Huntingdon’s Chappell named first-team All-America

WACO, Texas – Huntingdon senior defensive tackle D.J. Chappell added to his list of accomplishments on Tuesday.

With the release of the American Football Coaches Association's Division III All-America team, Chappell is the first Huntingdon football player to earn first-team All-America.

"It is a great honor to be recognized," Chappell said. "I've worked hard to be the best player I can be and I thank God for allowing me to stay healthy and for the opportunities He has given me.

"Even though this is an individual award, to me, it's also a recognition of the guys I had playing around me. I was blessed to have great teammates and we made each other better. I couldn't have done the things I did without the guys I had around me."

Chappell was recently named first-team All-South Region by D3football.com for a second straight year and was named honorable mention All-American by D3football.com as a junior. The D3football.com All-American team will be released later this week.

"Chap is very deserving of all the recognition he has received. He's raised the bar a little higher for our program," Huntingdon head coach Mike Turk said. "He is a player that stood out. Every opposing coach talked about him and recognized his ability. He's a tremendous player and has meant a lot to our program for the past four years."

A Montgomery native and a graduate of Jefferson Davis High School, Chappell left his mark on the Huntingdon program. He ranks second in Huntingdon history in career sacks (25.5) and tackles for loss (42). Chappell led the Hawks in sacks each of his final three seasons and tackles for loss each of the past two seasons.

This season, despite facing added attention from opposing teams, Chappell led the Hawks with nine sacks and 14.5 tackles for loss and was fourth on the team with 34 tackles.

The AFCA has picked an All-America team every year since 1945.

2012 AFCA Division III Coaches' All-America Team
Offense

Defense

Specialists