Justice Earns First Team All-America Honors
11/29/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 29, 2007
A day after being named as a finalist for the Rimington Trophy, Wake Forest center Steve Justice today was selected to the American Football Coaches Association All-America team.
Justice joins a select group of Wake Forest players to earn AFCA All-America honors. He is the first since punter Ryan Plackemeir in 2005 and just the sixth Deacon ever honored. Other Wake Forest players named to the AFCA All-America team include running back Brian Piccolo (1964), defensive back Bill Armstrong (1975, 1976), offensive lineman Ben Coleman (1992), and defensive end Calvin Pace (2002).
The AFCA has picked an All-America team each year since 1945. The Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches select the team members.
Other Atlantic Coast Conference players selected to the first team include Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan, Virginia defensive lineman Chris Long, Virginia Tech linebacker Xavier Adibi and Virginia Tech defensive back Brandon Flowers.
Justice, a 6-4, 284-pound senior from Port Orange, Fla. (New Smyrna Beach), was named first team All-ACC for the second consecutive year. A three-year starter, he was named the winner of the ACC's Jacobs Blocking Trophy on Sunday. He has started 37 consecutive games dating back to the start of the 2005 season. Justice is also one of six finalists for the Rimington Trophy given each year to the nation's top center.
Justice has been involved in a team-high 907 offensive snaps and has graded out positively on 836 for a 92.2% grade. He leads the team with 59 knockdown blocks, an average of nearly five per game and recorded a season-high 13 knockdowns against Florida State (Oct. 11). Justice graded out at 98 percent against Boston College, Maryland and North Carolina. During the 2007 season, he helped pave the way for Wake running back Josh Adams who is third in the ACC in rushing with 887 yards.
