Colorado University Athletics
McCartney, Miller Named First-Team Pac-12 All-Academic
November 30, 2017 | Football, Herbst Academic Center
Duo highlight CU’s six selections to the academic all-conference teams
SAN FRANCISCO – Senior outside linebacker Derek McCartney and sophomore offensive tackle Isaac Miller of the University of Colorado football team were named Thursday to the 2017 Pac-12 Conference All-Academic first-team.
The duo become the ninth and 10th different Buffalo football players (14 overall selections, as four have been honored twice) to be named first-team Pac-12 All-Academic since Colorado joined the league in 2011.
In addition to McCartney and Miller being first-team selections, CU had four others selected as honorable mention. Lucas Cooper, George Frazier, Aaron Haigler and Michael Mathewes all drew honorable mention selections; this was the second consecutive season Haigler has been on the list, but the first for the other three.
McCartney closed out his career as one of CU's most distinguished all-around student-athletes. He was a 2014 All-Pac-12 Academic honorable mention selection and graduated in May 2016 after just three years with a degree in one of CU's most challenging majors – Integrative Physiology – with a Pre-Med course of study. Now in graduate school, he carries a 3.71 GPA in his Integrative Physiology program.
McCartney is a semifinalist for the inaugural Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award (four finalists will be announced on Dec. 11) and last season he was named to the 2016 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, one of just 12 Division I players honored on the 25th annual team that is one of the most coveted off-the-field honors in the sport.
He has made national headlines for his participation in the Be The Match program, where he donated peripheral blood stem cells that helped save a man's life who was battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia. On the field, McCartney played in 38 games with 35 starts for the Buffaloes. A two-year team captain, one of just 10 Buffs in program history to serve as a team captain twice, he finished his career with 13½ sacks and that ranks in a tie for the 19th most in program history.
Miller, a third-year sophomore at Colorado, carries a 3.77 GPA while majoring in Integrative Physiology & Psychology. He saw his first career action for the Buffs this season, bouncing back from a knee injury that cost him his 2016 season. He ended up starting in six games on the year and was credited with five knockdown blocks, six touchdown blocks (direct) and eight perfect plays on passing touchdowns.
Miller becomes the first CU offensive lineman to draw first-team All-Academic honors from the Pac-12.
To be eligible for selection to the academic team, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.0 overall grade-point average and appear in at least 50 percent of their teams games.
Colorado's Pac-12 All-Academic First-Team Selections
The duo become the ninth and 10th different Buffalo football players (14 overall selections, as four have been honored twice) to be named first-team Pac-12 All-Academic since Colorado joined the league in 2011.
In addition to McCartney and Miller being first-team selections, CU had four others selected as honorable mention. Lucas Cooper, George Frazier, Aaron Haigler and Michael Mathewes all drew honorable mention selections; this was the second consecutive season Haigler has been on the list, but the first for the other three.
McCartney closed out his career as one of CU's most distinguished all-around student-athletes. He was a 2014 All-Pac-12 Academic honorable mention selection and graduated in May 2016 after just three years with a degree in one of CU's most challenging majors – Integrative Physiology – with a Pre-Med course of study. Now in graduate school, he carries a 3.71 GPA in his Integrative Physiology program.
McCartney is a semifinalist for the inaugural Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year award (four finalists will be announced on Dec. 11) and last season he was named to the 2016 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, one of just 12 Division I players honored on the 25th annual team that is one of the most coveted off-the-field honors in the sport.
He has made national headlines for his participation in the Be The Match program, where he donated peripheral blood stem cells that helped save a man's life who was battling acute lymphoblastic leukemia. On the field, McCartney played in 38 games with 35 starts for the Buffaloes. A two-year team captain, one of just 10 Buffs in program history to serve as a team captain twice, he finished his career with 13½ sacks and that ranks in a tie for the 19th most in program history.
Miller, a third-year sophomore at Colorado, carries a 3.77 GPA while majoring in Integrative Physiology & Psychology. He saw his first career action for the Buffs this season, bouncing back from a knee injury that cost him his 2016 season. He ended up starting in six games on the year and was credited with five knockdown blocks, six touchdown blocks (direct) and eight perfect plays on passing touchdowns.
Miller becomes the first CU offensive lineman to draw first-team All-Academic honors from the Pac-12.
To be eligible for selection to the academic team, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.0 overall grade-point average and appear in at least 50 percent of their teams games.
Colorado's Pac-12 All-Academic First-Team Selections
| 2011 | Will Pericak, DE |
| Travis Sandersfeld, CB | |
| 2012 | Nate Bonsu, DT |
| Justin Gorman, DB | |
| Will Pericak, DE | |
| Connor Wood, QB | |
| 2013 | Nate Bonsu, DT |
| Will Oliver, PK | |
| Connor Wood, QB | |
| 2014 | Nelson Spruce, WR |
| 2015 | Michael Adkins II, TB |
| Nelson Spruce, WR | |
| 2017 | Derek McCartney, OLB |
| Isaac Miller, OL |
Players Mentioned
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