April 21, 2008

Cleveland, Ohio - Brandon Cramer, a senior safety from the University of Dayton, and Cory Koenig, a senior running back from South Dakota State University, have been chosen as the recipients of the Seventh Annual Division I Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA) Scholar-Athletes of the Year. Each will receive a $5,000 postgraduate scholarship. Cramer and Koenig were selected from a group of eight finalists. They will receive their awards during the FCS ADA luncheon on Monday, June 9 at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Convention at the Hilton Anatole Hotel in Dallas.

"The FCS Athletics Directors Association is proud to present these scholarships to these two outstanding student-athletes," said Jim Murphy, chair of the Football Championship Subdivision Academic All-Star Team Selection Committee and athletics director at Davidson College. "We look forward to honoring these two young men at our luncheon in June."

There were a total of 51 FCS players selected to the Academic All-Star Team in December. Eight of those players were finalists for the scholarships that Cramer and Koenig were selected from. Nominees were required to have a minimum grade point average of 3.20 (on a 4.00 scale) in undergraduate study and have been a starter or key player with legitimate athletics credentials. They must have reached their second year of athletics and academic standing at the nominated institution and have completed a minimum of one full academic year at the nominated institution. They must also have participated in 50 percent of the games played at their designated position.

Cramer is set to graduate from Dayton in May 2008 with a 4.0 grade point average in pre-medicine. He has been accepted and plans to attend the Ohio State University College of Medicine in August 2008. Cramer was named the 2007 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American of the year and was also a Draddy Trophy finalist. He was a two-time ESPN The Magazine first team Academic All-American (2006, 2007) and was a second team pick in 2005. He was the 2006-07 University of Dayton Presidential Outstanding Scholar-Athlete Award recipient, which is given to the top male and top female Flyer student-athlete. Cramer was a three-time Academic All-Pioneer Football League (PFL), and a four-time PFL Academic Honor Roll student-athlete. As a team captain in 2007, Cramer helped lead the Flyers and their FCS fourth ranked defense to a PFL championship, and a ranking as high as 23rd in the final FCS polls. He ranked second on the team in interceptions and passes broken up, was tied for second in solo tackles and ranked fifth in overall tackles.

Koenig will be graduating in May 2008 from South Dakota State with a Bachelor of Science degree and a 3.77 grade point average. He is majoring in biology and plans on attending medical school. Koenig was named to the 2006 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American first team and was twice named to the Academic All-District First Team (2006, 2007). He was honored as a first team All-Great West Football Conference player in 2007 and was a second team pick in 2005. In 2007, Koenig served as captain and helped lead the Jackrabbits offense with 16 touchdowns (15 rushing), while posting 1,266 rushing yards in 213 carries for an average of 5.9 yards per carry. He had six 100-yard games in 2007, including five straight to end the season.

A special Review Committee of Football Championship Subdivision athletics directors was responsible for selecting the all-star team and scholarship finalists. Completing this task were Greg Burke, Northwestern State; Peter Fields, Montana State; Marilyn McNeil, Monmouth; Jim Murphy, Davidson (chair); Ron Strollo, Youngstown State; Tim Van Alstine, Western Illinois; and Donny White, Virginia Military Institute.

Now in its 15th year, the Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association's mission is to enhance Football Championship Subdivision football. The Association is administered by NACDA, which is now in its 43rd year. NACDA is the professional and educational association for more than 6,100 college athletics administrators at more than 1,600 institutions throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. More than 2,000 athletics administrators annually attend the NACDA Convention.