Dec 13, 2022

Trevor Gabriele named an AFCA Division III All-American

Wheaton, Ill. – Wheaton College senior Trevor Gabriele has been named to the Division III All-American Team by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). There have been 20 AFCA Division III All-American selections from Wheaton through the years. The Thunder football program has had at least one player selected to the AFCA Division III All-America Football Team for eight consecutive seasons, currently the longest streak in Division III.

Gabriele was a named as a First Team All-Region five selection at guard last week by D3football.com. He keyed a Thunder offense that is fifth in Division III in total offense with a school record 507.2 yards per game. The Thunder offense ended the season 16th in D3 in rushing offense (225.8 YPG) and 27th in passing offense (281.4 YPG).

Gabriele, a guard on the Thunder offensive line, is a First Team selection by the AFCA. His selection mark the eighth-consecutive year that a Wheaton player has been selected to the AFCA team, joining: Dallas McRae (2021 & 2019); Eric Stevenson (LB) in 2018; Chase Greenlee (DE) in 2017, Peter Gibson (G), in 2016, Adam Dansdill (LB) in 2015 and Spencer Clark (C) in 2014. Wheaton's 20 selections to the AFCA Division III All-American Team since the awards began in 1996 is sixth-most in the history of the award.

The Thunder offensive line has produced five of Wheaton's AFCA All-Americans through the years: James Hoxworth (2003); Nick Biggee (2010); Spencer Clark (2014); Peter Gibson (2016) and Gabriele (2022).

The AFCA has selected an All-America team every year since 1945. The five teams now chosen for each AFCA division evolved from a single 11-player squad in 1945. From 1945 until 1967, only one team was chosen. From 1967 through 1971, two teams – University Division and College Division – were selected. 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. The AFCA began selecting an NAIA-only team in 2006. Also in 2006, the Division I-A and Division I-AA teams were renamed Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), respectively. From 1965-81, a 22-player (11 offensive, 11 defensive) team was chosen. In 1982, a punter and placekicker were added to the team. In 1997, a return specialist was added, giving us the current 25-player team. The return specialist position was replaced by an all-purpose player in 2006. In 2016, the AFCA added a second team All-America.

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.

MOST AFCA DIVISION III ALL-AMERICAN SELECTIONS ALL-TIME

1.) Mount Union - 31

2.) Mary-Hardin Baylor - 26

3.) Linfield - 24

4.) UW-Whitewater 23

5.) Wittenberg and Washington & Jefferson - 21

6.) WHEATON, UW-La Crosse and St. John's (Minn.) - 20

7.) Augustana and Springfield -19

8.) Ithaca, Central (Iowa), Widener and Wesley - 17

9.) Montclair State and North Central - 16Print Friendly Version

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Originally published by Wheaton College Athletics: /news/2022/12/13/football-trevor-gabriele-named-an-afca-division-iii-all-american.aspx