By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
WICHITA FALLS, Texas – The announcement of the D2CCA All-America Football Team for the 2019 season came on Thursday (Dec. 19). Fort Hays State senior kicker Dante Brown is an All-America First Team kicker by the organization for a second-straight year. Sports information and athletic communications professionals nationwide throughout Division II vote on the D2CCA All-America Team.
Brown repeats the distinction as the top placekicker in NCAA Division II according to D2CCA voters. He also repeated as the MIAA Special Teams Player of the Year this season. Brown already received All-America Second Team honors from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) earlier this year. He averaged 1.72 field goals per game in 2019, succeeding on 19-of-23 attempts. He added in a school-record 52 PAT makes for 109 points on the season. He racked up 232 points over two years, making 47 field goals and 91 PAT tries as the Tigers’ kicker.
Brown was also a D2Football.com and Don Hansen Football Committee All-America selection last year. He was also the National Special Teams Player of the Year by the Don Hansen committee in 2018. He had one of the most successful kicking seasons in NCAA Division II history during 2018, converting 28 field goals out of 33 attempts. His 28 field goals in 2018 were second most for a season in Division II history, only two shy of the record 30 set by Jeff Glas from the University of North Dakota in 2005. Brown broke the MIAA record of 25 made by Simon Mathieson in 2015, but Mathieson set that record in 15 games played compared to just 12 for Brown. Brown also broke Mathieson’s MIAA record for attempts in a season. His 123 points in 2018 set a new FHSU single-season scoring record.
Even with his impressive accolades at kicker, Brown was also an All-America selection at punter in both 2017 and 2018 for Fort Hays State. He served as both the team’s kicker and punter in 2018, earning All-MIAA First Team accolades at both positions. He averaged 41.4 yards per punt in 2018 with 14 attempts going for more than 50 yards. He tied the school record for longest punt with an 84-yard boot. In 2017, he served solely as the team’s punter and averaged 43.5 yards per attempt, which included 21 attempts going for more than 50 yards. Over the two years in a punting role, he averaged 42.4 yards per attempt, second-best in FHSU history.
Brown was a finalist for the Fred Mitchell Outstanding Placekicker Award for a second straight year. The award is given annually to a Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), Division II, Division III, NAIA or NJCAA placekicker that excels on the football field and in the community. Luis Aguilar of Northern Arizona University (FCS) received the award this year. Brown is one of three kickers from NCAA Division II that made the finalist list.
Brown is one of six players from the MIAA to receive All-America honors from the D2CCA this year. Below is the D2CCA All-America Team for 2019.
FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
| POS | PLAYER | SCHOOL | CLASS | HT. | WT. | HOMETOWN |
| TE | Zach Davidson | Central Missouri | Jr. | 6-7 | 245 | Webb City, Mo. |
| OL | Chris Larsen | Slippery Rock | Sr. | 6-4 | 320 | Erie, Pa. |
| OL | Tyler Allison | Ferris State | Sr. | 6-3 | 315 | Clinton Township, Mich. |
| OL | Evan Heim | Minnesota State | Sr. | 6-4 | 305 | DePere, Wisc. |
| OL | Grant Stewart | Colorado School of Mines | Sr. | 6-2 | 305 | Southlake, Texas |
| OL | Adonis Sealey | Valdosta State | Sr. | 6-2 | 285 | Hamer, S.C. |
