University of Tennessee at Chattanooga senior Joel Bradford was named to the 2011 The Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS Preseason All-American Team today. Bradford, a receiver from Chattanooga, Tenn., broke the Mocs' school record with 1,284 receiving yards last season.
Bradford is one of 14 Southern Conference players named to the preseason list and Chattanooga's first returning All-American since Josh Cain in 2002. He is coming off one of the most prolific offensive campaigns in school history when he was tabbed Third Team All-American by the Associated Press. He twice set UTC's single-game mark with 254 receiving yards against Eastern Kentucky and 274 yards at Furman. Those were the two highest game totals in the NCAA in 2010.
After switching from defensive back to receiver prior to the start of the season, Bradford finished the year No. 2 in the nation in total receiving yards and was seventh in the NCAA FCS with 7.4 catches per game. He also had eight touchdown grabs, including an 80-yard haul against EKU.
Majoring in Finance, Bradford is also an excellent student and a two-time Academic All-SoCon selection. He was also a member of the 2010 FCS ADA Academic All-Star team.
The Mocs are set to kick off the 2011 season on Sept. 3 at Nebraska. Chattanooga opens its home slate against Jacksonville State on Sept. 10. The Gamecocks are a preseason top-10 team and one of four other teams on the Mocs' schedule - Georgia Southern (top-5), Appalachian State (top-5), Wofford (top-10) and Eastern Kentucky (top-25) - who are ranked in the top-25 in the preseason.
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