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Belton, Texas – University of Mary Hardin-Baylor tight end
Eric Nelson (Sr., Canyon Lake HS) has been named to the American Football Coaches Association's Division III All-America Team. Nelson earns AFCA All-America honors for the first time in his career and he becomes the 11
th Cru player to earn a spot on the AFCA All-America Team. UMHB has now had a player selected to this prestigious team 13 times in the last 14 seasons.
Nelson caught 28 passes for 569 yards and six touchdowns this season. He set new UMHB single-season records for a tight end with each of those totals and also averaged 20.3 yards per catch. Nelson was named to the d3football.com All-South Region Third Team earlier this week and he was an American Southwest Conference First Team All-Conference selection.
The AFCA All-America Team is selected by a panel of head coaches from across the country and it is the only All-America Team selected exclusively by head coaches. The AFCA has selected an All-America Team every year since 1945.
The Cru finished the 2014 season with an 11-1 overall record and won the ASC with a 5-0 league record. UMHB advanced to the NCAA Division III National Championships before falling to Linfield College 31-28 in the Second Round. The Cru has won at least one playoff game every year since 2004, joining Mount Union as the only two NCAA Division III programs to accomplish that feat.
Diaz joins former UMHB MLB Preston Meyer, FS Tony Salazar, OT Jeff Oliver, LB Jerrell Freeman, LB Eric Henri, DB Bryson Tucker, OL Dustin Davis, OL Nate Menkin, LB Javicz Jones and DT
Silvio Diaz as AFCA All-Americans. Meyer was selected in both 2001 and 2002, Salazar was named in 2003, Oliver earned AFCA All-American honors in 2004, Freeman was selected in both 2006 and 2007, Henri earned a spot on the 2008 AFCA All-American Team, Tucker was selected following the 2009 season, Davis earned a spot in 2010, Menkin was selected in 2011 and Jones was voted to the 2012 team and Diaz was selected to last year's AFCA All-America Team.
