University of Richmond Athletics
Four Spiders Named To Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference Football Squad
Jan. 23, 2007
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - Richmond seniors Ryan Beers and Danny Desriveaux, along with junior Jon DeWald and sophomore Josh Vaughan were named to the 2006 Atlantic 10 Academic All-Conference team, officials announced Tuesday. The four Spider student-athletes joined a total of 94 individuals (47 offense, 47 defense) as part of the 2006 team.
To be eligible, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.00 and be a starter or key reserve. Voting is conducted by the Atlantic 10 Football Conference's sports information directors. First-year freshmen are ineligible.
Beers stepped into a starting role on the Spiders' defensive line, which accounted for more than 25 percent of the Spiders' 766 total tackles. The Altoona, Pa., native logged a total of 31 tackles in 2006, including 4.5 for a loss of 13 yards. The Rhetoric and Communications major ended his playing career for the Spiders with a total of 91 tackles, 8.5 tackles-for-loss, four sacks and one interception.
Desriveaux, a transfer from the University of Connecticut, played in 11 games for the Spiders in 2006. The Laval, Quebec City, Canada, native caught a pass in each of the final eight games of 2006 and finished with a total of 192 yards receiving and one touchdown. The Richmond grad-student, who was named an ESPN The Magazine First Team Academic All-District III selection during the 2006 season, was a sixth-round selection by the Montreal Allouettes in the Canadian Football League's 2006 draft.
DeWald was an important reserve on an offensive line which allowed just 15 sacks, third fewest in the Atlantic 10. The Muncy, Pa., native also helped the Spiders gain 3,860 yards of total offense which was the 10th-best total in Richmond football history. DeWald, a Political Science major, will return for his senior season in 2007.
Vaughan logged 569 yards on the ground and scored five of the Spiders' 34 touchdowns this past season. The Richmond, Va., native garnered a career-high 110 yards against Delaware, Oct. 21, 2006, and scored a career-high two touchdowns in Richmond's 48-21 win over Bucknell last season. Vaughan, a sophomore majoring in Computer Science, will join junior Tim Hightower, sophomore John Crone and freshman Eric Ward in an offensive backfield which remains intact for the 2007 Spiders.
The Spiders ended the 2006 season with a record of 6-5, marking the first back-to-back winning seasons since 1997-98, and just the second since 1984-85. In two seasons under head coach Dave Clawson, Richmond has combined to win at least 15 games for the first time in consecutive seasons since 1997-98. Clawson's squad combined to allow just 430 points dating back to the beginning of 2005, marking the fewest points allowed in consecutive seasons since opponents scored 391 points from 2001-02. The Spider offense has combined to garner 8,817 yards over the past two seasons, which is the most-ever in back-to-back seasons in Richmond football history.