University of Maine senior defensive lineman Pat Ricard has been selected for the STATS FCS All-America third team, it was announced on Tuesday.
Ricard, a defensive tackle, compiled 50 tackles for the Black Bears this season, including 15.5 tackles for a loss. That total ranked second in that category in the Colonial Athletic Association.
The 6-foot-3, 285-pound Ricard also had 5.5 sacks, good for fifth in the conference.
Ricard completed his UMaine career with 208 tackles, including 47.5 for a loss, along with 18 sacks, 11 pass deflections, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and two blocked kicks.
The honor is one of many postseason awards Ricard has received this year, to go along with All-CAA first-team honors, a slot on the New England Football Writers’ All-New England team and ECAC Division I FCS all-star accolades.
Ricard was one of 16 CAA players to earn STATS FCS All-American honors this season.
Tshimanga gets bowl nod
Christophe Mulumba Tshimanga, who recently completed a stellar football career at UMaine, will be showcasing his talents in front of professional scouts next month.
The native of Montreal, who was born in the Republic of Congo, has accepted an invitation to play in the Tropical Bowl in Daytona Beach, Florida, on Jan. 15, 2017.
The Tropical Bowl, which is celebrating its second year, showcases the top seniors from Division I football, from both the Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision levels, in front of NFL scouts and general managers.
The inaugural game was played in Miami, and the 2017 contest will take place at Daytona Beach Municipal Stadium.
The first event in what was originally called the Tropic Bowl was attended by representatives of 27 NFL teams and four Canadian Football League teams.
Three players were invited to the NFL Scouting Combine, and more than 25 athletes participated in NFL training camps last summer.
Mulumba, a linebacker who donned his first pair of shoulder pads at the age of 16, capped his Black Bear career by racking up 97 tackles, including seven for a loss, 3.5 sacks and two pass break-ups in 10 games this season.
The 6-foot-1, 245-pounder was chosen to the New England Football Writers’ All-New England team and was named an all-Colonial Athletic Association player for the third time in his career.
As a freshman, Mulumba made an immediate impact on UMaine’s defense, earning CAA Defensive Rookie of the Year honors as the Black Bears won the conference title and hosted an NCAA playoff game in Orono.
He went on to place sixth in the Jerry Rice FCS Rookie of the Year voting that season.
Mulumba Tshimanga led the Black Bears in tackles that year with 118, picked off two passes and recorded 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery.
He was named UMaine’s most outstanding defensive player as a sophomore, notching 95 tackles, including 8 for a loss, while making 37 stops and picking off one pass in 2014.
