Robert Coury Garners Second Straight AFCA First Team All-America Honor

(WACO, Texas) – Senior linebacker Robert Coury of the Carnegie Mellon University football team was named to the 2023 American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Division III Coaches' All-America first-team for the second straight season.

The award for Coury is the eighth in program history and marks the second time a player has garnered the accolade twice. Running back Sam Benger earned back-to-back first-team honors from the coaches association in 2015 and 2016. In 2017, punter Tyler Kohman earned first-team accolades. Before Coury's honor a year ago, the last defensive player to receive national recognition from the organization was Nick Zitelli in 2000. The other two honorees were linebacker Ken Murawaski in 1981 and offensive lineman Robert Butts in 1985.

Coury, who was a semifinalist for the 2023 Gagliardi Trophy, a First Team All-Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) honoree and a First Team D3foorball.com Region 2 selection, led the Cardinal and Gray defense in 2023 for the fourth straight season in tackles (83) and third straight season in tackles for loss (16.5) while ranking second on the squad with 4.0 sacks. The senior has also forced a fumble, recovered a fumble, recorded an interception and had two blocked punts this season.

The two-year captain, headed a Tartans defense for the third consecutive season that led the PAC in scoring defense, allowing 10.2 points per game, rushing defense giving up 73.1 yards per contest, total defense allowing 245.0 yards per game, turnovers gained with 29, fumbles recovered with 13, passes intercepted with 16, turnover margin at 1.55 and tackles for loss with 8.7 per contest. The Cardinal and Gray ranked fourth nationally in fumbles recovered, sixth in turnovers gained, seventh in scoring defense, eighth in turnover margin, ninth in team tackles for loss, 13th in total defense and 16th in both rushing defense. The defense held nine opponents under 100 yards on the ground and broke a school record when holding Westminster to -16 yards rushing earlier this season.

The AFCA has selected an All-America team since 1945 and currently selects teams in all five of its divisions. What makes these teams so special is that they are the only ones chosen exclusively by the men who know the players the best — the coaches themselves.

The AFCA's Division III All-America Selection Committee is made up of head coaches representing each conference from each of the AFCA's seven districts, one of whom serves as a district chairman, along with another head coach who serves as the chairman of the selection committee. The coaches in each district are responsible for ranking the top players in their respective districts prior to a conference call between the district chairmen and the committee chairman on which the team is chosen.