Dec. 10, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State defensive tackle Devon Still (Wilmington, Del.) has been named to the Football Writers Association of America and AT&T/ESPN All-America Teams.
The FWAA and AT&T/ESPN honors are Still's third and fourth first-team All-America recognition in the last several days. He was named to the CBSsports.com first-team Wednesday. On Thursday, Still was named to the Walter Camp All-America Team, announced during the Home Depot College Football Awards Show at Disney's Boardwalk in Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
The FWAA All-America Team is its 68th, the second longest continuously-published team, and has been a staple of college football since 1944.
"It's an honor to be named an All-American," Still said. "As a little kid you dream of being one of the best players in college football. Words can't describe what it will be like to walk down the hall in the Lasch Building and see my picture on the All-America wall. I want to thank my family, teammates and coaches for helping me achieve my dream."
Penn State's 96th first-team All-American, Still is the 82nd Penn State football student-athlete to earn first team All-America recognition, a total of 96 times, dating back to W.T. (Mother) Dunn's selection to the Walter Camp All-America squad in 1906.
A senior co-captain, Still is the Nittany Lions' 22nd first team All-American since starting Big Ten Conference competition in 1993 (26 total selections). Penn State has earned 10 first team All-America honorees in the past seven seasons.
The 2011 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Defensive Lineman of the Year, Still is the sixth Penn State defensive lineman to earn first-team All-America accolades since 2002.
A starter in 24 games the past two seasons, Still recently was selected the first Big Ten Smith-Brown Defensive Lineman of the Year and as the conference's Nagurski-Woodson Defensive Player of the Year. Last Friday in Indianapolis, Still received the lineman honor from award namesake Courtney Brown, a first-team Penn State All-American in 1999.
The former Howard Tech standout was a finalist for the Chuck Bednarik Award and Outland Trophy. Still also is a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, to be presented Monday, Dec. 12 to the nation's top defensive player.
Still is the fifth Nittany Lion to be selected Big Ten Defensive Player of Year since 1998. He and former teammate Jared Odrick (2009) are the only defensive tackles who have earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year since 1994.
For the season, Still is second in the Big Ten in solo tackles for loss (15.0) and is tied for third in overall TFL (17.0-minus 77), leading a Penn State defense that ranks in the Top 10 nationally in scoring, total, pass and pass efficiency defense. Still is among the conference leaders with 4.5 sacks (minus-36) and has recorded 55 tackles, with one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and a pass break-up.
No. 22 Penn State and Wisconsin tied for the Big Ten Leaders Division title with 6-2 records. The Nittany Lions (9-3) will play No. 19 Houston (12-1) in the TicketCity Bowl in Dallas on Jan. 2. Penn State's 27 bowl wins are No. 3 nationally and 43 bowl visits are good for No. 8 in the nation. The Nittany Lions lead all Big Ten teams in bowl victories and winning percentage (65.1, 27-14-2 record) and are No. 2 in bowl appearances.
Playing in a New Year's bowl game for the sixth time in the last seven years, tickets for Penn State's clash with Houston are on sale at www.GoPSUsports.com or by calling 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,200 men and women who cover college football for a living. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include gameday operations, major awards and its annual All-America team.