Illinois State defensive lineman David Bull, offensive tackle Andy King and running back Willie Watts were named to Don Hansens National Weekly Football Gazettes Preseason I-AA All-America Football Team that was announced Thursday.
Bull, a senior from Port Byron, Ill., was a second-team selection on the defensive line, while King, a product of Lincoln, Ill., was a third-team selection on the offensive line who will be creating running room for Willie Watts, an honorable mention selection at running back from Dunnellon, Fla.
At 6-3 and 290-pounds, Bull has used a successful background as a prep wrestler to become a mainstay on the Redbird defensive line over the past three seasons. Last season, he registered 33 tackles, including 18 solo stops, while starting all 11 games en route to second-team All-Gateway honors.
Originally recruited as an offensive lineman, Bull made the move across the line prior to the 1998 season. With 15 career starts, he is the most experienced of the Redbird defensive linemen and will be the anchor of a defense which returns 10 starters from last year.
Already a second-team selection on The Sports Networks Preseason I-AA All-America Team, King, a 6-4, 310-pound senior, was an honorable mention all-American by Football Gazette following last season. He also earned second-team All-Gateway honors.
King has the longest string of consecutive starts on the team at 30 and ranks No. 2 in games played among active players with 36. An unusual athlete for his size, he owns the teams top flexibility rating and his 5.2-second timing in the 40-yard dash ranks first among ISUs offensive linemen.
This marks the eighth time during his career that King, an elected representative in Illinois States student government, has been honored on either the conference or national level. Among those eight are three awards for academic achievement.
An honorable mention all-American by Football Gazette and a second-team All-Gateway selection last season after rushing for 1,088 yards and 17 touchdowns, Watts figures to be the cornerstone of the Redbird offense which returns 13 starters from the 2000 squad.
Watts heads into the season ranked No. 7 on Illinois States career rushing list with 2,062 yards and is one of only eight players in school history to gain 1,000 yards in one season. He also ranks No. 2 at Illinois State with 10, 100-yard games and No. 8 with 2,561 career all-purpose yards.
Illinois State, which ranks No. 16 in both the ESPN/USA Today and Sports Network I-AA polls, begin its 2001 slate with a match up at Division I-A Western Michigan on August 30.
