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Northeastern University Athletics

Northeastern Huskies

All-Americans

Northeastern had 13 players honored 20 times as All-Americans throughout the 74-year history of the football program. Six players received All-America honors on multiple occasions during their careers, while Liam Ezekiel became the school’s first-ever three-time All-America selection in 2004.
Arnie Kaufman  •  1938
A 1940 Northeastern graduate, Kaufman earned football letters in 1936, 1937 and 1938, as an offensive guard and defensive interior lineman. In his senior year, 1938, he was selected to the Small College All-America Team and to the Liberty Magazine All-America Team.  He later served as end coach for Northeastern from 1949-51 and coached at Huntington Prep. 
Sid Watson  •  1953
Watson starred on Northeastern’s undefeated 1951 team, was chosen Little All-America in 1953 and captained the 1954 team. He set the Northeastern record for points in a career with 191, which stood until 1997. In addition to lettering in football for three years, he lettered in basketball and in hockey. On skates, Watson was an All-New England defenseman.
Gene Renzi  •  1954, 1955
Renzi was first-team All- America as an offensive and defensive tackle and a two-time Greater Boston shot put champion. Renzi established himself as one of the nation’s superb blockers on offense and pass rushers on defense. Within the track oval, he displayed his natural athletic ability in the shot put, discus and javelin, setting the shot record on several occasions.
Joe Davis  •  1963
Davis was an All-New England and All-America selection as a lineman and captain of the 1963 undefeated, untied squad. He is considered one of the greatest two-way football tackles in Northeastern history. Davis was the irreplaceable cog in an offensive and defensive line that helped the Huskies to their first and only postseason bowl bid in  University history. 
Bob Cappadona  •  1963, 1964
Cappadona, was the legendary type fullback with size, speed and strength. He bulled Northeastern to its first undefeated season in 1963 as a sophomore. During his career, he averaged nearly five yards per carry and 100 yards a game, and more than a touchdown a game. He was the annual All-City, All-New England and All-ECAC fullback and received several All-America mentions. 
Tom Rezzuti  •  1972, 1973
Rezzuti is often chronicled for his single-season interception record of 14. However, he drove himself to the apex of his craft within the New England ranks both on the gridiron and the baseball diamond at Parsons Field. In his career, Rezzuti pilfered 27 opponent passes and generally terrorized air traffic lanes throughout the East. He also returned punts and kickoffs for touchdowns on occasion and long chunks of yardage in general. 
Stan Hillier  •  1976
As a senior, Hillier receieved ECAC Player of the Week certificates eight times over a nine-game season. When the season ended, the statistical achievements proved remarkable: over 125 total tackles, 15 quarterback sacks, 10 blocked passes, nine caused fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one blocked punt. He was voted All-New England for the second year, received ECAC All-East Division II honors and named All-America.
Dan Ross  •  1978
Ross re-wrote the Northeastern record books as an All-America tight end, and went on to star in the National Football League. In his collegiate heyday, few would argue that he was the area’s premier receiver, and perhaps the best at his trade in the East. His tremendous power, concentration, hands, blocking ability and open field running made him one of the most exciting athletes to ever take the gridiron in New England.
Jerome Daniels  •  1996
Daniels was a bruising offensive tackle for the Huskies, checking in at 6’6, 330. He anchored an offensive line that provided protection to Jim Murphy, Northeastern’s all-time leader in passing yards. His senior season, he helped guide NU to its first winning season in nine years. Daniels also became the first Husky to compete in a postseason All-Star game, as New England’s lone representative in the annual East-West Shrine game. 
T.J. Hill  •  2000, 2001
Hill patrolled the Husky secondary, recording 14 interceptions and 143 total tackles as a junior and senior. He helped the Huskies to their first-ever victory over a I-A opponent, when NU topped Connecticut, 35-27, by returning an interception for a touchdown late in the game. As a senior, he missed three games due to injury, but still managed to put up All-America numbers. Hill is still playing pro ball in the Canadian Football League.
Steve Anzalone  •  2002
Anzalone was annually one of the Atlantic 10’s premier pass rushers, and finished his collegiate career second on NU’s all-time sacks list (26). In 2002, he was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award presented to Division I-AA’s top defensive player and helped pace the Huskies in a 31-0 victory over Division I-A Ohio with a career-high 11 total tackles. He also captained the school’s first Atlantic 10 Championship team. 
Liam Ezekiel  •  2002, 2003, 2004
Ezekiel is Northeastern’s first three-time All-America and first four-time All-Conference player. A terror to opposing offenses, Ezekiel recorded an NU record 489 total tackles and had 13.0 sacks. His 489 tackles placed him second all-time in Division I-AA history.  He was  an incredibly tough player, playing five weeks in 2002 with a broken thumb. In 2004, he was a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award presented to I-AA’s top defensive player.
Adam Bourget  •  2003, 2004
Bourget entered Northeastern as a walk-on and left as just the sixth two-time All-America  player in school history. He helped anchor an offensive line that enabled four of the most prolific offensive seasons in Northeastern history. In 2003, NU set records for points per game, first downs, and total yards, while rushing for 34 touchdowns in 2004. Bourget was a four-year mainstay on the offensive line, starting  all 47 games of his career.