Bucknell University Athletics
Six Bucknell Football Players Named All-Patriot League
11/21/2000 7:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 21, 2000
LEWISBURG, PA - Six players from the Bucknell University football team were recognized for their outstanding play this season by being named to the 2000 All-Patriot League team. Head Coach Tom Gadd's squad, which finished 6-5 to record its sixth-straight winning season, had two players named to the first team and four chosen to the second team in the voting done by the league's head coaches.
Senior free safety Kevin Eiben (Delta, British Columbia/Vancouver College) and senior linebacker Vince Ficca (Princeton Junction, N.J./Lawrenceville School) were tabbed to the first team. Defensive end Tom Kuhn (Pittsburgh, Pa./Seton LaSalle), junior running back Jabu Powell (Orlando, Fla./Dr. Phillips) and sophomores Adam Lord (Troy, N.Y./Troy) and Chris Lundberg (Phoenix, Ariz./Thunderbird) all garnered second team honors. Powell was a repeat honoree, having been chosen to the second team last year as well.
The six all-league players for the Orange and Blue played an instrumental role in the success of the 2000 team. Bucknell became the only team in the Patriot League and just one of 32 teams in all of Division's I-A and I-AA (236 total) to record its sixth straight winning season. The Bison set 10 school records and four Patriot League marks during the year, and Eiben and Ficca are both members of a Bison senior class that tied the school record for wins over a four-year period with 29.
It was a year that very easily could have seen the Bison finish undefeated, but the close games all went to the opposition. Bucknell lost its five games -- each of which they led in the fourth quarter -- by a combined total of 16 points, or an average margin of defeat of 3.2 points. Heartbreak was a common theme during the 2000 campaign, especially the last three weeks of the season in which the Orange and Blue lost each game within the final 65 seconds of play.
Eiben had one of the finest seasons ever by a member of the Bison secondary, setting five school records and two Patriot League records all on his own. The 6'1" 205-pound free safety led the Patriot League and ranked seventh in Division I-AA with eight interceptions - a total that ranks as the third-best single-season performance in school history and the second-best ever in the 15-year history of the Patriot League.
He returned those eight interceptions for a total of 150 yards, eclipsing the previous Bison record of 129 set by Gene Luccarelli in 1970. In addition, he tied the Bucknell single-game mark and set the Patriot League record with four interceptions against Duquesne on September 30. Following that stellar performance, he was honored as the defensive player of the week by The Sports Network (Division I-AA national), the Patriot League, the ECAC, and Don Hansen's Football Gazette. In addition, he was featured on ESPN during the Thursday night college football Hidden Video segment.
Eiben also had a great year in the special teams department, setting numerous records as the league's top punt return man. He returned 30 punts for 366 yards this season, and set Bucknell season (366) and career (626) yardage marks. In addition, he set the Patriot League single-game mark when he returned seven punts for 126 yards at Towson on November 11. Eiben, who also starts in the outfield on the Bison baseball team, finished his career with 51 punt returns, also a Bucknell record.
The Delta, British Columbia native played in 42 contests for the Bison, and was a three-year starter. He finished second on the team this season with 78 tackles (44 solo), and concluded his fine career with 275 tackles and 20 pass breakups.
Ficca typified the phrase, "leading by example." The feisty inside linebacker led the team and the Patriot League with 102 tackles and was selected by his teammates as one of the tri-captains for the season. He led the team in tackles in eight of the 11 games, and tallied double-figure marks five times, including a season-high 14 stops in Bucknell's 38-15 win over Cornell on September 16.
After transferring to Bucknell from Boston University prior to the 1998 season, Ficca became a steady fixture in the linebacker corps for the Orange and Blue. He started 27 of the 30 games he played at Bucknell, and concluded his career with 257 tackles, 18 tackles for a loss of yardage, four interceptions, and five quarterback sacks.
Ficca was tabbed the Patriot League's and Rivals.com's Defensive Player of the Week following the Richmond game. He paced Bucknell's defensive effort with a game-high 12 tackles and also blocked a punt in the 10-7 setback to the nationally-ranked Spiders.
When Kuhn returned to preseason camp, the coaching staff was pleasantly surprised with his off-season conditioning and the way he rededicated himself to the program. That hard work ultimately paid off in the form of a selection to the all-conference team.
The 6'4" 250-pound defensive end worked his way into the starting lineup during camp, and started all nine games that he played in (he missed two games with an ankle injury). Kuhn finished the season with 28 tackles, 15 of which were unassisted stops. He was a threat in opposing backfields all year, tallying eight tackles behind the line of scrimmage including four quarterback sacks. In addition, he had one pass breakup and a number of quarterback hurries.
A native of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Kuhn was tabbed as the Lewisburg Touchdown Club's Defensive Player of the Game for his efforts in the Bison's 10-7 win over Columbia. He made eight tackles against the Lions, including a sack and three stops behind the line of scrimmage. Kuhn finished his Bison career with 45 tackles and six quarterback sacks.
Powell garners second team honors for the second year in a row after becoming the first Bucknell running back to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark since Chris Peer did so in 1997. He began the year with a flourish, topping the 200-yard mark in two of the first four games and compiling 780 yards through the season's first five contests. But a serious injury in the Lafayette game slowed his season and nearly ended his career.
On the first series of the game against the Leopards, he got sandwiched behind the line of scrimmage and lost feeling in his extremities. In an examination early the following week, it was discovered that he has a condition called spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the channel that protects the spinal cord. He sat out the next two games, but after an extensive re-examination at the renowned Cleveland Medical Clinic and conferring with his family, Powell made the decision to resume playing.
