Kasper, Summers Chosen To AP Little All-America Football Team
UW-Oshkosh quarterback Brett Kasper and center Ty Summers were selected to the 2017 Associated Press (AP) Little All-America NCAA Division III Football First Team.
Kasper and Summers, both seniors, are the first Titans to be named to the AP Little All-America First Team. UW-Oshkosh linebacker Reese Dziedzic was chosen to the third team in 2016 and punter Nate Ray to the second team in 2014.
Kasper, the 2017 Gagliardi Trophy winner for most outstanding Division III player, is the lone quarterback on the AP Little All-America First Team while Summers was named among five offensive linemen.
Kasper and Summers helped UW-Oshkosh to a 12-1 record this year, including a 7-0 mark in WIAC play for the program's sixth perfect league season.
With Kasper and Summers starting each game, the Titans won WIAC titles in 2015 and 2017 on the way to deep runs in three consecutive Division III Championships. UW-Oshkosh reached the semifinal round of the NCAA tournament this season after advancing to the national championship game for the first time in 2016 and to the quarterfinal round in 2015. The Titans compiled a 36-5 record over the last three seasons.
A two-time WIAC Offensive Player of the Year, Kasper finished his senior season with a school-record 34 touchdown passes while becoming the third Titan to pass for more than 3,000 yards in one year as he completed 186 of 285 passes for 3,025 yards. He tied the program record with six touchdown passes during a 42-21 victory over North Central College (Ill.) in the second round of the Division III playoffs on Nov. 25. The Two Rivers High School graduate also threw for four scores in wins over UW-Stevens Point on Oct. 7 and UW-La Crosse on Oct. 21.
Kasper passed for a season-high 339 yards and three touchdowns in a win over UW-Whitewater on Sept. 30. He threw for at least 200 yards nine times on the year and tossed multiple touchdown passes on 10 occasions.
Kasper concluded his senior season ranked second in the country with a 189.6 passing efficiency rating while listing third nationally with 10.61 yards per pass attempt, fifth with 16.26 yards per completion and seventh in touchdown passes.
The UW-Oshkosh all-time leader in passing yards and touchdown passes, Kasper capped his career with a 40-6 record as a starter. His program-record totals of 9,786 passing yards and 89 touchdowns rank third and second, respectively, in WIAC history while his career 161.8 passing efficiency rating set a new league record. Kasper also ranks sixth in WIAC history with 693 career completions.
Summers anchored a UW-Oshkosh offensive line that allowed just 13 sacks this season while paving the way for 16 Titans to average 5.7 yards per carry and rush for 3,118 yards and 34 touchdowns.
With Summers calling the signals, the Titan offensive line ranked second in the country by yielding 3.69 tackles for loss per game. Summers, a Lakes Community High School (Ill.) graduate, also played a significant role in helping UW-Oshkosh rank seventh nationally with 302 first downs and 12th with 484.5 yards per contest.
Kasper and Summers previously collected All-WIAC First Team and All-West Region First Team honors this season.
The AP Little All-America NCAA Division III Football Team, which was brought back this year in a partnership between the College Sports Information Directors of America and the Associated Press, was selected by a panel of sports information directors from around the country. In recent seasons, the AP Little All-America Football Team also included players from the NCAA Division II and the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.
The 2017 AP Little All-America NCAA Division III Football Team was comprised of 13 players on the First Team Offense, 12 on the First Team Defense, 16 on the Second Team Offense and 12 on the Second Team Defense.