain, Johnson and Rocco join Hadley as the defensive backs on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Football University Division first team.

A Computer Science major with a minor in Mathematics and a 3.89 G.P.A., Cain helped Jacksonville State earn a number 14 ranking in NCAA FCS with a 7-3 record. The Gamecocks' second-leading tackler, he has made 67 tackles in 11 games. One of the tackle leaders in the Ohio Valley Conference, the Wetumpka, Alabama native is a member of the Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society.

Johnson, a senior Exercise Science major with a 3.82 G.P.A., has started ten games for 22nd-ranked Brigham Young. While helping the Cougars post a 9-2 record, he has made 59 tackles and has three interceptions. A two-year starter for BYU, the Southlake, Texas product is a two-time Mountain West Conference Scholar-Athlete.

A pre-season All-Big South Conference selection, Rocco led 16th-ranked Liberty to an 8-3 record and a share of the Big South championship. A Kinesiology major with a 3.98 G.P.A., he made 57 tackles and recovered two fumbles. The defensive captain of the Flames, he has led a Liberty defense that ranks among the NCAA scoring defense leaders. A Forest, Virginia product, he has made 163 tackles in his career.

Kragt and Rundh join Acho and Wingeier as the defensive linemen on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Football University Division first team.

A Biology major with a 3.88 G.P.A., Kragt led 13th-ranked Eastern Washington to an 8-3 record and an NCAA FCS playoff berth. A starter in all 11 games, he made 24 tackles and recovered three fumbles. The team leader with 4.5 sacks, the Ritzville, Washington native plans on becoming the ninth member of his family to become a chiropractor.

Rundh, an International Business and Finance major with a 3.94 G.P.A., has missed four games due to an injury. He has made 24 tackles with 1.5 sacks for Valparaiso. A three-year starter at defensive end, he has been honored as an honorable mention All-League selection.

Mahoney and Nixon, a pair of seniors with 4.00 G.P.A.'s, join Hull as the linebackers on ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Football University Division first team.

An English and Economics major with a 4.00 G.P.A., Mahoney led Northern Iowa to a 7-4 record. A first team All-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection as a junior, he made 89 tackles in 11 games this season. In his career, the Sioux Falls, South Dakota native had 247 tackles with four interceptions.

A starter in all 11 games at Arizona State, Nixon made a team high 65 tackles this season. A Political Science major with a 4.00 G.P.A., he intercepted three passes and forced three fumbles. A native of Phoenix, Arizona, Nixon led the Pacific 10 Conference with five interceptions as a junior. One of the Sun Devils' co-captains, he was named honorable mention All-Pac-10 last season.

Jackson and McKenzie join Pitz, Ulatoski and Wisniewski as the offensive linemen on the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Football University Division first team.

A starter in 33 consecutive games at right guard for Fresno State, Jackson is a Business Administration Management major with a 3.92 G.P.A. A second team All-Western Athletic Conference selection in 2008, Jackson is the top blocker for NCAA rushing leader Ryan Mathews. A member of two bowl teams at Fresno, he has helped Fresno to a 7-4 record this season. The Grass Valley, California native has helped the Bulldogs average 250.8 rushing yards per game, fifth in the nation.

A Biochemistry major with a 3.89 G.P.A., McKenzie has started 34 straight games at Syracuse. A two-time member of the Big East All-Academic team, the Springfield, Pa. native completed an internship at Upstate Hospital last summer.

A starter in nine of 11 games at tight end, Peek is a Finance major with a 3.79 G.P.A. The third-leading receiver for #2 Alabama, he has caught 20 passes for 221 yards and a touchdown. A transfer from Georgia Tech, the Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. native was named to the Atlantic Coast Conference All-Academic Football team twice.

Hellevang, the place kicker at North Dakota, and Mesko, Michigan's punter, complete the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Football University Division first team.

A graduate student who is pursuing his M.B.A., Hellevang graduated from North Dakota with a degree in Business Administration and a 3.89 G.P.A. He scored 67 points in ten games this season, hitting 14 of 17 field goal attempts. He has kicked a 52-yard field goal and a 50-yarder this season. The fourth-leading scorer in school history, he has also punted for the Fighting Sioux and has a 41.8 average.

A graduate student who is pursuing his M.B.A., Mesko graduated from Michigan with a degree in Business Administration and a 3.65 G.P.A. A first team All-Big Ten punter in 2008, he owns the Michigan career record with 246 punts and more than 10,000 yards. With a 44.5 average, the Twinsburg, Ohio native is ranked 7th in the nation.

The ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® Football University Division first team has three Scholar-Athletes with perfect 4.0 G.P.A.'s. There are six graduate students, 14 seniors and four juniors on the first team. The 24 members of the first team have an average G.P.A. of 3.79.

UNI's Football Academic All-Americans

Paul James, 1974

Owen Dockter, 1989 (second team)

Mike Schulte, 1991 (second team)

Brad Meester, 1999 (first team)

James Lindgren, 2006 (first team)

Josh Mahoney, 2008 (second team)

Josh Mahoney, 2009 (first team)

2009 ESPN THE MAGAZINE Academic All-America ®

Football Team (University Division) as selected by CoSIDA

First Team

Pos. Name School Dist. Cl. Hometown GPA Major

QB Tim Tebow * # Florida III Sr. Jacksonville, Fla. 3.66 Family, Youth & Comm. Sci.

