Slay Earns First-Team All-America Honor
December 06, 2005 | Football
Dec. 6, 2005
LUBBOCK, Texas - Texas Tech senior free safety Dwayne Slay was honored by Sports Illustrated magazine today as a First-Team All-America defensive back. The SI honor comes just days after he was named the Big 12's Defensive Player of the Year by various publications, including the Associated Press.
Slay joined three other Big 12 brethren on Sport Illustrated's annual first-team list including Vince Young, Texas (quarterback), Jonathan Scott, Texas (offensive line) and Mason Crosby, Colorado (kicker).
En route to earning All-America status, Slay set a Big 12 mark with eight forced fumbles this season and established himself as one of the league's hardest hitting defensive backs. His two forced fumbles against Kansas State led to touchdowns, while his forced fumble early in the second half against Texas A&M sparked Tech's first of six-straight scoring drives. Slay ranks third in the conference with 9.2 tackles per game and leads the conference's defensive backs.
Already named to the Big 12 Coaches first team, Slay has been selected as the league's defensive player of the year by several Big 12 media outlets and The Sporting News.
Slay and his teammates will get one final chance to add another number to the win column as Tech will face the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2006 AT&T Cotton Bowl on Jan. 2.
