BSU's Alston Named Football All-America

BOWIE, MD---Bowie State University's Charles (Chuck) Alston might be in the middle of the basketball season as a center on the Bulldogs' basketball team, but that hasn't stopped the accolades from his 2001 football season from coming in.

Charles Alston

The latest, which was released on Tuesday night, was Alston's being named to the 2001 SBN Sports Black College All-American Team. The team will be honored at the BCAA 28th Anniversary Banquet on Saturday, February 23, 2002, at the Ritz-Carlton, Downtown Atlanta, Georgia.

Last week Alston was named to the 2001 Football Gazette's NCAA Division II All-American Third Team and was a 2001 All-Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association First Team selection.

"I'm very happy and very honored," said Alston. I'm happy to get that recognition from people. We played some pretty good people and I tried hard but I would rather have a (CIAA championship) ring."

The 6-6, 270-pound defensive started all 10 games and headed the Bulldogs' pass rush finishing with a team-high seven sacks for a loss of 45 yards. He was second on the team with 73 tackles, 17 of which were tackles for a loss of 76 yards. He forced three fumbles, broke up three passes and recovered a fumble.

He made history on November 17, 2001, when he played in the Bulldogs football game at Cheyney University in the afternoon then traveled to the District of Columbia and played in the basketball team's season-opener that evening. The football pants and basketball jersey he wore on that historic day now reside in a display in the College Football Hall of Fame in South Bend, IN.

Alston became the first Bulldog since Rodney Belfield in 1989 to be named a first-team All-American and just one of four to receive that honor since 1980.