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2012 FURMAN PALADINS p FOOTBALL placekicker Mike Wood on the GTE Academic All-America squad. Roper is named a National Football Foundation and Hall-of-Fame Scholar-Athlete and becomes the sixth Furman player to earn an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship. Roper and Fletcher combine to share Furman Athlete-of-the-Year honors. Despite missing four games with a knee injury, center Steve Duggan becomes first Paladin since 1951 to capture Jacobs Blocking Award for South Carolina. Furman closes out 1980s as state's winningest program of the decade and nation's second most successful NCAA I-AA football program with a 95-25-4 record and .780 winning percentage. Conference championship and ninth league crown by registering a 9-4 overall record and 6-1 league mark. Paladins again deny The Citadel a share of a league title, beating the Bulldogs 30-17 in Greenville before the third largest crowd (18,190) in Paladin Stadium history. Season ends with a 42-35 triple overtime loss to Nevada, in Reno, in the longest game in NCAA I-AA playoff history at the time. Paladins boast the most balanced offense in school history and pace the conference in total offense and scoring offense. Quarterback Frankie DeBusk passes for school record 2,035 yards and is named league offensive player-of-the- year. Senior linebacker Kevin Kendrick is tabbed as league's best defender. Senior center Steve Duggan picks up Jacobs Blocking Award and becomes first Furman offensive lineman to garner first team All-America honors since 1931. Duggan and Kendrick are consensus All-America choices, and junior guard Eric Walter is named to the GTE Academic All-America second team. Tailback Carl Tremble becomes first 1,000-yard rusher (1,034) since 1986 and is also is the first Paladin to score more than 100 points in a season (102). Placekicker Glen Connally set new school record and ties conference mark with five field goals in 29-13 win over East Tennessee State. Furman's senior class closes out the best four-year record (41-12) in school history. 1990 — Furman claims its third straight Southern total of 12 points, with three coming on last second field goals. Paladins drop 26-23 verdict to Appalachian State in first overtime game in Southern Conference history. Paladins' upset bid against defending UPI National Champion Georgia Tech goes awry when a late fumble enables Tech to escape with a 19-17 win. Nose guard Allen Edwards becomes the fourth straight Paladin to 1991 — Furman loses four games by a combined Historical Highlights earn conference defensive player-of-the-year honors. Edwards combines with guard Eric Walter to also earn Associated Press All-America honors. Walter is named to the GTE Academic All- America first team and joins tight end Paul Siffri in garnering NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarships. Placekicker Andrew Burr, a former Paladin soccer star, leads the league in scoring with 87 points and becomes the first athlete in league history to lead the conference in scoring in two separate years in different sports. Paladins get last second game-winning, 43-yard field goal from freshman walk-on Jim Richter to down Appalachian State in Boone, 16-13. Tailback Carl Tremble sets school single season rushing record (1,555 yards). Tremble's season includes ten 100- yard rushing performances and features a career-best 39-carry, 228-yard, 3-TD performance in 35-7 win over Chattanooga. Tremble later signs free agent contract with Phoenix Cardinals. Senior linebacker Kota Suttle is named All-America. Furman leads conference in total defense for third time in four years. Long time assistant head coach/defensive coordinator Bobby Johnson leaves to become defensive coordinator at Clemson. 1992 — Furman posts 13th straight winning season. since 1979, going 5-5-1. Paladins upset nationally second-ranked Marshall 17-3 in Greenville. Punter Ronnie McCutchan and de- fensive back Andre Worrell earn All-America honors. Head coach Jimmy Satterfield resigns at season's end, concluding eight-year tenure with 66-29-3 record. Long time Paladin assistant Bobby Johnson returns to become Furman's 20th head coach. 1993 — Furman records its first non-winning season going 3-8. Starting quarterback Philly Jones suffers season end- ing fractured wrist in the second half of loss to William & Mary. Placekicker Jim Richter converts 16-of-19 field goals, including 7-of-7 from 40+ yards, en route to earning Associated Press first team All-America honors. Strong safety Andre Hentz is named Sports Network National Defensive Player-of-the-Week after intercepting two passes and recovering three fumbles in helping Paladins preserve 26-21 win over South Carolina State. 1994 — Paladins endure first losing season since 1979, bounce back from first losing season in 15 years to go 6-5 and finish tied for third in the Southern Conference. Junior Josh 1995 — Paladins defy bleak pre-season tabs and Furman posts greatest season in school history, defeats Georgia South- ern (17-12) to win NCAA I-AA national championship. 1988 ▼ 1988 ▲ Consensus All-America Jeff Blankenship headlines nation's top defensive unit (9.7 ppg) 1989 ▲ Kelly Fletcher keys Furman to school record 12 straight wins, conference title. 1990 ▲ Consensus All-America, SoCon Jacobs Blocking Award winner Steve Duggan helps Furman claim third straight league crown. Cole leads NCAA I-AA in kickoff returns, averaging 32.5 yards on 17 returns. Paladins trounce The Citadel in Charleston 24-3. Senior quarterback Philly Jones is awarded NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship. with Paladins' 9-4 finish and first NCAA I-AA playoff appearance since 1990. Furman is ranked ninth nationally at season's end, marking the program's first Top 20 final ranking since 1991. Pala- dins dump defending conference champion Appalachian State in Boone 20-14 for first road win over a nationally ranked opponent since 1990. Paladins set new school single game quarterback sacks record with eight takedowns in 35-25 win over arch-rival The Citadel. Furman claims only road win in eight NCAA I-AA first round playoff games, getting a pair of touchdown catches from junior split end Jody Wade in the final five minutes to erase a 10-point deficit en route to the 42-31 victory over Northern Arizona. Quarterback Braniff Bonaventure sets a pair of NCAA I-AA national records for consecutive pass attempts without an interception, attempting 202 passes at one point during the 1996 season without a pickoff, and, dating back to the 1995 season, throwing 215 passes without an interception. Tight end Luther Broughton earns All-America honors and becomes Paladins' all-time leading receiver, passing former Paladin great Chas Fox. Broughton later becomes the first Furman player to be drafted since 1986 when he is selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round. Head coach Bobby Johnson is named GTE Region II Coach-of-the-Year in balloting by the American Football Coaches Association. from living up to pre-season No. 1 billing in Southern Confer- ence. Defensive end Bryan Dailer earns All-America honors and is named Southern Conference Defensive Player-of-the-Year after setting new Furman single game record with seven sacks in season ending win over Chattanooga. Dailer helps Paladins pace league with 32 takedowns. Paladins block five punts. 1997 — Injuries at quarterback help keep Paladins after 4-1 start. Linebacker Orlando Ruff earns AFCA All-America honors and is selected to play in Blue-Gray All-Star Classic. Ruff 1998 — Furman suffers through five-game losing skid 1996 — Rebuilding effort initiated in 1994 culminates 173