By Max Lederman
Northeastern’s football team was picked to finish 10th in the Atlantic 10 preseason coaches poll. One coach of the year, a storybook season, and two All-Americans later they stand alone atop the A10.
The 2002 Atlantic-10 champion Northeastern football team had their best season ever in 2002, finishing with a 10-3 record and their first NCAA playoff appearance ever, and the awards are starting to add up. Not only has NU head coach Don Brown been named Atlantic-10 coach of the year, but now the News has learned that sophomore linebacker Liam Ezekiel and senior defensive end Steve Anzalone have been named All-Americans. Liam Ezekiel earned third team Sports Network Division. IAA All-America honors and Steve Anzalone earned third team Associated Press NCAA Division. IAA All-America honors.
At 6’1″ 245 pounds, Ezekiel is the second strongest player on the team. He benches 385 pounds, and set a new NU record with 145 tackles, leading the Atlantic 10 in 2002.
“Liam had a tremendous season, he led the A10 in tackles and was in on almost every play for us,” said coach Brown. “To be honest, he is still learning his position, and who knows where he’s going to be in the next couple of years, in terms of his legacy here at Northeastern.”
Last season, Ezekiel, who only played in nine games, was second on the team with 82 tackles, a freshman record, and earned third team All-A10 honors, the first NU player ever to earn All-Conference honors as a freshman. Ezekiel hails from Arlington.
Anzalone made a career-high 75 tackles as a senior in 2002, including team-highs of 25 stops for a loss, for 151 yards, and nine sacks.
“Steve was a great leader for us on and off the field; he made so many big plays for us in big games over his years here, and was a huge factor for us in the championship game against JMU,” coach Brown said of his senior defensive end.
Anzalone was named second team All-A10 in 2001 and led the team with 19 tackles for a loss, totaling 63-yards — good for second in the A10. The 6’2″, 248-pounder from Weymouth finished second on NU’s career sack list, with 26.
