College Sports Madness All-American Team

CHARLESTON, Ill. – Eastern Illinois seniors Jimmy Garoppolo and Erik Lora were both named first team All-Americans as selected by College Sports Madness.  The website also tabbed Panthers head coach Dino Babers as the FCS Coach of the Year.

EIU, seeded No. 2 in the FCS playoffs, will host No. 7 seed Towson this Friday in the quarterfinal round.  The game will be televised on ESPN2 with a 7 p.m. kickoff.  Tickets for the game are on sale by calling 217-581-2106 or online at www.eiupanthertickets.com

Babers led the Panthers to an 11-1 regular season record including a win over FBS opponent San Diego State in the season opener and a number two national ranking.  EIU was 8-0 in the Ohio Valley Conference and 5-0 at home at O'Brien Field.  EIU beat Tennessee State, 51-10, on Saturday to win the Panthers first FCS playoff game since 1989.

Garoppolo was named the Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year after leading the nation in passing yards and touchdown passes this season.  Entering the quarterfinal round of the FCS playoffs, Garoppolo is third all-time on the FCS single season list with 4,729 yards and 51 touchdowns.  Garoppolo leads all Division I quarterbacks at both the FCS and FBS levels in those categories.  This season he has set the OVC and EIU single season and career records for every passing category and currently ranks seventh all-time in FCS history in passing yards and touchdown passes.  Garoppolo is one of three players that have been invited to Philadelphia for the 2013 Walter Payton Award.  Garoppolo placed 10th in the 2012 Walter Payton Award voting.

Lora was a first team All-OVC selection this season after winning OVC Player of the Year honors last season.  Lora once again posted a 100-plus catch season after setting the FCS single season record with 136 catches last year.  This year Lora has 105 catches for 1,415 yards and 18 touchdown passes.  He ranks third in the FCS in receptions and receiving yards while ranking second nationally in touchdown catches.  Lora is currently third all-time in FCS history in pass receptions with 314 catches.  His 18 touchdowns this season set both an EIU and OVC single season record while his 34 career touchdown receptions are first all-time in FCS history.  Lora finished seventh in this year's Walter Payton Award voting after placing fourth last season.