He finished the season with 1,102 yards on 248 carries, the sixth-best rushing season in school history. His 122.4-yard per game average ranked second in the league and 18th in Div. I-AA, and he tied for the league lead in scoring at 9.3 points per contest (14 TDs). The 5'8" 180-pound tailback also led the league and ranked 13th in the nation in all-purpose yardage per game at 160.11.
Powell set Patriot League and Bucknell single-game marks when he rushed for 282 yards against Cornell on September 16, and then set an additional Bucknell record (200-yd games in a season) when he topped the 200-yard plateau for the second time against Duquesne two weeks later.
With a season yet to play in the Orange and Blue, Powell ranks fifth on the school's all-time rushing list with 2,246 yards. That total places him 16th on the league's all-time chart. In the category of all-purpose yardage, he ranks third on Bucknell's career list with 3,581 yards and tied for 13th on the Patriot League chart.
In just his sophomore season, Lord took control of the middle of the Bison defense, clogging the running lanes and forcing the game action. The 6'0' 260-pound nose guard has been a starter since arriving at Bucknell in the summer of 1999. Lord finished 12th on the team with 30 tackles, 13 of which were unassisted hits. He collected three quarterback sacks and had six stops behind the line of scrimmage for losses totaling 27 yards. In addition, the Troy, N.Y. native broke up two passes and had an interception.
Lord was tabbed as the Lewisburg Touchdown Club's Defensive Player of the Week following his performance in the Lehigh game on October 21. In that game he recorded three unassisted tackles and broke up a pass.
Lundberg shared the place-kicking duties as a freshman, but entering the 2000 season he took control of the job and wound up having one of the best years ever by a Bison kicker. In fact, after a slow start in which he missed his first two attempts at Richmond, Lundberg rebounded to set a school record with 13 field goals this season. On two occasions he connected on three field goal attempts in a single game, and five times during the year he made at least two field goals in a game.
A native of Phoenix, Arizona, Lundberg connected on a career-long 47-yarder in the Orange and Blue's Homecoming win over Fordham. He finished second in the league and tied for 17th nationally with an average of 1.18 field goals per game. Lundberg connected on 13-of-17 attempts during the year, and in fairness to him, the snaps were poor on two of his four misses.
With 62 points (39 on FGs and 23 on PATs), he ranked second on the team and sixth in the league in scoring (5.6) this fall. That total also ranks tied for second on the Bucknell single-season kick-scoring list. After two seasons of play, Lundberg has 15 field goals and a total of 95 points.
The complete 2000 All-Patriot League teams follows:
FIRST TEAM OFFENSE FIRST TEAM DEFENSE OL - Ken Kubec, Jr., Colgate DL - David Puloka, Sr., Holy Cross OL - Pat Quay, Sr., Holy Cross DL - David Petett, Sr., Lehigh OL - Brian McDonald, Sr., Lehigh DL - Roobhenn Smith, Sr., Lehigh OL - Adam Nepp, Sr., Towson DL - Andrew Hollingsworth, Sr., Towson OL - Brian Wronski, Sr., Towson LB - Vince Ficca, Sr., Bucknell TE - Dustin Grande, Sr., Lehigh LB - James Young, Sr., Lehigh WR - Phil Yarberough, Sr., Lafayette LB - Bryant Appling, Sr., Lehigh WR - Brian Endler, Sr., Lehigh DB - Kevin Eiben, Sr., Bucknell QB - Brant Hall, Jr., Lehigh DB - Brandon Tinson, Sr., Colgate FB - Ryan Mayo, Sr., Lafayette DB - Michael Blake, Jr., Holy Cross RB - Noah Read, Jr., Towson DB - Abdul Byron, Jr., Lehigh PK - Brian Colsant, Sr., Fordham P - Frank Traupman, Sr., Holy Cross
SECOND TEAM OFFENSE SECOND TEAM DEFENSE OL - Chris Conley, Sr., Holy Cross DL - Tom Kuhn, Sr., Bucknell OL - Jamie Grabowski, Sr., Holy Cross DL - Adam Lord, Soph., Bucknell OL -- Chris Royle, Soph., Lafayette DL - Duevorn Harris, Sr., Colgate OL - John Babb, Sr., Lehigh DL - Michael Emory, Sr., Lehigh OL - John Tierney, Sr., Towson LB - John Costantino, Sr., Colgate TE - Barry HoAire, Sr., Colgate LB - Ahmad Russell, Sr., Colgate WR - David Thompson, Jr., Holy Cross LB - Rusty McKinney, Jr., Towson WR - Jamal White, Jr., Towson DB - Troy LaRose, Sr, Holy Cross QB - Erreick Stewart, Soph., Holy Cross DB - Elijah Beamon, Sr., Lafayette FB - Gene Liebel, Jr., Towson DB - Matt Andrews, Sr., Lehigh RB - Jabu Powell, Jr., Bucknell DB - Ricky Crestwell, Sr., Towson PK - Chris Lundberg, Soph., Bucknell P - Matt Fordyce, Soph., Fordham
PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Andrew Hollingsworth, Sr., DE, Towson OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Phil Yarberough, Sr., WR, Lafayette DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Andrew Hollingsworth, Sr., DE, Towson ROOKIE OF THE YEAR - Marko Glavic, Fr., QB, Lafayette COACH OF THE YEAR - Kevin Higgins, Lehigh
