Boomer Grigsby, Jonathan Friend, Stafford Davis and Ray Robinson of the Illinois State football team were all named to the Don Hansen Football Gazette West Region Team on Thursday. Grigsby and Friend were first team honorees while Davis and Robinson were second team selections.
It is another award for Grigsby to add to his long list of accomplishments after a stellar 2002 sophomore year garnered him Gateway Football Conference Defensive Player of the Year. The linebacker from Canton, Ill., was named a first team all-American by The Sports Network and a finalist in the voting for the Buck Buchanan award, given to the top defensive player in I-AA football.
Grigsby, an all-conference first-team selection, compiled a league-high 179 tackles on the year and became the nations leading tackler. He finished with 108 solo stops, 16 tackles for loss and four sacks.
An Orange, Texas, native and All-Gateway first-team selection, Friend was named a second team all-American by The Sports Network and third team by Friend led the team in tackles for defensive linemen with 88. He also led the squad with 25 tackles for loss (-119), 7.5 sacks and 23 quarterback hurries.
Davis, who hails from Orange Park, Fla., started all 11 games at right guard as a redshirt freshman. He played in 785 snaps and only had three missed assignments while not allowing a sack all season. He also had 98 knockdowns and the second-highest grade on the line at 87 percent. He was named to the Gateway second team and also was on the all-newcomer team announced by the league.
Robinson, along with Friend, anchored the Redbird defensive line. The Trenton, N.J., native was also a second team All-Gateway player in 2002 and posted 81 tackles, which ranked second on the team for defensive linemen. He was third on the team with 10 tackles for loss (-32) and second in sacks with 4.5 (-24).
Athletes from the Big Sky, Gateway, Ohio Valley and Pioneer (North Division) Conferences were eligible to be named to the west region team along with independents Cal Poly, St. Marys and Southern Utah.
