Tuesday, December 3, 2019

WACO, Texas – After helping lead Western Oregon to a share of its first-ever GNAC football championship and anchoring an offensive line that protected one of conference’s top offenses, senior offensive lineman Joseph Gonzales has been named a Second Team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA).

Gonzales is the only GNAC athlete selected by the coaches organization to its All-America team. In November, Gonzales was named the conference’s co-Offensive Lineman of the Year and was a nominee in Super Region 4 for the Gene Upshaw Award, which honors the best lineman in Division II football.

"Joseph has continually improved each season in our program and has become one of the top linemen to play at WOU," Western Oregon head coach Arne Ferguson told WOUWolves.com. "This year was just another example of how his work ethic translated into not just the multiple accolades in which he received, but all of the records that were achieved by the offense this season."

Gonzales played a key role in a Western Oregon offensive line that played a big role in the Wolves finishing the regular season ranked 18th in Division II in total offense. The line allowed 1.82 sacks per game and was 37th in Division II with 5.18 tackles for loss allowed per game. In the process, Western Oregon’s offense set Division II-era school records with 2,672 rushing yards, 30 rushing touchdowns and 5,119 yards of total offense.

Western Oregon earned its first-ever GNAC championship, sharing the title with Central Washington, after compiling a 7-4 overall record and a 5-1 conference record.