Bucknell University Athletics
Three Bison Named to Verizon Academic All-District Football Team
11/14/2002 7:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 14, 2002
LEWISBURG, Pa. - A trio of Bucknell football players earned Verizon Academic All-District plaudits on Thursday, including two Bison who were named to the first team. Senior Billy Windle (Greencastle, Pa./Greencastle H.S.), a linebacker and punter, and junior tight end Dave Gibson (Greensburg, Pa./Greensburg Salem H.S.) were picked for the first team, while junior strong safety Will Smith (Hattiesburg, Miss./Hattiesburg H.S.) was a second-team selection.
Windle and Gibson join the remaining district first-team honorees in becoming eligible for the Verizon Academic All-America team, which will be announced on Dec. 2.
A geography major with a 3.40 cumulative grade-point average, Windle has been one of Bucknell's most versatile - and valuable - players in 2002. Now in his third season as the Bison's regular punter, Windle has also thrived as a starting outside linebacker. He began the year as a strong safety but moved to outside linebacker when teammate Juan Morales suffered a season-ending knee injury in early October.
Windle, who has just two varsity tackles entering the 2002 season, is currently tied for sixth on the team with 38 tackles (27 solo), and ranks second in tackles for loss (10) and sacks (3.5). He recorded his first career interception and tacked on a 23-yard return in Bucknell's most recent game against Lafayette. As a punter, he ranks fourth in the Patriot League and 67th nationally with a 37.2 average.
Off the field, Windle is heavily involved in campus activities. He is a member of Bucknell Brigade, a group of students that travels to Nicaragua to help impoverished towns rebuild after the devastating Hurricane Mitch. He has also worked with Habitat for Humanity and co-authored with a professor an instructional CD-ROM for geography students. Windle is a Dean's List student and a member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll.
Gibson is in his first year as a starting tight end for the Bison after playing two seasons on the defensive line. An excellent blocker with surprisingly good hands, Gibson is an accounting major with a 3.73 GPA. He has played in seven of Bucknell's nine games thus far (missing two due to injury) and has seven catches for 78 yards. He caught a career-high three balls in Bucknell's overtime loss to Colgate, and was named the Lewisburg Touchdown Club's Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 19.
Gibson is a member of the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and he has done volunteer work at a local food pantry, a Red Cross blood drive and a football clinic for local youths. He is a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta honor society and has made both the Dean's List and Patriot League Academic Honor Roll.
One of the leaders of Bucknell's outstanding defense, Smith is the team's fourth-leading tackler with 46 hits (24 solo), despite missing one game with an injury. He has four tackles for loss, three pass breakups and has forced a fumble.
An economics major with a 3.22 GPA, Smith posted a career-high 10 tackles in Bucknell's 13-10 overtime loss to Colgate. He was named the Lewisburg Touchdown Club Defensive Player of the Week after the Colgate game, and is also a member of the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll.
In order to be eligible for the Verizon Academic All-America program, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore, carry a minimum 3.20 GPA and be a starter or key reserve on his/her team. Bucknell has earned 104 national Academic All-America citations since 1970, third among all Division I institutions behind only Nebraska and Notre Dame.
