All-American Hunter: Spud picked to 1st Team

DALLAS - Oklahoma State sophomore running back Kendall Hunter has been named tabbed as a first-team All-America selection by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA).

The official announcement was made Saturday afternoon on ABC as part of a one-hour show sponsored by AT&T.

The FWAA is the second organization to name Hunter as an All-American. He was also named a first-team All-America running back by Rivals.com.

Hunter joins fellow Cowboy sophomore Dez Bryant (American Football Coaches Association and Walter Camp) as a first-team All-America pick in 2008. OSU offensive lineman Russell Okung is a second-team member of the Rivals All-America squad.

Hunter, the nation's sixth-leading rusher with an average of 126.5 yards per game and 6.7 yards per carry, is OSU's first All-America running back since Gerald Hudson in 1990 and the first Cowboy sophomore to earn All-America honors at that position since Thurman Thomas in 1985. He led the Big 12 in rushing by more than 40 yards per game.

Hunter will enter the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl on Dec. 30 with 1,518 rushing yards in 2008 and a career total of 2,214 yards to rank No. 12 all-time at Oklahoma State. He is the second straight Cowboy back to earn first-team all-Big 12 honors in the backfield. Dantrell Savage was an all-league selection in 2007.

The FWAA All-America team is the second longest continuously published All-America team in major college football. It dates back to 1944.