Nov. 27, 2002
Columbia, Mo. - Thirteen University of Missouri football student-athletes have been named to the 2002 Football Academic All-Big 12 Team, as announced today by the league office. A total of 10 Tigers were tabbed for first team honors, while three more garnered second team mention. First team members consist of those who have maintained a 3.20 grade point average or better, while the second team denotes those who have a GPA from 3.00 to 3.19.
Missouri's 10 first-team selections broke the school record of seven, set last year in Gary Pinkel's first year at MU. That total also ranked third highest among Big 12 teams, trailing only Nebraska (18) and Texas A&M (12) for most first-team selections.
 Rob Droege was picked Academic All-Big 12 for the third straight year  |
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Leading the way for Missouri is sophomore defensive back Brian Fuller, a first-team selection who was one of seven players in the league who were nominated with a 4.0 GPA. Fuller was also recently named to the Verizon Academic All-District VII second team.
Other Tigers included on the first team include seniors Kirk Farmer, Brian Heits, T.J. Leon, and Shan Schauffler, and juniors Rob Droege, Rusty Groth, Clint Matthews, Phil Pitts and A.J. Ricker. Farmer and Droege are three-time selections, while Ricker, Mills and Pitts were second-time honorees.
Those Tigers selected to the second team include junior Marcus James and sophomores Brock Harvey and Terrell Mills. Here is a listing of the Tigers who have been honored:
FIRST TEAM SELECTIONS Tiger Class Major Hometown Kirk Farmer, QB Sr. Communication Jefferson City, Mo. Brian Heits, OL Sr. Biological Engineering Tarkio, Mo. T.J. Leon, TB Sr. Parks, Recreation and Tourism Norman, Okla. Shan Schauffler, TB Sr. Fisheries and Wildlife Huntsville, Mo. Rob Droege, OL Jr. Social Studies Education St. Louis, Mo. Rusty Groth, DL Jr. Finance Glendale, Mo. Clint Matthews, TE Jr. Atmospheric Science Ozark, Mo. Phil Pitts, DL Jr. Business St. Louis, Mo. A.J. Ricker, OL Jr. General Agriculture Klein, Texas Brian Fuller, DB So. Nutrition and Fitness Lawson, Mo.SECOND TEAM SELECTIONS Tiger Class Major Hometown Marcus James, WR/KR Jr. Social Studies Education Liberal, Kan. Brock Harvey, P So. Agricultural Economics Centertown, Mo. Terrell Mills, DL So. Business Raytown, Mo.