BROOKFIELD, Ill. – Fort Hays State had eight players named to the Don Hansen Football Committee All-America Team for the 2017 season, released on March 22. Nathan Shepherd and Travis Talley headline the group as first team selections, while Jose Delgado earned third team honors. Honorable mention selections went to Brandon Brown, Dante Brown, Monterio Burchfield, Kenneth Iheme, and Doyin Jibowu.
2017 Don Hansen Football Committee All-America Team
The eight All-America selections are the most for a season in FHSU history, topping the six individuals selected in 1991. Fort Hays State joined Shepherd University (W.Va.) as the nation’s leader in Don Hansen All-America selections with eight. Both teams had impressive seasons as Fort Hays State went 11-0 in the regular season, winning its first MIAA Championship in football, while Shepherd went 10-0 in the regular season. Both the Tigers and Rams lost their first game of the NCAA Playoffs. Fort Hays State was the No. 1 seed in Super Region 3 of the playoffs. Indiana (Pa.) and Bowie State (Md.) were close behind FHSU and Shepherd with seven selections each.
Fort Hays State has now seen 17 football student-athletes earn All-America honors on the field over the last three seasons. The Tigers had five All-America performers in 2015, four in 2016, and now eight in 2017.
The Don Hansen team carries out the legacy of long-time small college football advocate Don Hansen, who passed away at age 75 on Aug. 29, 2010. Hansen, from Brookfield, Ill., started and published Don Hansen’s National Weekly Football Gazette for three decades, selecting NCAA Division II All-America teams for the first time in 1988.
Shepherd picked up his fourth All-America selection for his senior season at defensive tackle. The MIAA Defensive Player of the Year in 2017, Shepherd finished the year with 38 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, and four sacks. In his three years at Fort Hays State, Shepherd amassed 168 tackles, 27 tackles for loss, and 10 sacks. He tied as the top vote receiver in NCAA Division II for the Cliff Harris Award, presented to the nation’s top small college defensive player representing almost 500 colleges and universities from NCAA Division II, Division III and NAIA colleges. With solid performances at the Reese’s Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine, Shepherd is a strong candidate for being selected in the NFL Draft in April.
Talley earns his second All-America selection for 2017, this time as a first team selection after gaining honorable mention status from D2Football.com. Talley was an All-MIAA First Team selection on the offensive line. He anchored the Fort Hays State line at right tackle, helping the team average 441.5 total yards of offense per game. He helped the Tiger offense average 257.3 passing yards per game and 184.2 rushing yards per game.
Delgado picks up a third-team selection at linebacker. He led the Tigers in tackles in 2017, finishing with 107, including 11 for loss, and 3.5 sacks. Delgado now has 285 tackles in his career, along with 6.5 sacks. He is already seventh on the career tackles list for the NCAA era at Fort Hays State and will enter his senior year 76 shy of the record.
Brandon Brown earns an honorable mention selection after being named the 2017 MIAA Special Teams Player of the Year. He finished the year with 94 kicking points to set a new single-season record at FHSU. It broke his own mark of 88 set the previous year. He was a perfect 49-of-49 on PAT attempts and went 15-of-21 on field goal attempts. Brown finished his two-year career at FHSU with 31 field goals and 89 PATs for a total of 182 kicking points, ranking fourth all-time in kick scoring at FHSU.
Punter Dante Brown grabs an honorable mention selection after finishing the year with a 43.5 yards per punt average, the second-highest average for a season in FHSU history. He ranked sixth in NCAA Division II in yards per punt, giving the MIAA three punters inside the top 10 nationally. Brown placed 18 kicks inside the 20-yard line this year, and 20 punts that went at least 50 yards.
Burchfield earns an honorable mention selection at wide receiver. He became the sixth receiver in Fort Hays State history to eclipse the 1,000-yard receiving mark in a season, finishing 2017 with a team-high 1,003 yards on 54 catches. He averaged 18.6 yards per catch and produced nine touchdowns. Burchfield was an All-MIAA First Team selection at the position.
Iheme earned honorable mention status at running back. He finished the year with 1,380 yards on 230 carries. He averaged 6.0 yards per carry for the season and 115 rushing yards per game. He produced seven 100-yard rushing games, with 189 as his season high against Pittsburg State. Iheme was one of 34 candidates considered for the Harlon Hill Trophy (Division II Player of the Year), finishing the season with 1,690 all-purpose yards. With 2,569 rushing yards in his career, Iheme finished seventh on the all-time rushing list at FHSU. He is eighth all-time in all-purpose yards with 3,458. Iheme was a unanimous All-MIAA First Team selection this season.
Jibowu picks up an honorable mention selection at safety. Playing the bandit back position, Jibowu finished the year with 62 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, five interceptions, nine pass break-ups, and two forced fumbles. Over three seasons, Jibowu now has 219 tackles and seven interceptions at FHSU.