D2Football.com has announced the 50 players the coach that have been selected to the 2010-2019 All-Decade Team.
Northwest Missouri State is represented by first-team choice Matt Longacre, second-team selection Brandon Dixon and former head coach Adam Dorrel.
Longacre was the 2014 MIAA defensive player of the year and a two-time first-team All-America pick for the Bearcats. Longacre joined the Bearcats in 2010 as a redshirt and played in 53 games over his four-year playing career. He totaled 109 tackles, including 47 tackles-for-loss. He also registered 30.5 quarterback sacks, including 12 in 2013 as Northwest captured the national championship. Longacre was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2015. Longacre played in 38 games for the Rams and made eight starts. He was credited with 6.5 quarterback sacks in the NFL. He concluded his four-year NFL career by playing in Super Bowl 53 with the Los Angeles Rams.
Dixon played in 27 career games for the Bearcats and helped lead the squad to the 2013 national championship. Dixon earned first-team All-America honors as a senior in 2013, after having earned second-team All-America honors as a junior in 2012. He posted 56 tackles and six interceptions in his two-year Bearcat career. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the sixth round of the 2014 National Football League draft Dixon was the 195th overall selection and 19th selection of the sixth round. Dixon would go on to play 14 games and intercept a pass for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2014. He finished his playing career in the NFL when he played five games for the New York Giants in 2017.
Dorrel was the obvious choice for the coach of the team. He won three national championships at Northwest Missouri and had a 76-8 record (.904). From 2013-2016, he won three championships and only lost two games.
To be eligible for the team, a student-athlete must have played during any season from 2010-2019 but must have completed his eligibility prior to the 2020 season. He must also have been named a D2Football.com All-American in that time period.
The GLIAC had the most selections (10) followed closely by the MIAA (9). Ferris State and Northwest Missouri each had three selections (one coach for Northwest, which were the most by any program.
At the time of publication, 35 of the players on the team had made an active roster in the NFL. Sixteen of the members of the team had been drafted by the NFL. Three members await the 2020 NFL Draft. While participation in professional leagues creeped into the deliberation process, the student-athletes are on this team because of their accomplishments on the collegiate football field.
There are four D2Football.com Offensive Players of the Year selections on the team. They are joined by five Defensive Player of the Year selections. Three players on the team earned four Harlon Hill Trophies.
The D2Football.com All-Decade Team was selected by the staff of D2Football.com with input from coaches across the country.
https://www.d2football.com/2010-2019-all-decade/
D2Football.com's All-Decade First Team
QB
Jason Vander Laan
Ferris State
RB
Franklyn Quiteh
Bloomsburg
RB
Austin Ekeler
Western Colorado
WR
Jeff Janis
Saginaw Valley
WR
Billy Brown
Shepherd
TE
Adam Shaheen
Ashland
OL
Ryan Schraeder
Valdosta State
OL
Garth Heikkinen
Minnesota Dulth
OL
Ryan Jensen
CSU-Pueblo
OL
Amini Silatolu
Midwestern State
OL
Joe Long
Wayne State (Mich.)
DL
Matt Judon
Grand Valley
DL
Brandon Williams
Missouri Southern
DL
Jamie Meder
Ashland
DL
Matt Longacre
Northwest Missouri
LB
Deon Lacey
West Alabama
LB
Nate Dreiling
Pittsburg State
LB
Connor Harris
Lindenwood
DB
Malcolm Butler
West Alabama
DB
Kyle Dugger
Lenoir-Rhyne
DB
Rontez Miles
Cal U
DB
Pierre Desir
Lindenwood
K
Greg Zuerlein
Missouri Western
P
Taylor Accardi
Colorado School of Mines
AP
John Brown
Pittsburg State
D2Football.com's All-Decade Second Team
QB
Luis Perez
Texas A&M-Commerce
RB
Cameron McDondle
CSU-Pueblo
RB
Ja'Quan Gardner
Humboldt State
WR
Brody Oliver
Colorado Mines
WR
Shane Zylstra
Minnesota State
TE
Brian Leonhardt
Bemidji State
OL
Alex Cappa
Humboldt State
OL
Eric Kush
Cal U
OL
Brandon Fusco
Slippery Rock
OL
Matt Armstrong
Grand Valley
OL
Trey Pipkens
Sioux Falls
DL
Marcus Martin
Slippery Rock
DL
Grover Stewart
Albany State
DL
Cedric Thornton
Southern Arkansas
DL
Zach Sieler
Ferris State
LB
Larry Dean
Valdosta State
LB
Adam Bighill
Central Washington
LB
Carlos Fields
Winston-Salem
DB
Janoris Jenkins
North Alabama
DB
Jeff Heath
Saginaw Valley
DB
Tavierre Thomas
Ferris State
DB
Brandon Dixon
Northwest Missouri
K
Dante Brown
Fort Hays
P
Randy Weich
Wayne State (Neb.)
AP
Deonte Harris
Assumption