MOREHEAD, Ky. – Five Morehead State football student-athletes have been awarded the program's highest postseason honors.
Senior offensive lineman Joshua Brunner (Phil Simms Offensive Most Valuable Player), junior linebacker Luke Keller (Dave Haverdick Defensive MVP), junior slot receiver Justin Cornwall (John Christopher Special Teams MVP), sophomore punter Pat DiSalvio (Appel Academic Award) and senior slot receiver Brandon Bornhauser (Mike Gottfried "C3" Award) have been honored.
The Appel Academic Award and Mike Gottfried "C3" Award are voted on by the coaching staff.
Brunner, a Pittsburgh native, blocked for a unit which ranked second in the league in total yards (429.2 per game) and passing yards (276.1). The front line also ranked second in the PFL in fewest sacks allowed (16). Brunner was tabbed Honorable Mention All-Pioneer Football League.
Keller, from Lucasville, Ohio, led the team with 87 total tackles while leading the unit with 11 tackles for loss and six sacks. He also forced two fumbles and blocked a kick. Keller was selected Honorable Mention All-PFL and Academic All-PFL.
Cornwall, a native of Cincinnati who was named First-Team All-PFL, ranked second in the conference in kick return average (22.9 yards) while recording a career-long of 47 yards against Jacksonville. He also averaged 12.9 yards on punt returns, including a career-best 58-yarder at Davidson.
DiSalvio, from Cincinnati, has a 4.0 grade point average and was named Academic All-PFL. He serves as Co-President of Morehead State's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. DiSalvio averaged 37.7 yards on 72 punts this year, booming four more than 50 yards and dropping 12 inside the 20-yard line. He recorded a career-best 68-yarder against Jacksonville.
Bornhauser, also a Cincinnati native, led the Eagles with 11 touchdowns in 2014, notching seven via the rushing game, two through the air, one on a kickoff return and another on a pass thrown. Bornhauser tallied 1,000 all-purpose yards, including 338 receiving and 236 rushing yards.
The Offensive MVP is named for former MSU quarterback and Super Bowl XXI MVP Phil Simms. Simms, who played at MSU from 1975-78, tallied 5,545 passing yards, 32 touchdowns and was named Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year as a senior before being taken seventh overall by the New York Giants in the 1979 NFL Draft. He played his entire 14-year career with the Giants organization and is now the lead analyst for CBS Sports' coverage of the NFL.
The Defensive MVP is named for former consensus All-American Dave Haverdick. The defensive lineman was named All-American in 1969 and was a three-time All-Ohio Valley Conference selection (1967, 1968, 1969).
The Special Team MVP is named for two-time consensus All-American punter John Christopher. He was tabbed All-American and All-OVC in 1981 and 1982 and averaged more than 40 yards three different seasons. He still holds the MSU career record for punting average (42.4).
The Academic Award is named for former offensive linemen brothers James and Mike Appel. James was a two-time College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-American (1990, 1991) and earned OVC Scholar-Athlete accolades those years as well. Mike was named Academic All-American in 1996.
The "C3" Award, which encompasses "character, community and championship effort" is named for former quarterback Mike Gottfried. He threw for more than 3,500 yards during his career from 1962-65. Gottfried later served as a head coach at Murray State, Cincinnati, Kansas and Pittsburgh and was a top college football analyst for ESPN's family of networks. In 2000, Gottfried founded Team Focus, which helps fatherless boys age 9 to 17. Team Focus is currently in 26 U.S. states with more than 1,000 boys involved. It helps build character and create an environment that fosters self-esteem, self-worth and self-confidence.
