Moon Township, Pa. – Junior linebacker
Aniello Buzzacco of the RMU football team was one of 54 student-athletes named to the 23rd Annual Academic All-Star Team Thursday by the Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association (FCS ADA).
To be eligible, student-athletes must own a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.20 on a 4.00 scale, be a starter or key reserve with legitimate athletic credentials, have completed a minimum of one full academic year at the nominated institution and have participated in 50 percent of the games played at their designated position.
Buzzacco, a native of North Lima, Ohio, and a finance major, owns a cumulative grade point average of 3.46. During the 2020-2021 season, Buzzacco led the Big South in tackles per game with an average of 13.0 per contest. In three games he finished with 39 tackles, including 23 solo stops, and finished second in the conference in both total tackles and solo takedowns.
Just the fifth student-athlete in RMU football history to be named to the FCS ADA Academic All-Star Team, Buzzacco joins former linebacker Jonathan LeDonne (2002, 2004), defensive lineman Ray Gensler (2006), offensive lineman Nick Faraci (2014, 2015) and defensive back Andy Smigiera (2015) in earning the prestigious honor. Faraci went on to be named the 2016 FCS ADA Scholar-Athlete of the Year, earning a $5,000 postgraduate scholarship.
Started in 1998, the FCA ADA selects approximately 50 student-athletes from nominations across the nation to its Academic All-Star Team. In 2021, a total of 105 student-athletes were nominated.
Buzzacco owns 183 career tackles for the Colonials, just 17 shy of becoming the 23rd student-athlete in school history to accumulate 200 stops. Named to the
2020-21 All-Big South First Team, Buzzacco also was named to the 2019 All-Northeast Conference (NEC) Second Team after establishing an RMU single-season record for tackles with 131.
Led by head coach
Bernard Clark, Jr., the Colonials open their 2021 campaign Saturday, Sept. 4, at Dayton. RMU opens its home schedule Saturday, Sept. 25, by welcoming Howard to Joe Walton Stadium. Season tickets, which includes four Big South home games as part of the first full season for the Colonials in the conference, can be purchased by calling the RMU Ticket Office at (412) 397-4949.
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