Three Butler Football Players Named Academic All-District

Nov. 10, 2006

Butler football players Rick Tyson, Phil Buchanan and Ryan Schmidtz have been named to the first team of the 2006 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District V football team, chosen by members of CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America). Butler was one of just two schools to have three players selected to the 24-player honor squad, which represents Division I schools from Indiana, Illinois, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Ontario and Manitoba.

Tyson was one of five offensive lineman chosen to the All-District V squad. The Butler senior started every game this season, running his current streak of consecutive starts to 21 straight games. A year ago, he was named Butler's Most Valuable Offensive Player, becoming just the second offensive lineman to be named Butler MVP in a quarter of a century. The accounting major has been named to the Pioneer Football League Academic All-League Team and the PFL Academic Honor Roll.

Buchanan was named to the Academic All-District V Team as a punter. He's a three-year starter as a punter for the Bulldogs, and he currently ranks fourth in the PFL in punting. A year ago, he was selected as Butler's Special Teams Player of the Year, after finishing third in the PFL in punting. He was an honorable mention All-PFL player last season, and he was named to the I-AA Athletic Directors' Academic All-Star Team in 2005. Buchanan, a pharmacy major, has been named to the PFL Academic All-League Team and the PFL Academic Honor Roll.

Schmidtz, a starting cornerback for the Bulldogs, was one of four defensive backs named to the honor squad. He stands second on the team and seventh in the PFL in pass interceptions, and he's tied for third in the league in fumble recoveries. He stands tenth on the team in total tackles. A biology major, Schmidtz was named to the PFL Academic Honor Roll last year.

Butler and Illinois both had three players named to the All-District V honor team. Wisconsin, Northwestern, Minnesota, Indiana, Notre Dame, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois and Eastern Illinois each had two players selected, while Ball State and Indiana State each had one.

The 24 players named to the All-District V first team will be considered, along with All-Academic picks from seven other districts, for selection to the 2006 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Team, which will be released in late November.