Dec. 15, 2003

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Samford junior receiver Efrem Hill was named to the first team of The Sports Network 2003 I-AA All-America Team. Sophomore safety Cortland Finnegan was named to the third team.

This season, Hill led the Ohio Valley Conference in receptions per game (8.36 rpg.), receiving yards per game (126.1 ypg.), scoring (8.2 ppg.) and scoring by a touchdown (8.2 ppg.). He also led the nation in receiving yards per game and was second in receptions per game. His 1,387 receiving yards ranks third in the nation and are the most in Samford history.

Finnegan led the OVC in tackles, averaging 9.8 stops per contest. He also led the league in kick return average, averaging 27.5 yards per return.

In addition to the All-America honors, Hill was named the OVC's Offensive Player of the Year, and Finnegan was the league's Defensive Player of the Year. Head Coach Bill Gray was named the OVC's Coach of the Year. Hill also finished seventh in the voting for the Walter Payton Award for the top offensive player in Division I-AA football with 58 total points in the voting.

Hill, Finnegan and the Bulldogs finished 7-4 in the 2003 season, and they placed third in the OVC with a record of 5-3 in the league.