Nov. 13, 2003

Columbia, Mo. - Senior OT tackle Rob Droege has been named first-team Academic All-District VII, as announced today by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Droege, who is a graduate student after earning his degree in May of this year, is a driving force behind a Mizzou offensive line that has the Tigers ranked 11th in the NCAA in rushing through nine games, with a per-game average of 220.89 yards. The Tigers also lead the nation in fewest turnovers (9 through 9 games), a fact which is largely attributable to the play of the line.

Droege earned similar District VII honors last season. His undergraduate grade point average was an impressive 3.852 in Social Studies Education.

For receiving first-team recognition, Droege's name will now appear on the national ballot, with the Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-America Football squad to be announced in December.

To be nominated, the student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA for his career. He must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing. True freshmen, redshirt freshmen and ineligible athletic transfers are not eligible.

District VII includes all schools within the states of Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming, as well as the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan.