Staff Report

 

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Marshall defensive end Vinny Curry has been selected to three additional All-America teams, bringing his total to six this postseason (excluding honorable mention).

Curry was a first-team choice by Phil Steele and secured second-team selections by the Associated Press and College Sports Madness. Previously, he had been selected to the Football Writers Association of America, CBSSports.com and Walter Camp lists after earning 2011 Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year honors from the league’s coaches.

Curry (Neptune, N.J.), who was also a captain this season. He was in the running for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (nation’s best defensive player), the Chuck Bednarik Awards (nation’s best defensive player) and Rotary Lombardi Awards (nation’s best lineman) this season and ranks second nationally 21.5 tackles for loss, tied for third with six forced fumbles and is sixth with 11.0 sacks this season. He is also tied for second on the NCAA’s active list for career tackles for loss with 48.0 and career sacks with 26.5 and is tied for seventh in career forced fumbles with nine.

He earned National Defensive Player of the Week honors after the win over Rice and National Defensive Lineman honors after the win over Southern Miss. The 6-4 first-team All-C-USA selection has also been invited to the 2011 Senior Bowl.

The Herd, who went 6-6 overall against the nation’s 15th-toughest schedule, also won a program-record five Conference USA games in 2011. Marshall will travel to St. Petersburg, Florida for the 2011 Beef `O’ Brady’s Bowl St. Petersburg on Tuesday, December 20 where it will face FIU (8-4 overall) at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN.