November 21, 2002

MOUNT VERNON, IOWA . . . The Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC) announced today that Coe College running back Fredrick Jackson (Fort Worth, Texas/Lamar HS) has been named 2002 Football Most Valuable Player for the second straight season and Coe Head Coach Erik Raeburn has been named 2002 Football Coach of the Year.

Jackson enters the NCAA playoffs this weekend ranked eighth nationally in rushing (147.0 yards per game), ranked third nationally in all-purpose yards (207.9 yards per game) and tied for third in scoring (15.0 points per game). On the season, he has rushed for 1,470 yards and 21 touchdowns on 249 carries (5.9 yards per carry). He has 2,079 all-purpose yards including 209 receiving yards, 159 punt return yards and 241 kick return yards. Jackson accounted for 45 percent of the Kohawks’ offense with 25 touchdowns including 21 rushing, two receiving and two on returns (one kick, one punt).

In nine Conference games, Jackson rushed for a Conference-high 1,253 yards and 18 touchdowns. He also led the IIAC in all-purpose yards (1,844) and scoring (14.7 points/game). He averaged 40.2 yards on six kick returns and 23.5 on six punt returns during the season. In six of the nine games, he totaled over 220 all-purpose yards. Two of the three games in which he did not, he saw limited action due to injury. He was just one of two non-quarterbacks to rank in the Conference top-10 in total offense (6th, 139.2 yards per game).

After back-to-back 6-4 seasons, Raeburn, in his third season as the Kohawks head coach, led the team to a 9-1 record, a share of its first Conference football title since joining the IIAC in 1997 and its first NCAA playoff berth since 1993. The nine wins are the most since the school posted a 10-1 season in 1993 and is just the fifth nine-win season in the program’s history which dates back to 1891.

The IIAC also announced today the Football All-Conference Team. The 54-member Team includes 27 First Team players (12 offensive, 12 defensive and 3 specialists) and 27 Second Team players. Conference co-Champion Wartburg had 13 All-Conference players including nine on the First Team (three offensive, five defensive, one specialist). Co-Champion Coe placed 10 players on the All-Conference Team including five on the First Team (two offensive, two defensive, one specialist). Simpson had eight All-Conference players and co-Champion Central had seven.

The complete 2002 IIAC All-Conference Football Team is here.

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