BRENTWOOD, Tenn. -- Jacksonville State head football coach Jack Crowe was named Coach of the Year and eight players have been selected to represent the Gamecocks on the 2004 All-Ohio Valley Conference Teams.

Crowe was named Coach of the Year after guiding the Gamecocks to their best record since entering Division I-AA and their second straight Ohio Valley Conference Football title.

“I think this year, I got more help than I’ve ever gotten as a head coach,” said Crowe. “I really think I’m working with the best assistant coaching staff that I’ve ever been around and I’m very fortunate.”

The Gamecocks had five players earn OVC first-team honors, including senior running back Oscar Bonds, center John Pettus and guard Rod Olds round out the offensive selections. Senior defensive back Russell Green made the defensive first team, while sophomore Craig Agee earned first-team return specialist honors.

“I’m very happy and pleased for the players that made the OVC All-Conference team,” said Crowe. “All but two of the players are seniors and I think that speaks well for their impact on our football team.

Bonds, a senior Russellville, Ala. native, broke the school scoring record and led the OVC with 19 touchdowns this season. He is third in the conference in total rushing yards and second in yards per game and earned Player of the Week honors three times.

Both Pettus, a senior from Lineville, Ala., and Olds, a junior from Panama City, Fla., have started every game and anchored an offense that leads the OVC in scoring, rushing and total offense. The unit only allowed seven sacks, which is also an OVC best.

Agee, a sophomore Taylorville, Miss. native, leads the NCAA and the OVC with 17 punt returns for a 21.2 average. He has two returns for touchdowns and earned Player of the Week honors twice this season.

Green, a Birmingham, Ala. native, led the OVC with six interceptions, including two in his final home game. He also had 53 tackles, 10 deflections and two fumble recoveries and helped lead a JSU defense that ranks fifth in the nation in rushing defense.

Senior punter Richie Rhodes earned his fourth straight All-Conference selection as a punter on the second-team. Linebackers Jonathan Crutcher and LeMarcus Rowell also grabbed second-team honors.

Crutcher of Huntsville, Ala. was a second-team selection in 2003 and leads the Gamecocks with 53 tackles and a sack.

Rowell, a junior from Opelika, Ala., leads the OVC in sacks with five. He had 53 tackles including eight for a loss, four deflections, two fumble recoveries and a blocked kick.

Rhodes, an Alexander City, Ala. native, is third in the OVC in punting average. He had 46 punts for a 40.1 average. He has booted 13 punts inside the 20-yard line.

Jacksonville State returns to action on Saturday in the first round of the NCAA I-AA football playoffs at No. 2-seed Furman. Kick-off is set for 11 a.m. at Paladine Stadium and the game will be carried live on Comcast-Charter Sports Southeast (CSS).

2004 ALL-OVC FOOTBALL TEAMS

FIRST TEAM OFFENSE
Ray Nelson, QB, Samford
Charles Anthony, RB, Tennessee State
Oscar Bonds, RB, Jacksonville State
Efrem Hill, WR, Samford
Ryan Voss, WR, Eastern Illinois
Ray Goodson, TE, Southeast Missouri
John Pettus, C, Jacksonville State
Dan Bieg, OG, Southeast Missouri
Rod Olds, OG, Jacksonville State
Justin Ard, OT, Murray State
Frank Omiyale, OT, Tennessee Tech
Josh Foster, PK, Tennessee Tech
Craig Agee, RS, Jacksonville State

FIRST TEAM DEFENSE
Chad Dewberry, DL, Eastern Kentucky
Marcus Lorick, DL, Eastern Illinois
Yusuf Sharif, DL, Tennessee Tech
Paul Thomas, DL, Tennessee State
Jamarr Day, LB, Eastern Illinois
Jerome Jones, LB, Eastern Kentucky
Justen Rivers, LB, Eastern Kentucky
Cortland Finnegan, DB, Samford
Russell Green, DB, Jacksonville State
Brandon Shelby, DB, Tennessee Tech
Pierre Wright, DB, Eastern Kentucky
David Simonhoff, P, Southeast Missouri

SECOND TEAM OFFENSE
Andrew Goodenough, QB, Southeast Missouri
Matt Schabert, QB, Eastern Illinois
Donald Chapman, RB, Tennessee-Martin
C.J. Hudson, RB, Eastern Kentucky
Andre Ralston, WR, Eastern Kentucky
Taurean Stephens, WR, Tennessee-Martin
Patrick Bugg, TE, Eastern Kentucky
Pascal Matla, C, Eastern Illinois
Eugene Russell, OG, Murray State
Steve Sobolewski, OG, Eastern Illinois
Dan Connolly, OT, Southeast Missouri
Sean Dumford, OT, Eastern Kentucky
Derek Kutz, PK, Southeast Missouri
Kyle Barber, RS, Eastern Kentucky

SECOND TEAM DEFENSE
Almonte Duncan, DL, Tennessee State
Kory Lothe, DL, Eastern Illinois
Andre Plummer, DL, Tennessee-Martin
Marcus White, DL, Murray State
Jonathan Crutcher, LB, Jacksonville State
LeMarcus Rowell, LB, Jacksonville State
Brett Vavra, LB, Tennessee Tech
Ben Brown, DB, Eastern Illinois
Laroni Gallishaw, DB, Murray State
Russell Gambrell, DB, Tennessee-Martin
Onsha Whitaker, DB, Murray State
Richie Rhodes, P, Jacksonville State

Note: Two quarterbacks were chosen to the second team due to a tie in the voting.

OVC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Charles Anthony, Tennessee State

OVC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Justen Rivers, Eastern Kentucky

OVC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Donald Chapman, Tennessee-Martin

OVC COACH OF THE YEAR
Jack Crowe, Jacksonville State