Offensive Performer-of-the-Year

Marcus Mason, Sr., RB, Youngstown State

Our offensive performer-of-the-year is Youngstown State senior tailback Marcus Mason. Playing in just 9 regular season games, Mason led the nation with 1,496 yards and 19 TD's. For the year, Mason led the nation in net yards (1847) with yards-per-game at 153.92 (good for #2). In addition, Mason was the highest ranked non-QB in total offense and #3 in all-purpose yards (both over teams covered) ...despite not returning a kick or punt all season. Mason was the Gateway Football Conference's Offensive Player of the Year, rushing for a school-record 1,847 yards on 302 carries and scored 23 touchdowns. An even more impressive record considering that YSU is one of the most prolific rushing teams in I-AA/FC history, with a dozen 1,000+ season rushers since 1989. With the Penguins being a "smash mouth" offensive club, perhaps the most impressive stat is his ability to hold on to the ball ...Mason never fumbled, or even dropped the ball, in his 9 regular season games of 2006. He fumbled only once in his 302 carries of this season ...during the quarterfinal game.

Defensive Performer-of-the-Year

Kyle Shotwell, Sr., LB, Cal-Poly

Our defensive POY is Cal-Poly's Kyle Shotwell. Playing 11-games, Shotwell finished the season with 122 total tackles, 21 tackles for loss, seven sacks, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

Shotwell became the third Cal Poly player to be named Great West Defensive Player of the Year, joining Jordan Beck (2004) and Chris Gocong (2005) as winners. Shotwell anchored a defense that posted three shutouts and finished the regular season ranked sixth in the nation in total defense (248.27), fourth in sacks (3.36), third in pass defense (133.00), 10th in scoring defense (14.73), 19th in rushing defense (115.27) and fifth in tackles for lost yardage (7.64). Shotwell led all Great West defensive
players in tackles (122), tackles for loss (21) and was tied with his younger brother Ryan in sacks with seven.

Special Teams Performer-of-the-Year

Craig Coffin, Sr., K, Southern Illinois

Our special teams "Power Performer" for 2006 is senior kicker Craig Coffin of Southern Illinois. Kicking for the Salukis, the nation's fourth-ranked team in scoring, Coffin was an amazing 55 of 55 (100%) in extra-points. He was also 15 of 16 (.937) in field goals. Coffin is the Salukis career leader in field goals, points scored, and PATs.

His kick-off abilities are outstanding, with excellent distance and almost flawless positioning. He is the 4th highest kicker nationally, in terms of total points, with an average of 7.69 points-per-game. In his career, Coffin also averaged 31.2 yards as a back-up punter.

Head Coach-of-the-Year

Jerry Moore, Appalachian State

This year's selection for coach-of-the-year is not an easy one. There are no real statistics for a head coach, so much of the decision is opinion. However, with as few teams that have won the I-AA/FC national championship (28), less than 5 have won the title more than once. An even more rare feet is for a coach to lead his team to back-to-back titles. So what began as a tough decision, suddenly became much more simple. Jerry Moore is now among the I-AA elite ... joining such company as GA Southern legends Erk Russell (85-86) and Paul Johnson (99-00), as well as Youngstown State's Jim Tressel (93-94), as the only coaches to win successive crowns. It doesn't get much better than that ...and they don't get much better than our 2006 coaching performer-of-the-year, Jerry Moore of ASU.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Erk Russell,
former Head Coach Georgia Southern

Unfortunately for us all, this year's lifetime achievement award has to be granted posthumously; as the game lost a legend in former Georgia defensive coordinator and Georgia Southern Head Coach Erk Russell.

Erskine "Erk" Russell, was born on July 23, 1926 in Birmingham, Alabama. He graduated from Auburn University where he earned ten varsity letters. He was the last four-sport letterman in the college's history.

Russell came to coaching prominence during his 17 year tenure as Georgia's defensive coordinator. His unit became known as "the junkyard dawgs" for their small size, yet scrappy and successful style of play.

Coach Russell was a master motivator who did not forget that, as someone who molded young men in a university setting, he was a teacher first and foremost. In 1982, Erk was hired to restart the football program at Georgia Southern College, a program that had not competed since 1941. Three years after beginning the team, Coach Russell had won his first of three National Titles (1985, 1986, and 1989). Russell is one of only two head-coaches to win three I-AA national titles. Russell's bald head, coupled with the fact that he coached the Eagles, gave him the nickname "The Bald Eagle".

Coach Russell's record as a I-AA coach was an impressive 70-14 (.825). That is over 10 wins a season. Victory cigars were a staple of Erk Russell's image. He made a point to smoke a cigar after every Eagle victory that he was involved in.

During his career, the awards were plentiful. Just a few of them include the Eddie Robinson award, AFCA I-AA Coach-of-the-Year, Georgia Sports Hall-of-Fame, Chevrolet-CBS Sports I-AA Coach-of-the-Year, and the USA Today Georgia Coach-of-the-Decade.

Erk Russell died of a stroke on Sept. 8 while driving his car. He was 80 years old.

Regardless of our team affiliations, we are all fans of the game and Pete's is honored to name Erskine "Erk" Russell our 2006 recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award. With this, our sympathies go out to his family and may his soul rest in peace.