Delaware Valley wide receiver Rasheed Bailey and Bethany defensive lineman Nadim Raddar headline the 2014 AFCA?Division III?Coaches' All-America Team announced today by the American Football Coaches Association.

The AFCA has selected an All-America team since 1945 and currently selects teams in all five of its divisions. What makes these teams so special is that they are the only ones chosen exclusively by the men who know the players the best — the coaches themselves.

Bailey is No. 1 in the nation in receiving yards (1,707) and No. 1 in receiving touchdowns (19). He is No. 1 in the nation in receiving yards per game (155.2), accounting for 15 yards more per game than the next closest receiver on just 7.3 catches a game. Raddar tied for second nationally in total sacks with 12.5 solo sacks, accounting for 57 yards lost by opposing teams. The junior was also tied for eighth in the nation in tackles for loss with 21.5, costing opposing teams 83 yards in production.

2014 AFCA?Division III?Coaches' All-America Team
Offense

Defense

Specialists

*-2013 AFCA All-American

Team Background: The AFCA?has selected an All-America team every year since 1945. The five teams now chosen for each AFCA?division evolved from a single 11-player squad in 1945. From 1945 until 1967, only one team was chosen. 
From 1967 through 1971, two teams, University Division and College Division, were selected. In 1972, the College Division was split into College I and College II. In 1979, the University Division was split into two teams — Division I-A and Division I-AA.

In 1996, the College I and College II teams were renamed Division II?and Division III,?respectively. The AFCA?began selecting an NAIA-only team in 2006. Also in 2006, the Division I-A and Division I-AA teams were renamed Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)?and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS),?respectively.

From 1965-81, a 22-player (11 offensive, 11 defensive) team was chosen. In 1982, a punter and placekicker were added to the team. In 1997, a return specialist was added, giving us the current 25-player team. The return specialist position was replaced by an all-purpose player in 2006.

Selection Process: The AFCA's Division III?All-America Selection Committee is made up of three head coaches from each of the AFCA's nine districts, one of whom serves as a district chairman, along with another head coach who serves as the chairman of the selection committee. The coaches in each district are responsible for ranking the top players in their respective districts prior to a conference call between the district chairmen and the committee chairman on which the team is chosen.

The Award:?Members of the AFCA Coaches' All-America Team receive a plaque commemorating their selection to the team.

Top Teams: Mount Union leads all schools with 21 players chosen to the AFCA Division III Coaches' All-America Team a total of 23 times since 1972. The Purple Raiders are followed by Augustana (Ill.) (19/17), Wittenberg (19/17), Wisconsin-La Crosse (17/17), Washington &?Jefferson?(18/16), Linfield (17/16), Central (Iowa) (15/14), Montclair State (15/13), Wisconsin-Whitewater (14/12), Wesley (14/11), Emory &?Henry (13/13), Ithaca (13/13), Springfield (13/12), Wheaton (13/12), Mary Hardin-Baylor (13/11), Widener (13/10), Salisbury (12/12), St. John's (Minn.) (11/11), Frostburg State (11/10) and Wabash (10/10).

Consecutive Years: With Sosthene Kapepula's second straight selection, Wesley has had a player chosen for 10 consecutive years, from 2005 to present, the longest current streak and tied with Mount Union's overall record, which occured from 2000-09. The Purple Raiders also had one player chosen for six consecutive seasons from 1993-98. Tied for second on the list is Washington & Jefferson, who had a player chosen for All-America honors for nine straight seasons (2002-10), and Mary Hardin-Baylor, who has had a player chosen for All-America honors from 2006 to present. Emory & Henry is fourth on the list, having had a player named AFCA All-American for eight straight seasons from 1985-1992. Augustana (Ill.) and Wheaton have had players selected for six consecutive seasons from 2000-05 and 2003-08, respectively.

Repeat After Me: No player has earned AFCA?Division III All-America honors four times, however Texas A&I (now Texas A&M-Kingsville) running back Johnny Bailey did earn Coaches'?All-America honors four straight years (1986-87-88-89) in AFCA?College Division I (now AFCA Division II).

Five players have earned AFCA Division III?Coaches' All-America Team?honors three times. They are:?DB Tom Deery, Widener, 1979-80-81; RB Scott Reppert, Lawrence, 1980-81-82; RB Joe Dudek, Plymouth State, 1983-84-85; DL Sean Brewer, Millsaps, 1990-91-92; and P Jeff Shea, California Lutheran, 1995-96-97.

Class Distinction: This year's AFCA?Division III?Coaches' All-America Team is made up of 23 seniors and two juniors.

First Time School: Defensive lineman Ryan Armstrong of Olivet earned All-America honors for his school, for the first time, in 2014. 

Back-to-Back: Wesley linebacker Sosthene Kapepula and Guilford defensive back Satiir Stevenson earned AFCA Division III?Coaches' All-America honors for a second consecutive season in 2014.

Two Players, Two Schools: Punter Mark Bounds and placekicker Greg Zuerlein are the only players to earn Coaches' All-America honors at two different schools. Bounds was named to the AFCA?College Division I?team in 1990 while playing for West Texas A&M. He transferred to Texas Tech after West Texas dropped football and earned I-A All-America honors as a Red Raider in 1991. Zuerlein was named to the Division II Coaches' All-America Team in 2009 while playing for Nebraska-Omaha. He transferred to Missouri Western State after Nebraska-Omaha dropped its football program and earned Division II honors in 2011 as a Griffon.