Mizzou DE Michael Sam is Unanimous All-America Selection

Tiger defensive end just the second unanimous All-American in school history

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Football senior defensive end Michael Sam (Hitchcock, Texas) has been honored by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) as a First Team All-American, completing a run of five First Team All-America honors to become just the second unanimous All-America selection in school history. According to NCAA record books, Sam joins Mizzou all-time great Danny LaRose, who starred for the Tigers from 1958-60 and earned unanimous All-America recognition in 1960.

Fellow senior cornerback E.J. Gaines (Independence, Mo.) earned Second Team All-America from the FWAA after a standout final season in the Black & Gold. Gaines leads the Tigers with his four interceptions and ranks third on the team with 68 tackles. A First Team All-SEC selection, Gaines’ four pickoffs ranks tied for fourth in the league.

Along with the FWAA honor, Sam picked up major All-America selections from the Walter Camp Football Foundation on Thursday, Dec. 12, Sporting News on Friday, Dec. 13, Associated Press on Dec. 17, and America Football Coaches Association (AFCA) on Wednesday, Dec. 18. This comes after Sam earned the AP’s Southeastern Conference Defensive Player of the Year award and was a finalist for both the Bronko Nagurski Trophy and Rotary Lombardi Award.

The 33rd First Team All-American in Mizzou Football history and seventh under head coach Gary Pinkel, Sam heads into the Tigers’ final game of the 2013 season, the 78th Annual AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, leading the SEC in both quarterback sacks (10.5) and tackles-for-loss (18.0). He ranks in the Top 10 nationally in both of those categories.

No. 8 Mizzou kicks off the Cotton Bowl against No. 13 Oklahoma State on Friday, Jan. 3, at 7 p.m., televised nationally by FOX.

Mizzou DE Michael Sam’s 2013 Postseason Honors

Walter Camp Player of the Year Award Semifinalist

Bronko Nagurski Trophy Finalist

Rotary Lombardi Award Finalist

Hendricks Award Finalist

AP SEC Defensive Player of the Year

AP First Team All-SEC

Coaches First Team All-SEC

USA Today First Team All-America

Walter Camp First Team All-America *

Sporting News All-America *

Sporting News All-SEC

Athlon First Team All-America

Athlon First Team All-SEC

ESPN.com All-SEC

ESPN.com All-America

Senior Bowl Invitee

CBSSports.com First Team All-America

SportsIllustrated.com First Team All-America

AP First Team All-America *

AFCA FBS Coaches’ All-America *

FWAA First Team All-America *

*Unanimous All-America

Mizzou’s Consensus and Unanimous All-Americans

1941: Darold Jenkins, C

1960: Danny LaRose, E *

1965: Johnny Roland, DB

1968: Roger Wehrli, DB

1978: Kellen Winslow, TE

1986: John Clay, OL

1999: Rob Riti, C

2007: Jeremy Maclin, AP; Martin Rucker, TE

2008: Chase Coffman, TE; Jeremy Maclin, KR/AP

2010: Michael Egnew, TE

2013: Michael Sam, DE *

*Unanimous All-America