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Belcher, Turcotte, Fluellen and Canary Earn All-America Honors
Jan. 8, 2009
ORONO, Maine - Four University of Maine football players, senior defensive end Jovan Belcher (West Babylon, N.Y.), redshirt freshman fullback Jared Turcotte (Lewiston, Maine), senior tailback Jhamal Fluellen (Lockport, N.Y.) and senior offensive lineman Ryan Canary (Point Pleasant, N.J), recently earned All-America honors from multiple news agencies. Belcher earned First-Team All-America honors from College Sporting News this week, which was his fifth first-team honor this season. Belcher became CAA Football's lone consensus First-Team All-American this season by earning first-team honors from the American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp Foundation, Associated Press, The Sports Network and CSN. Turcotte earned a pair of All-America honors this week, including being named to the second-team by The Sports Network and earning honorable-mention status from College Sporting News. Turcotte was one of just two freshmen in the league this season to earn All-America recognition. The Sports Network named Fluellen and Canary Honorable-Mention All-Americans; marking the first time in their careers they earned All-America status.
Belcher's recognition as the CAA's lone consensus First-Team All-American came after he finished among the national and league leaders in sacks and tackles for loss. He led all CAA defensive linemen in tackles with 98, which was a career-high for him. Belcher garnered several post-season awards in 2008, including CAA Defensive Player of the Year, First-Team All-CAA selection, and finishing second in the voting for the Buck Buchanan Award which annually is awarded to the nation's most outstanding defensive player at the FCS level.
Turcotte, a 2008 All-CAA First-Team honoree, earned All-America honors after leading the team in rushing yards (625) and rushing touchdowns (7). He ranked ninth in the league in rushing in conference games-only, and second among rookies in that category. Turcotte was named the conference rookie of the week on two occasions, while also topping 100 yards in rushing in pair of games this season. Fluellen earned honorable-mention All-America status after he ranked among the league leaders in rushing despite missing nearly half the season with an injury. Fluellen, a senior co-captain, topped 100 yards rushing in the first three games this season and earned Third-Team All-CAA honors for his efforts. Canary, a three-year starter at center on the offensive line, earned honorable-mention honors after he anchored a line, which helped Maine finish third in the CAA in rushing. It marked the third-straight season the Black Bears finished among the top four teams in the conference in rushing. The recent honors for Turcotte, Fluellen and Canary give Maine 35 All-Americans in program history. It's the first time since the 2004 season multiple Black Bears were named All-Americans in the same year. Since 2001, 11 Black Bears have been named an All-American, including two who received the honor in multiple seasons (Stephen Cooper 2001-02 and Belcher 2007-08). Belcher, Turcotte, Fluellen and Canary were vital in helping lead the Black Bears to an amazing season in 2008. Maine finished the season with an 8-5 record, a berth in the NCAA FCS playoffs and a No. 18 ranking in the final Sports Network National FCS Top 25 Poll. |
