Nov. 1, 2005

Hampton, VA - Winston-Salem State University senior running back Martin Hicks (Oxford, NC) was named the CIAA Offensive Player of the Year on Tuesday afternoon as he highlighted a season in which eight WSSU football student-athletes earned All-CIAA First or Second Team honors.

Hicks, who has led the Rams in rushing for the last three seasons, narrowly missed his third consecutive 1,000-yard season as he finished the season with 989 net yards rushing en route to leading the CIAA in scoring with 86 points on 14 touchdowns and a converted two-point conversion.  The senior from Oxford, NC led the CIAA in rushing in 2003 and 2004 and finished second in the CIAA this season.  Over the span of his four-year career, Hicks has earned 3,386 net yards of rushing offense on 480 carries for an average of 7.05 yards per carry which ranks him first in WSSU history in yards per carry, more than NFL All-Pro and former Ram Richard Huntley. 

The award marks the first time since the 2001 season, one in which Stephon Kelly earned CIAA Defensive Player of the Year honors,  that a WSSU football student-athlete has earned CIAA Player of the Year honors, and marking the first time that a WSSU football player has earned Offensive Player of the Year honors since Richard Huntley did so in 1995.

Hicks is not the only WSSU football player to earn All-CIAA honors as the Rams placed two additional student-athletes on the All-CIAA First-Team.

Joining Offensive Player of the Year Hicks are defensive lineman Jason Holman and offensive lineman Jerome Dunbar.  Holman, a 6'3", 290 pound defensive lineman from Richmond, VA asserted himself on a very stingy Ram defensive front that placed fourth in the CIAA in rushing defense in 2005.  Dunbar, an anchor point on the young WSSU offensive line helped to clear the way for two Ram rushers who tallied over 950 net yards each.

In addition to three first-team All-CIAA selections, the Rams placed five student-athletes on the All-CIAA second team as tight end Stan Wright (Durham, NC), offensive lineman Michael Champaign (Columbia, SC), running back Jed Bines (Winston-Salem, NC), linebacker Lavern Bynum (Weldon, NC) and defensive back Nate Biggs (Durham, NC) all earned All-Conference honors.

The selection of eight Rams to the All-CIAA teams marks the third time in five seasons that Kermit Blount's team has placed at least eight members on the All-Conference teams.

WSSU finished the 2005 season with a 6-4 record overall en route to a 6-1 CIAA record as the Rams close out the CIAA chapter of their history en route to a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference schedule next season.  

For additional information on WSSU football, or to arrange interviews with players, coaches or athletic administrators, contact the WSSU Office of Sports Information at (336) 750-2143 or log on to the Official Website of WSSU Athletics at www.WSSURAMS.com .

- wssurams.com -