Amherst and Harvard Football Programs to Receive 2014 ECAC Team of Distinction Awards
Amherst and Harvard Football Programs to Receive 2014 ECAC Team of Distinction Awards
DANBURY, Conn. – The Eastern College
Athletic Conference (ECAC) announced that the Harvard University
and Amherst College football programs have been selected to receive
2014 ECAC Team of Distinction Awards. The award was created to
recognize teams for their exceptional and distinguished seasons.
The Crimson wrapped up the 2014 campaign with a perfect 10-0 mark,
while the Lord Jeffs finished with an 8-0 record.
Harvard capped off its unblemished season with a 31-24 win over
Yale, its eighth straight over the Bulldogs, to claim the outright
Ivy League Championship and earn its third undefeated season under
Head Coach Tim Murphy. Murphy, the 2014 Ivy League Coach of the
Year, has led the Crimson to eight Ivy League Championships in his
22 seasons at the helm. On the way to 10 consecutive wins, Harvard
compiled a perfect 7-0 Ivy League record and earned non-conference
victories over Holy Cross, Georgetown and Lafayette. Showing
off its dominance, Harvard defeated teams by an average of 20.4
points per contest and earned five of its seven conference
victories by at least 11 points. In addition to the team success,
offensive linemen Cole Toner (Greenwood, Ind.) and Nick Easton
(Lenoir, N.C.), along with senior defensive lineman Zack Hodges
(Atlanta, Ga.) all earned ECAC All-Star honors this season.
"We are honored and grateful for being named the ECAC FCS Team
of Distinction,” said Harvard Head Coach Tim Murphy.
“Especially in a year when there were so many outstanding and
deserving Division I FCS teams."
Amherst was equally impressive during the 2014 campaign,
utilizing a dominant defense to win eight consecutive New England
Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) games. The Lord Jeffs
were especially stellar in close games, winning five of their eight
games by single digits. En route to the program’s fifth
NESCAC title and 10th undefeated season, the Lord
Jeffs’ stingy defense was tops in the country, yielding just
8.9 points per game this season. Amherst collected ten All-NESCAC
selections in 2014, led by Coach of the Year E.J. Mills, who earned
his third such accolade in the last six years. Senior linebacker
and ECAC All-Star Chris Tamasi (Canton, Mass.) led Amherst’s
supreme defense, racking up a team-high 14 tackles for loss, five
sacks and three forced fumbles. In the secondary, it was junior
defensive back Jaymie Spears (Haverhill, Mass.) leading the way
with a team-high six interceptions. Senior kicker Phillip Nwosu
(Derwood, Md.) also put together a standout season, earning a spot
on the ECAC All-Star Team.
“The Amherst College Football program is truly honored to
be selected by the ECAC as a Team of Distinction for 2014,”
said Amherst Head Coach E.J. Mills. “The team's success was
due to an incredible group of dedicated players, assistant coaches
and administration. I am grateful to have been a part of such an
amazing year.”
Amherst and Harvard were two of just three teams in all
divisions of football to finish the season without a loss.
Amherst and Harvard will be honored on February 19th,
at the Eastern
College Football Awards Banquet, hosted by the ECAC at
MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The Eastern College
Football Awards Banquet will feature the presentation of the ECAC
Football Awards as well as the Lambert Meadowlands Awards.
About the ECAC
In the 76 years since its inception, the Eastern College
Athletic Conference (ECAC) has emerged as the nation's largest
Conference. The ECAC has grown considerably from its charter
membership of 58, currently boasting over 300 members in Divisions
I, II and III, ranging in location from Maine to South Carolina,
and westerly to Missouri. In the 2014-15 academic year, the
ECAC will host nearly 100 championships in 32 men's and women's
sports as the sponsors of over 5,800 varsity teams and 111,000 male
and female athletes. For more information, visit
www.ecacsports.com.