Football | 12/14/2021 11:44:00 AM
Senior defensive end Josh Greenwood of the SUNY Brockport football team was named a 2021 American Football Coaches' Association (AFCA) Division III All-American First Team selection in a release by the coaches' association. Greenwood is the only player in the Empire 8 Conference this year to earn the AFCA All-American distinction and he became the seventh Golden Eagle in program-history to earn the prestigious coach's association All-American award.
Greenwood also made his first career D3football.com All-Region team last week and earlier this year he made his third straight appearance on an Empire 8 All-Conference team. He finished the year with a league best and a career-high 17.0 tackles for a loss. He tied for third in the conference with 6.5 sacks and third on the team with a career-high 52 total tackles. Over the course of four seasons, he totaled 143 tackles, 45.0 tackles for a loss, 21.5 sacks and five forced fumbles.
Greenwood helped lead a defensive unit that finished the year ranked fourth nationally in third down conversion defense (.244). Brockport finished third nationally with five defensive touchdowns and third nationally allowing just 119 first downs. The Golden Eagles also finished the year ranked third nationally in rushing defense, allowing just 42.3 yards rushing per game. The Brockport defense allowed an average of 12.0 per game and it allowed seven points or less in five of 11 games, including two shut outs.
Brockport made its fifth straight postseason appearance in 2021 and finished the season with an 8-3 overall record. The Golden Eagles have recorded 41 total victories over the course of the last four seasons. Brockport capped its 2021 campaign with a 20-7 victory over Washington & Jefferson in the ECAC Clayton Chapman Bowl game.
The AFCA's Division III?All-America Selection Committee is made up of head coaches representing each conference from each of the AFCA's seven districts, one of whom serves as a district chairman, along with another head coach who serves as the chairman of the selection committee. The coaches in each district are responsible for ranking the top players in their respective districts prior to a conference call between the district chairmen and the committee chairman on which the team is chosen. The AFCA All-American Team is the only post season accolade that is selected by the coaches, marking this award as truly significant, as it is selected by the people who know the players the best.
ABOUT THE EMPIRE 8 CONFERENCE
The members of the Empire 8 Conference are committed first and foremost to the pursuit of academic excellence and the league is regarded as an outstanding NCAA Division III conference. The membership has distinguished itself among its peer group for its quality institutions, spirited and sportsmanlike competition, outstanding services and highly ethical policies and practices. Its commitment to serve the educational needs of its student-athletes is the hallmark of the E8. For more on the Empire 8 visit
www.empire8.com.
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