Illinois Wesleyan’s Kussmann named All-American

Posted on December 11, 2014

Illinois Wesleyan's Matt Kussmann was second in NCAA Div. III with a 43.3 yard punting average this year. (Photo by Marc Featherly/iwusports.com)

By WJBC Staff

WACO, TEX. – Illinois Wesleyan senior punter Matt Kussmann has been named to the 2014 AFCA Division III Coaches' All-America Team, announced Thursday by the American Football Coaches Association.

The 18th IWU player to earn first team All-America honors, he is one of 23 seniors nationwide to be chosen to this year's AFCA team.

The 6-foot-3, 260-pound Kussmann (Bloomington, Ill., Tri-Valley HS) had a school-record average of 43.29 yards per boot, which was second in NCAA Division III national stats. Chosen as the Titans' Best Special Teams Player in 2014, his 42.09 career average is also tops in the IWU record books. He landed 14 punts inside the 20 yard line this fall and had a long punt of 73 yards against Elmhurst, the second longest in school history, behind a 75-yarder by Bob Lenahan against Millikin on Nov. 12, 1938.

Kussmann was also named to the first team of the USA College Football 2014 All-American team.

A first team all-College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin choice, he was recently named to the D3football.com all-North Region first team. Kussmann is the 18th Illinois Wesleyan player to be named a first team All-American for football. Go here for the complete list of IWU first team All-Americans.

The AFCA has selected an All-America team since 1945 and currently selects teams in all five of its divisions, the only teams chosen exclusively by the coaches themselves. The 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.

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

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