2013 AFCA Division III Coaches All-America Team
WACO, Texas – For the first time in program history, a star of the Endicott football gridiron has been named to the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division III All-America Team as senior Dylan Rushe (Palos Verdes, Calif.) earned his second postseason all-american award as a placekicker. The AFCA, which has selected an All-America team since 1945, is voted upon by the nation's head coaches and honors 11 offensive, 11 defensive, and three special teams players.
Rushe is one of just two players from New England to be named to the AFCA Division III All-America Team as he is joined by Western Connecticut's premiere senior tailback Octavias McKoy. Along with the accolades both players received from their respective conferences, Rushe and McKoy were also honored at last Thursday evening's New England Football Writers annual Awards and Captains Banquet with All-New England status. Rushe was also named to the NEFC First Team and the D3Football.com All-Region Team as both a kicker and punter while Beyond Sports Network (BSN) listed Rushe as their Second Team All-American placekicker.
In 2013, Rushe accumulated 85 points on 14-of-17 (.824) field goals and 43-of-46 PATs. His average of 1.4 field goals per game ranked fourth among NCAA Division III placekickers and his accuracy ranked 30th in the country. He accounted for 8.5 points per game for the Gulls, placing him in the top-50 in the nation. His highest point output came in week two as Rushe accounted for 19 of Endicott's 43 points in a blowout win over Castleton State. He was one point (19) and one field goal (five) shy of tying the NCAA Division III record for points (20) and field goals made (six) in a single game.
Endicott relied on Rushe throughout the year to hit long range field goals as five of his 14 conversions were from 40 yards or longer. His season-long of 54 yards against Coast Guard was just one yard short of his career-high and New England-best 55 yarder back in 2011 that came in a win at Curry.
For four years, Rushe has a model of consistency for the Gulls placekicking efforts as he became the program's all-time leader in points scored (356) by drilling 56-of-80 (.700) field goals with 188 PATs. He ranks first in Endicott's rankings in all placekicking categories as well as several punting statistics.
