Illinois State linebacker Boomer Grigsby claimed his third and fourth first team all-America honors of the off-season after being named to the 2004 American Football Coaches Association Division I-AA Coaches All-America Team Thursday and the Associated Press I-AA All-America Team late Wednesday night.
It was the second straight year Grigsby has been recognized on both teams and he now has received 14 post-season all-America honors in his storied Redbird career.
Grigsby was one of three Gateway Football Conference players tabbed on the AFCA team, joining Western Kentucky offensive lineman Buster Ashley and Western Illinois kicker Justin Langan. The AFCA has selected an all-America team every year since 1945 and Illinois State has had six, including two by Grigsby, first team AFCA All-Americans.
The AFCA's Division I-AA All-America Selection Committee is made up of three head coaches from each of the AFCA's nine 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.
Grigsby is a three-time honoree by the AP, earning first-team honors in 2003 and 2004 and second team recognition in 2002. Other Gateway players selected for the AP first team were Western Kentuckys Ashley, Southern Illinois offensive lineman Elmer McDaniel and Southwest Missouri State kicker Jon Scifres.
Grigsby, the only three-time defensive player of the year in conference history, capped off his storied career with the NCAA, Gateway and Illinois State career tackle records with 580 stops.
