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Football's Gebhart earns Academic All-America

Dec. 12, 2007

KALAMAZOO--Anthony Gebhart, a senior member of the Western Michigan University football team has been selected for First Team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America honors.

Gebhart, an economics major with a 3.83 grade point average, became a two-time Academic All-District IV honoree earlier this fall and is only the seventh WMU football student-athlete to earn Academic All-America in program history.

An Addison, Ill., native, Gebhart is the first defensive back to earn the honor and only the fifth first-team selection in program history. Wide receiver Mike Hutchings was the last to earn the award in 1998. Other Broncos to earn Academic All-America first-team honors are Rich Kaiser, defensive end, in 1994 and 1995; and Jon Bull, tackle, in 1970. Football student-athletes who earned second-team honors were Les Garrett, linebacker, in 1988; and Dan Arbour, defensive end, in 1973.

After transferring from Lake Forest College in 2005, Gebhart became a walk-on member of the WMU football team. In his first season, he was a member of the defensive scout team, but earned his way onto the defensive unit the following year. He made only two starts in 2006, but appeared in all 13 games, making 45 tackles and one interception. He did not lead the team in any category, but he was awarded an athletic scholarship for his determination.

Early in the 2007 season, Gebhart was named a team captain. He went on to lead the team in interceptions and led the defensive backfield with 6.0 tackles-for-loss, while finishing second in tackles with 84. He again appeared in every game, starting eight.

Gebhart also was recently chosen as the Michigan Chapter of the National Football Foundation's Division I Scholar Athlete of the Year.

Media contact: Mat Kanan, (269) 387-4125, mat.kanan@wmich.edu

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