SEVEN FLYING DUTCHMEN NAMED TO ALL-A-10 PRESEASON TEAM;HOFSTRA PICKED SECOND IN CONFERENCE POLL

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania (August 2) ?“ Seven Hofstra University players, including three seniors on the first team, were named to the 2001 Atlantic 10 Preseason All-Conference Football Team, the league announced this week at it's annual Football Media Day.

Wide receiver Charlie Adams (Camp Hill, PA/Cumberland Valley), center Dan Zorger (Noblesville, IN/Cumberland Valley (PA)) and strong safety Doug Shanahan (Farmingville, NY/Sachem) were named to the first team for Hofstra while senior quarterback Rocky Butler (Allentown, PA/Dieruff), sophomore running back Trevor Dimmie (Tarrytown, NY/Sleepy Hollow), senior defensive tackle Ryan Fletcher (Glen Cove, NY/Glen Cove) and senior cornerback Robert Thomas (Port St. Lucie, FL/Ft. Pierce-Westwood) were voted on to the second team.

The League also announced its preseason team poll as voted on by the coaches and media. In that poll, the Flying Dutchmen of Hofstra were picked to finish second in the 11-team league, behind League champion Delaware. Both Hofstra and Delaware each received 11 first place votes in the balloting. Villanova finished third with five first place votes, Richmond was fourth with two and Massachusetts was fifth. William and Mary was sixth in the balloting, New Hampshire, which garnered the final first place vote, was seventh with Maine, Rhode Island, James Madison and Northeastern rounding out the pack.

The pass-and-catch combo of Butler to Adams hooked up 74 times in 2000 with Adams gaining 1,132 yards and 11 touchdowns. Zorger anchored an offensive line that allowed just 21 sacks in 13 games while the Hofstra offense averaged 437.3 yards per game. Shanahan, a 2000 I-AA first team All-American, led the team with seven interceptions while recording 94 tackles.

Senior quarterback Rocky Butler, who completed 198 of 353 passes for 2,772 yard with 23 touchdowns against just 13 interceptions, heads the second team. Butler is a 2001 I-AA Preseason All-American along with Shanahan. Trevor Dimmie shattered the Hofstra rushing record last year with 1,561 yards and seven touchdowns in 13 games. Ryan Fletcher ranked second on the Hofstra defensive line last year with 63 tackles and seven sacks. Robert Thomas, who posted 68 tackles and three interceptions last year, will be looking to improve upon those numbers as he tries to follow the footsteps of his father, former New York Jets standout Bobby Jackson, into the NFL.

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