Dec. 1, 2004

Columbia, Mo. - Senior defensive tackle Atiyyah Ellison (St. Louis, Mo.) led the way for Missouri as he was named a 1st-Team All-Big 12 selection by league coaches, as announced today by the Big 12 Conference office.

While Ellison was the only Tiger chosen on the first team, six other standouts earned accolades, including second-teamers James Kinney (Sr., LB - Kankakee, Ill.) and Tony Palmer (Jr., OG - Midwest City, Okla.) and honorable-mention selections Shirdonya Mitchell (Sr., DB - Arlington, Texas), C.J. Mosley (Jr., DL - Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo.), Jason Simpson (Jr., S - The Woodlands, Texas) and Brad Smith (Jr., QB - Youngstown, Ohio).

Ellison was a leader of a Tiger defensive unit which currently ranks first in the Big 12 Conference and 15th in the NCAA in total defense. He finished the 2004 season with 59 tackles, and ranked third on the squad with 12.5 tackles for loss. Ellison also added 2.5 quarterback sacks and four quarterback hurries on the year. He was a 3rd-Team All-Big 12 pick in 2003.

Here's a brief recap of MU's awardees:

Name	 Honor	 Stats/Facts

Atiyyah Ellison (DL)	1st Team	59 tackles, 12.5 TFLs, 2.5 sacks,
 4 QB hurries

James Kinney (LB)	2nd Team	MU's alltime career leading
 tackler, w/429; had 107 stops in
 2004

Tony Palmer (OG)	2nd Team	MU's top-rated lineman

Shirdonya Mitchell (DB)	Hon. Men.	Led MU, and ranked 3rd in Big 12,
 with 4 INTs; 38 tackles, 3.0
 TFLs, 6 PBUs, 1 FF

C.J. Mosley (DL)	Hon. Men.	Ranked 2nd on team w/14.0 TFLs &
 6.5 sacks; Led team w/12 QB
 hurries; 61 tackles

Jason Simpson (S)	Hon. Men.	Led team w/15.0 TFLs & ranked 2nd
 w/98 tackles; 1 INT, 6 PBUs, 3
 QBHs, 2 FF

Brad Smith (QB)	 Hon. Men.	3rd in Big 12 in tot. off.
 (248.91); Threw for 2,185 yds. &
 17 TDs, ran for 553 yds. & 4 TDs