SELINSGROVE, Pa. — Susquehanna University senior quarterback Mike Bowman has been named the Verizon College Division Football Academic All-American of the Year after earning first-team Academic All-America honors from the College Sports Information Directors of American (CoSIDA).

Bowman (Northumberland, PA/Shikellamy H.S.), a three-time member of both the Middle Atlantic Conference All-Academic Team and the Verizon Academic All-America District II team, is a mathematics major with a secondary education minor and is the top-ranked student in the Susquehanna senior class with a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade-point average.

He is the second Susquehanna football player in the last three years to earn College Division Academic All-American of the Year honors, which is presented to the team member who receives the most total votes, following offensive lineman Dave Wonderlick ‘01 in 2000. Bowman is also the third straight MAC player to earn the honor, as Widener defensive back T.J. Hess earned the honor in 2001.

Texas Tech quarterback Kliff Kingsbury was named the Academic All-American of the Year at the University Division level, which consists of schools in NCAA Division I-A and I-AA. The College Division consists of players from NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and the NAIA.

Bowman is the fourth different Crusader to earn first-team College Division Academic All-America honors. Tackle Gerry Huesken ‘77 was a member of the 1975 and 1976 Academic All-America squads, linebacker Dan Distasio ‘82 was named to the 1980 team, and Wonderlick was chosen to both the 1999 and 2000 teams.

“We are extremely proud of what he has done. This honor is the perfect way for Mike to close out his career at Susquehanna,” said 13th-year head coach Steve Briggs. “From the moment he came to our program, Mike has done everything asked of him both on the field and in the classroom, and as a coach you can’t expect anything more than Mike has done for our team and our school.”

The 6-0, 184-pound Bowman, a two-year captain and a four-year starter at Susquehanna, was a second-team All-MAC selection after completing 165 passes in 296 attempts for 2,212 yards and 17 touchdowns while throwing just nine interceptions this season. He finished third in the MAC in pass efficiency with a rating of 131.4 while ranking fifth in total offense at 212.6 yards per game.

A four-year starter with a career record of 19-16 in 35 starts, Bowman established program records for completions (609), attempts (1,169), yards (8,160) and touchdowns (63), ranking second in MAC history in completions, attempts and yards while placing fifth in career touchdowns.

Bowman has been named to the Dean’s List every semester at Susquehanna and earned both Presidential and Pennsylvania Science and Technology scholarships. He has served as a math tutor and has completed education externships at both Milton and Shikellamy High Schools.

Outside Susquehanna, Bowman is the borough assessor for Northumberland and has served as a volunteer football and basketball assistant coach at Shikellamy.

The Verizon Academic All-America Teams are selected by a vote of the 1,800-member CoSIDA. To be eligible, an athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve and maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 on a scale of 4.00. Sports information directors nominate eligible athletes from their schools who are named to district teams prior to being voted upon the national level. CoSIDA has been selecting Academic All-America Teams since 1952.