Pirates Place Six On All-Conference USA Teams
December 03, 2003 | Football
Senior offensive lineman Brian Rimpf and freshman punter Ryan Dougherty each received first team honors. Senior wide receiver Terrance Copper, junior running back Marvin Townes and sophomore linebacker Chris Moore earned second-team accolades, while senior offensive lineman Doug White was named to the all-conference third team.
The all-conference team is selected by the league's 11 head coaches and media members in each conference city.
For Rimpf, it marks his third consecutive first-team All C-USA selection. As a starting offensive tackle the past three seasons, he has paved the way for three consecutive 1,000-yard rushers: All-American Leonard Henry in 2001, Art Brown in 2002 and Marvin Townes this season. He completed his undergraduate degree this past May, earning a double-major in accounting and finance, and was recently named Verizon Academic All-American District III.
Dougherty becomes the first ECU freshman to land first-team all-conference honors and its third punter. Dougherty has a season punting average of 44.5 and currently ranks 11th in the nation, while leading the conference. Dougherty pinned opponents inside their own 20-yard line with 15 of his 64 punts. Former ECU punter Andrew Bayes (1999) and Jared Preston (2002) also earned first-team all-conference accolades.
Copper is the first Pirate receiver to earn all-league honors. A second-team selection, he ranked among the national leaders in receptions with 87, an ECU single season record. As a senior he averaged 10.3 receptions for 74.8 yards per game.
Townes is just the second ECU running back, along with Henry, to receive all-conference recognition. This year he compiled the 12th 1,000-yard rushing season in school history. Townes finished the 2003 campaign with 1,128 yards and eight touchdowns. He rushed for over 100-yards in five games this season, including a career-best 184-yards at Army.
Moore is the nation's leading tackler in terms of tackles per game (14.0). As a sophomore he tied the school record for single-game tackles with 24 stops in the season opener against Cincinnati and followed that performance with 18 tackles against West Virginia. Moore finished the season with 148 total tackles.
White continued to carry the torch at the center position becoming the third Pirate center to earn all-conference honors. He is one of 38 players on the official watch list for the 2003 Rimington Trophy, which is awarded to the nation's top center.
