Following a 11-2 season, three Saint Xavier University football players were awarded with national awards.
Shane Zackery, Jimmy Coy, and Matt Munizzi, all seniors of the 2012 football team, were honored with prestigous awards following their last season of Cougar Football.
Zackery, former wide receiver, was honored by the National Football Foundation (NFF) as a National Scholar-Athlete Finalist for his excellence in both athletics and academics.
He is the only player from the NAIA division in 2012 to be named to this distinction. He is also the first-ever member of the Saint Xavier football team to be named to this list.
On December 4th, Zackery traveled to New York City to attend an awards dinner honoring the finalists. He was awarded a scholarship of $18,000 to use toward graduate school.
Coy, former quarterback, was named 2012 Rawlings-NAIA National Football Player of the Year. The honor was announced at an awards banquet in Rome, Georgia.
Coy is the second player of Saint Xavier Athletics to be named to this honor and only the 13th player to be honored in the award’s history.
He is also the third player in the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) to receive this award.
Munizzi, former center, was named the 2012 NAIA Rimington Award recipient.
The award, announced by the Rimington trophy committee, recognizes exceptional centers within both the NCAA’s Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) and Divisions II and III, and the NAIA division.
Munizzi is the first SXU football player, as well as only the second player within the MSFA to receive this award.
All three players attributed their accomplishments to their families, teammates, and Coach Feminis.
The players were honored at the Saint Xavier football banquet amongst their fellow team members and families for their contributions to the team throughout their Cougar football careers.