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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE • Contact: Mike Kern •

November 25, 2009

Missouri Valley Football Announces 2009 All-Conference Squad

The league's leading all-purpose yardage man -- RB

Deji Karim

of Southern Illinois -- hasbeen named Missouri Valley Football Offensive Player of the Year in a vote of league coaches,media and sports information directors. Meanwhile, for just the second time in league history

(1985-Mark Farley, UNI; James Houston-MSU)

there are co-Defensive Players of the Year asDE

James Rufn

of UNI and DE

Danny Batten

of South Dakota State share the league'stop defensive honor. And Saluki head coach

Dale Lennon

joins six other previous leaguecoaches to win the Bruce Craddock Coach of the Year award in back-to-back seasons.Karim, a Walter Payton Award candidate, leads the FCS with 1,512 rushing yards and ranksNo. 3 nationally with 188.0 all-purpose yards per game.Rufn is the sixth league player to win back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year honors.He leads the league and ranks sixth nationally with 10.5 sacks. Batten, meanwhile, leads theJackrabbits with nine sacks and 17 TFLs. His 82 tackles is the best of any defensive linemanin the conference. Both players are Buck Buchanan Award candidates.A nalist for the Eddie Robinson Award, Lennon is this year's MVFC's top coach. The Sa-lukis, winners of 10-straight games and a league-record 14-straight MVFC games, are rankedNo. 1 in the FCS and have made the playoffs for the seventh-straight season in 2009.

2009 all-Missouri Valley Football Conference Team

(selected by coaches, sports information directors and media panel)

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR:

RB Deji Karim, Southern Illinois

DEFENSIVE PLAYERS OF THE YEAR:

DE Danny Batten, South Dakota State; DE James Rufn, UNI

‘BRUCE CRADDOCK’ VALLEY FOOTBALL COACH OF THE YEAR:

Dale Lennon, Southern Illinois

FIRST TEAM

QB --

Pat Grace, UNI 6-2 240 Sr. Sioux City (Iowa) Bishop Heelan HighRB -- Deji Karim, Southern Illinois 5-11 200 Sr. Oklahoma City (Okla.) Putnam City North / NE Oklahoma A&MPat Paschall, North Dakota State 5-11 198 Sr. St. Louis (Mo.) Chattahooche HighFB -- John Goode, Southern Illinois 6-2 225 So. Olive Branch (Miss.) Christian BrothersWR -- Donald Jones, Youngstown State 6-2 210 Sr. Plaineld (N.J.) HighEyad Salem, Illinois State 6-1 190 Sr. Elgin (Ill.) Larkin High / Minnesota State-MoorheadTE -- Clay Harbor, Missouri State 6-4 243 Sr. Dwight (Ill.) High

OL --

David Arkin, Missouri State 6-5 298 Jr. Wichita (Kan.) Kapaun Mt. Carmel HighKeith Buckman, North Dakota State 6-5 320 Sr. Beleld (N.D.) HighRyan McKnight, South Dakota State 6-2 295 Jr. Sioux Falls (S.D.) Washington HighDavid Pickard, Southern Illinois 6-5 290 So. Oak Park (Ill.) High

Austin Steichen, UNI 6-3 305 Sr. Remsen (Iowa) Saint Mary's HighPK -- Zach Kutch, Illinois State 5-9 175 Sr. Milton (Fla.) High / AuburnDL -- Chris Arthurs, Southern Illinois 6-0 295 Sr. Wheaton (Ill.) Wheaton Warrenville HighDanny Batten, South Dakota State 6-5 245 Sr. Gilbert (Ariz.) Mesquite HighJames Rufn, UNI 6-4 263 Sr. Burnsville (Minn.) HighMychal Savage, Youngstown State 6-2 310 Sr. Hartsdale (N.Y.) New Rochelle HighLB -- Derek Domino, South Dakota State 6-3 230 Jr. Spring Lake Park (Minn.) HighBrandin Jordan, Southern Illinois 5-11 230 Sr. Kenner (La.) John Curtis Christian HighJosh Mahoney, UNI 6-1 228 Sr. Sioux Falls (S.D.) O'Gorman HighAntoine Wilkinson, Missouri State 6-2 220 Jr. Magnolia (Miss.) Amite County HighDB -- Korey Lindsey, Southern Illinois 6-0 190 Jr. Baton Rouge (La.) Scotlandville Magnet HighMike McElroy, Southern Illinois 6-1 205 Jr. Lowell (Mich.) HighQuentin Scott, UNI 6-5 224 Sr. Little Rock (Ark.) Des Moines North HighPatrick Stoudamire, Western Illinois 5-11 200 Sr. Portland (Ore.) Centennial HighP -- Scott Ravanesi, Southern Illinois 6-0 195 Sr. Carol Stream (Ill.) Glenbard North HighRS -- Todd Speight, Western Illinois 5-8 165 Jr. Bradenton (Fla.) Southeast High

2009 Valley Football Balloting

Offensive Player of the Year - Top 4

Pts. Player, School