THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 7, 1995 TAG: 9512070539
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEVE CARLSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Short : 50 lines
Virginia Tech finished the regular season with a nine-game winning streak, and now defensive end Cornell Brown is on a streak of his own.
Brown was named first-team All-American Wednesday by The Associated Press. The AP team is the fourth All-American squad Brown has been chosen for, making him the Hokies' fourth consensus All-American. The others were defensive back Frank Loria in 1967, defensive end Bruce Smith in 1984 and center Jim Pyne in 1993.
Brown had previously been chosen Big East defensive player of the year by conference coaches, and national defensive player of the year by Football News.
``I think he's really getting himself set up here for maybe a run at the Outland Trophy next year,'' Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer said of Brown last week.
Brown, a junior, recorded 103 tackles, including a league-leading 14 sacks for 114 yards in losses. He also had 11 other stops behind the line for 28 yards in losses. Brown was the centerpiece of a Tech defense that was first nationally against the run, fifth in scoring defense and 10th in total defense.
``I feel I've accomplished everything I came into this year trying to accomplish,'' Brown said Sunday, shortly after the announcement Tech would play Texas in the Sugar Bowl. ``I wanted to be a big-time player that teams had to reckon with.''
Brown is one of 12 underclassmen on the 25-member first team, which was selected by AP college football writers. There are four sophomores and eight juniors.
Brown is one of three All-Americans from the Big East. The others are Rutgers tight end Marco Battaglia and Miami linebacker Ray Lewis. The ACC's lone representative is North Carolina defensive lineman Marcus Jones.
Virginia defensive back Percy Ellsworth was named to the second team and Virginia Tech defensive tackle J.C. Price made the third team.
Bob Hope will introduce the AP All-American team during NBC's Dec. 23 postgame NFL show. The segment will air between 3:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. ILLUSTRATION: AP's team
Tommy Frazier of Nebraska, left, and Eddie George of Ohio State also
named to team. Page C2.
by CNB