July 19, 2021
By:
Eli Cross, member of the 2021 NAIA Football National Champion Blue Raiders of Lindsey Wilson College in Columbia Kentucky, has earned All American Academic honors.
Cross, a former DCHS football standout, and three of his teammates at Lindsey Wilson, Joe Gressette, Cameron Thurman, and Cameron Dukes, have been named to the 26-man College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America NAIA Football First Team. Dukes, the Blue Raiders’ star quarterback, was tabbed the Football Academic All-American of the Year.
A two year All-Conference player, Cross is a starting left tackle on the offensive line for Lindsey Wilson and helped the Blue Raiders to the first ever National Championship in May defeating Northwestern (Iowa) 45-13 at Grambling State University in Louisiana in the title game. The Blue Raiders completed an undefeated spring football season at 11-0 including the Mid-South Conference Championship.
Cross and Gressette are two of five offensive linemen featured on the (CoSIDA) Academic All-America NAIA Football First Team. Cross turned in a 3.93 Business Administration GPA – the second-highest on the team – as Gressette managed a GPA mark of 3.92 in Counseling and Human Development. The duo spearheaded a lethal offensive attack that posted the third-highest scoring average in program history at 46.3 points per game. The mark was the second-best in the NAIA this season.
Dukes is the only quarterback listed on the team after compiling a 3.87-grade point average in the classroom throughout his undergraduate and graduate course work. He is currently enrolled in the Master of Business Administration program. The quarterback started all 11 contests this season, completing 186 of 282 throwing attempts for 2,555-yards and 33 touchdowns. Dukes added 391-yards on the ground with 10 more scores.
Thurman was one of four defensive linemen named to the team after a 3.85 GPA in Counseling and Human Development. Thurman recorded 35 tackles on the season and 3.5 sacks. The Lindsey Wilson defense held its opponents to 14.4 points per outing, the lowest scoring average allowed in program history. The Blue Raiders also tied an all-time high with 33.5 sacks, ranking number five in the country.
The quartet’s honors mark the ninth time in program history a student-athlete has received national recognition at Lindsey Wilson College.