AMERICAN FOOTBALL COACHES ASSOCIATION (AFCA)
ALL-AMERICAN SELECTIONS
One of the premier awards in college football, the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) has been awarding All-American honors since 1945. These awards are nominated and voted on by AFCA member coaches, making it the only such program to do so in college football.
In that time, Alabama A&M has had four players earn that distinction, beginning with future 11-year National Football League (NFL) veteran Howard Ballard in 1987. He would be joined as the only other Division II selection in program history a year later when defensive back Fred Garner was selected.
At the Division I level the Bulldogs have had a pair of selections with defensive back Al Donaldson being the first in 2007. In the spring of 2021 he was joined by wide receiver Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim as a Second-Team selection.
ABOUT THE AFCA ALL-AMERICAN TEAMS
The five teams now chosen for each AFCA division evolved from a single 11-player squad. From 1945 until 1967, only one team was chosen. From 1967 through 1971, two teams, University Division and College Division, were selected.
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In 1972, the College Division was split into College I and College II. In 1979, the University Division was split into two teams – Division I-A and Division I-AA. In 1996, the College I and College II teams were renamed Division II and Division III, respectively. In 2006, the Division I-A and Division I-AA teams were renamed Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), respectively. In 2006, the AFCA started selecting an NAIA-only team.
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From 1965-81, a 22-player (11 offensive, 11 defensive) team was chosen. In 1982, a punter and placekicker were added to the team. A return specialist was added in 1997, giving us the current 25-player team. The return specialist position was replaced by an all-purpose player in 2006. The AFCA added a second team in 2016.
ALABAMA A&M ALL-TIME AFCA ALL-AMERICAN SELECTIONS
Spring 2021 (1 – 0/1)
Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim, WR, Second-Team
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2007 (1)
Al Donaldson, DB
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1988 (1)
Fred Garner, DB
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1987 (1)
Howard Ballard, OL
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