Ford one of 11 named to FCS ADA All-America team
12/16/2021 3:26:00 PM | Football
Montana cornerback Justin Ford added to his postseason awards haul Thursday, becoming one of only 11 players in the nation selected to the FCS Athletic Directors Association (FCS ADA) All-America team.
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The ninth annual award recognizes the top student-athletes from FCS institutions across 11 different positions. The 2021 class includes student-athletes from 10 different institutions, representing seven different conferences. Voting was conducted by a national panel consisting of media and sports information directors.
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Ford, a junior, led all of college football in interceptions in 2021 with a total of nine. Over the course of eight games, he tallied at an interception in each to go on one of football's most unprobeable streaks. He brought his season total to nine with a pick-six against Eastern Washington, one of his three defensive scores on the year with a pair of interception returns and a fumble return against Montana State.
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Ford tied Grizzly Sports Hall of Famer Karl Stein's 1970 total for the third-most interceptions in a season at UM with nine. Only safeties Mick Dennehy (10) and Stein (11 in 1969) have had more INTs for the Griz, giving Ford has the most of any cornerback in Montana history. He also picked off the most passes of anyone in the Big Sky Conference since 1996.
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The native of Concord, N.C., was Montana's eighth-leading tackler in 2021 with 41 total stops. He also registered a pair of TFLs, one sack, 11 pass breakups, 20 pass deflections, and a forced fumble.
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On Wednesday Ford was also named to the Associated Press FCS All-America team, as well as the HERO Sports FCS All-America team on Tuesday.
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From the 11 All-America Team honorees, an Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year will be announced on January 6, 2022, in advance of the FCS National Championship Game. The Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year recipients will be recognized at the FCS national championship contest in Frisco, Texas, during an on-field presentation.
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2021 FCS ADA All-America Team
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The ninth annual award recognizes the top student-athletes from FCS institutions across 11 different positions. The 2021 class includes student-athletes from 10 different institutions, representing seven different conferences. Voting was conducted by a national panel consisting of media and sports information directors.
Â
Ford, a junior, led all of college football in interceptions in 2021 with a total of nine. Over the course of eight games, he tallied at an interception in each to go on one of football's most unprobeable streaks. He brought his season total to nine with a pick-six against Eastern Washington, one of his three defensive scores on the year with a pair of interception returns and a fumble return against Montana State.
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Ford tied Grizzly Sports Hall of Famer Karl Stein's 1970 total for the third-most interceptions in a season at UM with nine. Only safeties Mick Dennehy (10) and Stein (11 in 1969) have had more INTs for the Griz, giving Ford has the most of any cornerback in Montana history. He also picked off the most passes of anyone in the Big Sky Conference since 1996.
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The native of Concord, N.C., was Montana's eighth-leading tackler in 2021 with 41 total stops. He also registered a pair of TFLs, one sack, 11 pass breakups, 20 pass deflections, and a forced fumble.
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On Wednesday Ford was also named to the Associated Press FCS All-America team, as well as the HERO Sports FCS All-America team on Tuesday.
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From the 11 All-America Team honorees, an Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year will be announced on January 6, 2022, in advance of the FCS National Championship Game. The Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year recipients will be recognized at the FCS national championship contest in Frisco, Texas, during an on-field presentation.
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2021 FCS ADA All-America Team
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| Position | Name | Institution | Conference |
| QB | Eric Barriere | Eastern Washington | Big Sky Conference |
| RB | Quay Holmes | East Tennessee St. | Southern Conference |
| WR | Xavier Gipson | Stephen F. Austin | Western Athletic Conference |
| TE | Kemari Averett | Bethune-Cookman | SWAC |
| OL | Trevor Penning | Northern Iowa | Missouri Valley Football |
| PK | Ethan Ratke | James Madison | CAA |
| DL | Isaiah Chambers | McNeese | Southland Conference |
| LB | Troy Andersen | Montana State | Big Sky Conference |
| DB | Justin Ford | Montana | Big Sky Conference |
| RS | Montrell Washington | Samford | Southern Conference |
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Players Mentioned
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