McNeese State senior defensive back Brant Linde has been named to the 11th annual Football Championship Subdivision Athletics Directors Association Academic all-star team.

The winners were announced at the FCS football championship in Chattanooga, Tenn. A committee of FCS athletic directors selected this year’s team.

Linde, a 2004 Mandeville High School graduate, played football and basketball for the Skippers.

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Linde has earned numerous academic honors during his career. He was a CoSIDA academic all-American and was named three times to the Southland Conference all-academic team as well as being named the league’s football scholar athlete of the year. Linde was also named a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame 2008 Draddy trophy and national scholar-athlete award.

Linde graduated Dec. 12 with a degree in accounting carrying a 3.62 grade point average.

“It is always nice to be recognized and to have all the hard work pay off. It was a real challenge, balancing football and my academics,” Linde said.

Linde will start graduate school at McNeese State in mid-January.

Linde (6-0, 190) played safety for the Cowboys, which finished with a 7-4 record.

There were a total of 43 players named to this year’s FCSADA academic team.  To be eligible for the team, players had to possess a 3.20 or better overall grade point average, have been a starter or key reserve and have reached his second year of participation.

Linde has also been named to the 2008 Capitol One/Southland Conference football all-academic team. It is the third year in a row for Linde being named to the squad.

The head coaches, sports information directors and academic/compliance administrators from each Southland Conference University vote for the All-Academic teams. Student athletes must possess a 3.0 cumulative GPA, have completed one full academic year at the nominating institution and participated in at least 50 percent of the team’s competition to qualify for the all-academic squad.

Brant is the son of Roger and Barbara Linde of Mandeville.