Bowie State's Conway Named Division II Freshman of the Year

BOWIE, MD---Awards continue to come in for Bowie State University Bulldog Atcheson "AT" Conway, who was named the Dopke.com College Football Division II Freshman of the Year.

Atcheson Conway

This award just added to his accolades garnered earlier in the year which included being named the 2001 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Rookie of the Year, inclusion on the 2001 CIAA All-Rookie Team and a spot on the 2001 All-CIAA First Team. Almost even more impressive was that he was a serious contender for the CIAA Defensive Player of the Year distinction.

Conway began his college career with a bang, intercepting a pass against Johnson C. Smith University on the team's first defensive series of the year. He had two games with two interceptions and recorded his career high in tackles (19) against Winston-Salem State University in the second week. He was the CIAA's Rookie of the Week three times and was a Don Hansen National Co-Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Winston-Salem.

The 6-0, 205-pound freshman linebacker from Silver Spring, MD (Paint Branch), continued to be a force He was third in the CIAA in tackles with 97, first in forced fumbles with four, and tied for second in the league with six interceptions for 103 yards.

The biggest compliment given to Conway during the year was that offenses came into games with Bowie looking for number 5. "When other teams started to key on him, it allowed the other guys to do a great job and it showed this year," said defensive coordinator John Morgan, whose defense is ranked 9th in Division II. "He's a linebacker with speed and has a nose for the ball. He assumed a leadership role and he pushes his teammates which he is able to do because of his playing ability," he added.

"AT (Conway) is a hell of an athlete," said Bulldogs head coach Henry Frazier, III. "He's an undersized middle linebacker, but he plays much bigger. He's got the speed of a defensive back with the intensity of a middle linebacker."