Josh Cain Named ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American Football Team

From ovcsports.com

Jacksonville State senior defensive back Josh Cain and Tennessee Tech junior offensive lineman Taylor Askew have been named to the prestigious ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Football Team as selected by CoSIDA. Cain was a first-team selection while Askew was a second-team pick.

Overall the OVC has had 182 student-athletes earn Academic All-America honors since 1970, including 12 during the 2008-09 school year. Cain and Askew are the second and third OVC student-athletes to earn the honor this season (following volleyball student-athlete Molly Davis who earned the honor on Monday).

There have been 28 football players named Academic All-Americas, including 14 first-team selections. Cain and Askew are the first OVC football student-athletes to earn the award since the 2005 season.

Cain ranked second on the JSU team with 67 tackles this season. Cain, who was also named to the AFC Good Works Team, is very active in numerous organizations. His off-the-field contributions include working with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) as a team huddle leader, a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program, a counselor for the Kanakuk Sports Kamps and he also has spent last summer with a medical missionary team in Tanzania, Africa.

The Wetumpka, Ala., native also has excelled in the classroom, earning his degree in Computer Science this past summer with a 3.89 grade point average. He has also rolled up numerous academic honors, including being named to the President's List, Dean's List and the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll. He has also been awarded the Ohio Valley Conference Academic Medal of Honor, while being a representative for the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and a member of the Phi Eta Sigma Honor Society and the Upsilon Pi Epsilon Honor Society.

Askew, a junior from Knoxville, owns a 4.0 grade point average while majoring in political science, and has been a starter for the Golden Eagles in every game the last two seasons. He is part of an offensive line that ranks among national FCS leaders in fewest sacks allowed, and helped the Golden Eagles bring home the 2009 Sgt. York Trophy by going 3-0 against the league's in-state schools. This season Tech finished second in the OVC standings and were 6-5 overall, the program's first winning season since 2004.

Askew has been named to the TTU Athletic Director's Honor Roll all six of his semesters. The winner of the OVC Academic Medal of Honor for posting the highest GPA in the league among all conference football players each of the past two years, Askew was also named to the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll the last two seasons. A 2006 graduate of The Webb School in Knoxville, Askew helped his high school team to the TSSAA state playoffs and a runnerup finish in 2005. A verstile prep athlete, he also lettered in track & field, wrestling and lacrosse, and was was captain of both the football and lacrosse teams.

Florida quarterback Tim Tebow was named the University Division Football Academic All-America of the Year. Overall there were 24 players named to the Academic All-America first-team and 25 players named to the second-team. The ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Football University Division first-team has three Scholar-Athletes with perfect 4.0 G.P.A.'s. There are six graduate students, 14 seniors and four juniors on the first team. The 24 members of the first team have an average G.P.A. of 3.79.

To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.

Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.

ESPN The Magazine - winner of the 2006 and 2003 National Magazine Award for General Excellence - is a provocative and innovative sports publication. Full of insight, analysis, impact and wit, the oversized biweekly with a circulation of 1.9 million looks ahead to give fans a unique perspective on the world of sports.

For more information about the Academic All-America Teams program, please visit http://www.cosida.com.