Football | 1/2/2023 1:44:00 PM
SUNY Cortland senior cornerback Joshua Cordero (Monroe/Monroe-Woodbury) was selected as one of only 68 players among all NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) schools as a finalist for the ninth annual Cliff Harris Award, given to the nation's top small college defensive player.
The 2022 winner was Caleb Murphy, a defensive end from Division II Ferris State. Cordero was among 20 Division III players chosen to the finalist group.
The award is named for the Fayetteville, Ark., native who played collegiately at Ouachita Baptist University from 1966-70 and as an undrafted free agent earned a starting safety role as a rookie with the Dallas Cowboys. Harris played in five Super Bowls during his 10 seasons with the Cowboys, recorded 29 career interceptions and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2020.
The honor concludes a season in which Cordero was recognized as a Division III All-American by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), the Associated Press and the website D3football.com. He was also an All-ECAC and All-Empire 8 selection.
Cordero started all 11 games and finished the season with 39 tackles, six interceptions and seven pass breakups. He returned three interceptions for touchdowns, tied for first nationally in Division III. He tied a school single-season record for defensive touchdowns, and he matched a school single-game record with three interceptions in a win over The College of New Jersey.
Cortland finished the year with an 9-2 record. The Red Dragons repeated as outright Empire 8 champions with a 6-0 mark and earned an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III playoffs. Cortland lost at Randolph-Macon in the first round to tie for 17th place nationally.
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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
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