Nov. 26, 2010
A total of six Duquesne players were named All-Northeast Conference in a poll of league coaches released today. The six honorees are an NEC high for the Dukes, who completed their third season in the conference with a 7-4 record under head coach Jerry Schmitt.
The two all-league teams honor student-athletes from all nine Northeast Conference members. Sixteen members of the 25-man Preseason All-NEC Team lived up to their billing by earning postseason accolades.
Senior receiver Dave Williams (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway) and senior defensive lineman Thaimu Bangura (Lanham, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt) - who were both named to the preseason team - were named to the All-NEC First Team.
Senior receiver Connor Dixon (South Park, Pa./South Park), sophomore running back Larry McCoy (Wytheville, Va./George Wythe), junior offensive lineman Ron Dunn (Abington, Mass./Milford Academy) and senior return specialist Wade Powell (Mitchelville, Md./C.H. Flowers) were all named to the second team.
Williams, a Michigan State transfer, led the NEC with 55 catches for 788 yards and 10 touchdowns. He topped the 100-yard mark four times including three in the final four games of the season.
Bangura, a two-year starter had 42 tackles, including 7.0 tackles for loss along with a team high-tying six quarterback hurries.
Dixon ranked among the league's leaders with 43 catches for 602 yards and five scores. The 6-5 senior made the successful transition from starting quarterback to receiver mid-way through his junior season. Dixon, like Williams, transferred to DU from Michigan State.
McCoy, who averaged 117.4 yards per game, topped the 100-yard mark in six of eight Northeast Conference games.
Dunn, who helped clear the way for McCoy, has started a team-high 31 consecutive games. Dunn led an offensive line that helped produce 25.4 points and 362 yards per game.
Powell led the NEC with a 23.3 kickoff return average.
Duquesne, which finished third in the NEC with a 5-3 record, had a total of two all-conference players in its first two seasons in the conference.
The Dukes will return a total of 14 starters, including eight on offense, in 2011.
