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Raiders garner bevy of postseason honors By TIM PYLE Mail Tribune A record-setting season as a team begets illustrious accolades for individuals. The Southern Oregon University football team put together one of the best seasons in school history this fall, and in its aftermath, a bevy of honors have been bestowed upon Raiders. SOU went 9-2 to equal the school record for wins, advanced to the NAIA quarterfinals for the first time since 1987 and earned a program-best No. 5 final national ranking. Now, 11 Raider athletes and two coaches have received a multitude of individual honors. "It's nice to get recognition," said SOU head coach Jeff Olson, whose sixth season guiding the Raiders was his most successful yet. "And I'm very happy for the kids." Olson finished second for regional coach-of-the-year honors behind Whitworth's John Tully, a former SOU assistant. Raiders defensive coordinator Roger VanDeZande was named the American College Football Coaches' Association's national assistant of the year for the NAIA level. Among the players, defensive back/return man Nick Daniken and center Jeremy Chapman were the Raiders to pull in the highest accolades. Daniken, a 5-foot-11, 205-pound junior from Central Point, was one of 13 finalists for the national player-of-the-year award and was named second-team all-NAIA. He also picked up first-team all-Northwest and first-team Football Gazette All-American honors. "That just shows that we had a pretty good team," said Daniken, who led the team in tackles with 80, averaged a whopping 35.1 yards per kickoff return and set a school record for punt-return yardage with 580 yards on 34 returns. "It takes all 11 guys on the field and the entire team to make things happen. It was just, I was in the right place a lot of the time." Chapman, a 6-1, 240-pound junior from Myrtle Creek, was the second SOU standout to snare a spot on the NAIA All-American second team. He helped the Raiders rank 10th in the NAIA for total offense at 415 yards per game and also received first-team all-Northwest and Football Gazette accolades. After leading the country in scoring with 25 touchdowns, sophomore tailback Dusty McGrorty of Warrenton was honorable mention for NAIA All-American honors but did bag first-team all-Northwest and third-team Football Gazette recognition. "The three kids who received the most honors are all back next year," Olson said. "That's exciting." Senior defensive lineman James Powers of Gardnerville, Nev., and senior place-kicker Jason Manning of Oregon City both picked up honorable mention from the NAIA and second-team all-Northwest honors. Senior wide receiver Leo Stoddard of Scappoose, who tied a 35-year-old school record with 70 catches during the season, earned second-team all-Northwest and Football Gazette accolades. Senior linebacker Erube Magana of Cottonwood, Calif., got first-team all-Northwest and third-team Football Gazette recognition. Senior quarterback Travis Mari of Eureka, Calif., passed his way to second-team all-Northwest and honorable-mention Football Gazette honors. Senior defensive tackle Kodiak Malmstrom of Reedsport was a first-team all-Northwest pick and honorable mention on the Football Gazette lists. Junior offensive lineman Richard Griffin of Medford and senior defensive back Mike Seedborg of Las Vegas, Nev., each earned second-team all-Northwest accolades. Topping it all off, SOU was awarded the 31-year-old John Heinrick Award for the first time in program history. The award goes to the top team in the season-ending regional poll conducted by Northwest small-college sports information directors and sportswriters. "That was nice," said Olson, who ranks the 2001 Raiders as among the program's best ever, along with the undefeated 1946 squad, the 1983 team that went 9-2 and the 1987 SOU team that advanced to the NAIA quarterfinals. "The awards certainly say something about the season we had, and we don't plan on waiting another 14 years to do it again." Reach reporter Tim Pyle at 776-4483 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.