Southern Illinoise University Athletics
McElroy, Pickard named First-Team Academic All-District
11/10/2011 | 12:00:00 | Football
Nov. 10, 2011
Mike McElroy and David Pickard have both been named First-Team Capital One Academic All-District. The district included all Division I schools in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. SIU now has 20 First-Team Academic All-District selections since 2003.
David Pickard holds a 4.0 GPA in his Master's work in public administration. He graduated magna cum laude in summer 2010 with a 3.939 GPA in political science with a minor in criminology and criminal justice. He was a second-team ESPN Academic All-American in 2010 and first-team Missouri Valley Football Conference All-Academic selection. He was named to the FCS ADA Academic All-Star Team. On the field, Pickard was a TSN third-team All-American in 2009 and has been All-Conference in each of the last two years. He has earned MVFC Lineman of the Week honors twice. He has started 41 games for the Salukis, including the last 33 in a row.
Mike McElroy has a 3.73 GPA in health education. McElroy was an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American in 2009, but a knee injury lost him most of the 2010 season. He is a two-time MVFC All-Academic selection and a three-time recipient of the conference's Commissioner's Academic Excellence Award. On the field, he was a First-Team All-Conference selection in 2009, when he led the conference and was fourth in the country with seven interceptions. He has made 38 career starts, including every game this season. McElroy is a team captain for the 2011 season. He is currently fifth on the team in total tackles in 2011 and has 213 tackles for his career. His 13 career interceptions are fourth most all-time in school history. Off the field, McElroy is responsible for the Black Out Cancer game the SIU will hold on Nov. 12. McElroy petitioned the NCAA to allow Southern a one-time exception to place different names on the back of the team's jerseys. Names have been auctioned off, and winning bidders placed the name of a cancer victim or survivor on the backs of the jerseys that will be worn for the Nov. 12 game against Eastern Illinois. The drive is expected to raise over $100,000, and 100 percent of the proceeds go to the American Cancer Society and Coaches vs. Cancer.
McElroy and Pickard are now eligible for Capital One Academic All-America® status. First-, Second- and Third-team All America honorees will be selected later this month. Last year, Southern Illinois had three Academic All-Americans, which tied Penn State for the most in the country.