RB Andre Anderson Tulane VI Sr. Stone Mountain,Ga. 3.50 Computer Info. Systems

RB Kyle Minett * South Dakota State VII Jr. Ruthton, Minn. 3.60 Economics

WR Zeke Markshausen Northwestern V Gr. Capron, Ill. 3.46 Mech. Eng /Design & Innov.

WR Blair White Michigan State IV Sr. Saginaw, Mich. 3.89 Human Biology

TE Colin Peek Alabama IV Sr. Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. 3.79 Finance

OL Andrew Jackson Fresno State VIII Jr. Grass Valley, Cal. 3.92 Business Admin. Mgmt.

OL Jim McKenzie Syracuse I Sr. Springfield, Pa. 3.89 Biochemistry

OL Andrew Pitz Penn State II Gr. Bettendorf, Iowa 3.93 Journalism/Telecomm.

OL Adam Ulatoski Texas VI Gr. Southlake, Tex. 3.53 Corp. Comm.; Advertising

OL Stefen Wisniewski ** Penn State II Jr. Bridgeville, Pa. 3.89 Secondary Education

PK Brandon Hellevang North Dakota VII Gr. Fargo, N.D. 3.89 Business Administration

DL Sam Acho Texas VI Jr. Dallas, Tex. 3.62 Honors Business

DL Jacob Kragt Eastern Washington VIII Sr. Ritzville, Wash. 3.88 Biology

DL Adam Rundh ** Valparaiso V Sr. Aalborg, Denmark 3.94 Intern. Business & Finance

DL Brandon Wingeier * Dayton IV Sr. Newark, Ohio 3.78 Mechanical Engineering

LB Josh Hull * Penn State II Sr. Millheim, Pa. 3.56 Environmental Sys.Engineering

LB Josh Mahoney ** Northern Iowa VII Sr. Sioux Falls, S.D. 4.00 English & Economics

LB Mike Nixon Arizona State VIII Sr. Phoenix, Ariz. 4.00 Political Science

DB Josh Cain Jacksonville State IV Gr. Wetumpka, Ala. 3.89 Computer Science

DB Beau Hadley * Weber State VIII Sr. Taylor, Utah 4.00 Technical Sales

DB Scott Johnson Brigham Young VIII Sr. Southlake, Tex. 3.82 Exercise Science

DB Chris Rocco Liberty III Sr. Forest, Va. 3.98 Kinesiology

P Zoltan Mesko Michigan IV Gr. Twinsburg, Ohio 3.65 Business Admin. (Mktg./Finance)

Second Team

Pos. Name School Dist. Cl. Hometown GPA Major

QB Tim Hiller Western Michigan IV Gr. Orrville, Ohio 4.00 Business & Marketing (MBA)

RB Chris Ganious South Dakota VII So. Houston, Texas 3.81 Psychology

RB Jacquise Terry Kent State IV So. Phenix City, Ala. 3.81 Aeronautics

WR Rocky Ross Central Florida III Gr. Jacksonville, Fla. 3.88 Sports & Fitness (Grad Level)

WR Ryan Whalen Stanford VIII Jr. Alamo, Cal. 3.43 Science Technology & Society

TE Jeron Mastrud ** Kansas State VII Sr. Beaverton, Ore. 3.81 Management

OL Taylor Askew Tennessee Tech IV Jr. Knoxville, Tenn. 4.00 Political Science

OL Zane Beadles Utah VIII Sr. Sandy, Utah 3.54 Mechanical Engineering

OL John Dowd U.S. Naval Academy II So. Staten Island, N.Y. 3.95 Mechanical Engineering

OL Mitch Enright Southern Methodist VI Gr. Southlake, Texas 3.90 Management; Mktg. & Leadership OL Paul Jasinowski Brown I Sr. Washington, D.C. 3.70 Economics & Urban Studies

OL Barrett Jones Alabama IV So. Memphis, Tenn. 4.00 Management

K Stefan Demos Northwestern V Jr. Scottsdale, Ariz. 3.49 Communication Studies

DL Grant Hunter Butler V Jr. Liberty Twp., Ohio 3.62 Secondary Education

DL Ryan Kerrigan Purdue V Jr. Muncie, Ind. 3.38 Math Education

DL Dan Millington Indiana State V Sr. Terre Haute, Ind. 3.91 Exercise Science

DL Nick Nolte North Dakota VII Gr. Janesville, Wis. 4.00 Forensic Science

LB Matthew Bauman Brigham Young VIII Sr. Salt Lake City, Utah 3.91 Finance

LB Joe Pawelek ** Baylor VI Sr. San Antonio, Tex. 3.71 Finance/Economics

LB Reed Williams West Virginia II Sr. Moorefield, W. Va. 3.86 Finance/Marketing

DB Mike Anello Notre Dame V Gr. Orland Park, Ill. 3.93 Finance

DB Conrad Kjerstad South Dakota State VII Jr. Wall, S.D. 3.93 Agricultural Business

DB Mike McElroy Southern Illinois V Jr. Lowell, Mich. 3.73 Health Education

DB Chima Nwachukwu Washington State VIII Jr. Allen, Texas 3.79 Political Science

P Robert Malone Fresno State VIII Sr. Riverside, Cal. 3.51 Kinesiology

ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America ® of the Year: Tim Tebow, University of Florida

* ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America ® 1st team in 2008 #ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America ® 1st team in 2007

** ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America ® 2nd team in 2008