| WR | Zimari Manning | Tarleton State | Sr. | 6-2 | 200 | Long Beach, Calif. |
| WR | Henry Litwin | Slippery Rock | Jr. | 6-1 | 195 | Linesville, Pa. |
| QB | Roland Rivers III | Slippery Rock | Sr. | 6-3 | 230 | Ellenwood, Ga. |
| RB | Jaleel McLaughlin | Notre Dame | So. | 5-9 | 175 | Marshville, N.C. |
| RB | Nate Gunn | Minnesota State | Sr. | 6-2 | 220 | Minooka, Ill. |
| RS | Trey Vaval | Missouri Western | Fr. | 6-0 | 165 | Blue Springs, Mo. |
| PK | Dante Brown | Fort Hays State | Sr. | 5-10 | 185 | Mississauga, Ontario |
DEFENSE
| POS | PLAYER | SCHOOL | CLASS | HT. | WT. | HOMETOWN |
| DL | Jaquan Artis | Lenoir-Rhyne | Sr. | 6-2 | 245 | Kinston, N.C. |
| DL | Austin Edwards | Ferris State | Sr. | 6-5 | 280 | Lansing, Mich. |
| DL | Chris Garrett | Concordia-St. Paul | Jr. | 6-4 | 230 | Milwaukee, Wisc. |
| LB | Drew Seers | Lindenwood | Sr. | 6-1 | 227 | St. Louis, Mo. |
| LB | Brad Zaffram | Slippery Rock | Sr. | 6-1 | 230 | Buffalo, N.Y. |
| LB | Chris Hoad | UT Permian Basin | Sr. | 6-0 | 228 | Leander, Texas |
| LB | James Maxie | Colorado State-Pueblo | Sr. | 6-1 | 230 | Parker, Colo. |
| S | Christopher Jefferson | Findlay | So. | 5-10 | 185 | Euclid, Ohio |
| S | Nick Ciccio | Colorado Mesa | So. | 6-0 | 190 | Castle Pines, Colo. |
| CB | James Ceasar | Ferris State | Sr. | 5-10 | 195 | Detroit, Mich. |
| CB | Desmon Fairell | Carson-Newman | Sr. | 6-0 | 185 | Miami, Fla. |
| P | Isaac Parks | UNC-Pembroke | Jr. | 6-0 | 210 | Greensboro, N.C. |
SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
| POS | PLAYER | SCHOOL | CLASS | HT. | WT. | HOMETOWN |
| TE | David Balint III | Shippensburg | So. | 6-3 | 225 | Landenberg, Pa. |
| OL | Jason Poe | Lenoir-Rhyne | Jr. | 6-2 | 250 | Fitzgerald, Ga. |
| OL | Tanner Owen | Northwest Missouri State | Jr. | 6-5 | 290 | Kearney, Neb. |
| OL | Brandon Kemp | Valdosta State | Sr. | 6-2 | 230 | Atlanta, Ga. |
| OL | Amon Simon | Texas A&M-Commerce | Jr. | 6-5 | 275 | Humble, Texas |
| OL | Jimmy Burchett | Notre Dame | Jr. | 6-4 | 310 | Alliance, Ohio |
| WR | Shane Zylstra | Minnesota State | Sr. | 6-5 | 215 | Spicer, Minn. |
| WR | Craig Rucker | Mars Hill | Sr. | 5-7 | 175 | Orlando, Fla. |
| QB | Brook Bolles | Central Missouri | Sr. | 6-3 | 205 | Lincoln, Neb. |
| RB | Daniel McCants | Tarleton State | Sr. | 5-8 | 175 | Killeen, Texas |
| RB | JaQuan Hardy | Tiffin | Jr. | 5-10 | 225 | Westlake, Ohio |
| RS | Dominique Ramsey | Texas A&M-Commerce | Jr. | 5-9 | 190 | Converse, Texas |
| PK | Jordan Walters | East Stroudsburg | Sr. | 6-2 | 200 | Sciota, Pa. |
DEFENSE
| POS | PLAYER | SCHOOL | CLASS | HT. | WT. | HOMETOWN |
| DL | B.J. Jefferson | Tarleton State | Sr. | 6-1 | 245 | Acres Home, Texas |
| DL | Chad Kuhn | Slippery Rock | Jr. | 6-3 | 240 | Vandergrift, Pa. |
| DL | Spencer Phillips | Northwest Missouri State | Sr. | 6-3 | 270 | Tabor, Iowa |
| LB | Rondrow Peebles | Carson-Newman | Jr. | 6-2 | 240 | Knoxville, Tenn. |
| LB | Maurice Wright, Jr. | Northwestern Oklahoma State | Sr. | 6-2 | 242 | Luther, Okla. |
| LB | C.J. Miller | Saint Anselm | Sr. | 6-1 | 215 | Clinton, Md. |
| LB | Mercardo Anderson | Henderson State | Sr. | 5-10 | 195 | Ashdown, Ark. |
| S | Dominique Ramsey | Texas A&M-Commerce | Jr. | 5-9 | 190 | Converse, Texas |
| S | Kyle Dugger | Lenoir-Rhyne | Sr. | 6-2 | 220 | Decatur, Ga. |
| CB | Prince Robinson | Tarleton State | Sr. | 6-0 | 190 | Houston, Texas |
| CB | Michael Junker | Bemidji State | Sr. | 5-10 | 180 | Hastings, Minn. |
| P | JoseLuis Moreno | Minot State | Sr. | 6-0 | 180 | San Lorenzo, Calif. |