| by Wes Frahm, director, athletic
communications and marketing
Football players Phil Milbrath (Norway), Matt
Desotell (Green Bay, Wis./Ashwaubenon) and Tim Schmalz
(Shawano, Wis.) have all been named 2010 Don Hansen's
All-Americans. Milbrath gained first team status while
Desotell and Schmalz earned spots on the second team.
Milbrath, a senior running back who was a national
finalist for the Harlon Hill Award as the Division II
player of the year, finished second in the nation in
rushing (141.2 yards per game), fifth in all-purpose
offense (178.7 yards per game) and ninth in scoring (9.6
points per game). He had eight 100-yard games and two
200-yard games, with his career-best performance of 293
yards and two touchdowns coming vs. No. 1-ranked Grand
Valley State. The 5-9, 200-pound Milbrath racked up
1,412 rushing yards, 375 receiving yards and 16
touchdowns during his senior campaign. He was a
unanimous first team All-American.
Desotell, a 6-3, 300-pound senior offensive lineman,
started 37 career games, including 31 straight at left
guard. He anchored an offensive line that dominated the
trenches. The Huskies were second in the GLIAC in
rushing at 261 yards per game and tops in the nation in
sacks allowed, giving up only three all season.
Schmalz, a fullback, was used mainly as a blocking
back for Tech's high-powered rushing offense. The 6-1,
235-pound senior did carry the ball seven times for
seven yards and two touchdowns. Both TDs came in Tech's
24-7 win over Wayne State.
In addition to those three players, junior defensive
end Todd Storm gained honorable mention on the Don
Hansen All-America list. Storm, a defensive end who was
selected as the GLIAC Defensive Lineman of the Year,
averaged 1.0 sack per game. The 6-3, 240-pound junior
registered a GLIAC-leading 10.0 sacks, as well as the
league's third-highest tackle-for-loss total at 14.0.
Storm was also credited with 38 tackles, four
quarterback hurries, three forced fumbles and three pass
breakups.
The Don Hansen Division II All-America Team carries
out the legacy of long-time small college football
advocate Don Hansen, who passed away at age 75 on Aug.
29, 2010. Hansen, from Brookfield, Ill., started and
published Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette
for three decades, selecting NCAA Division II
All-America teams for the first time in 1988.
The Don Hansen Football Committee, which selects the
Hansen's All-America Teams, is made up of sports
information directors at several institutions from each
of the nation's four super regions.
Michigan Tech finished its 2010 football campaign
with an 8-2 record. The Huskies tied for second place in
the GLIAC.
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