SAINT LOUIS, Mo. – Drake University junior linebacker Taylor Coleman (Hawthorn Woods, Ill.) has been named one of two Pioneer Football League Scholar-Athletes of the Year, the league announced Wednesday, Dec. 3, along with its 51-member Academic All-PFL team.

Coleman earned the honor alongside Butler's JoJo Ciancio to become the first Scholar-Athlete of the Year honorees, an award added prior to the 2014 season to recognize the PFL's top student-athlete – both on the field and in the classroom. This year, there were two honorees due to a tie in the voting, which was conducted among the league's sports information directors.

Coleman is a finance major with a 4.0 grade-point average at Drake. He also was named to the Capital One Academic All-District Team and was one of just nine all-district honorees to post a 4.0 GPA. Coleman has been named to the Academic All-PFL team the two years he has been eligible and is a two-time PFL honor roll member.

Coleman led Drake with 95 tackles in 2014 and ranked sixth among league tacklers and fifth among linebackers with 8.6 tackles per game. He also posted 8.5 tackles for loss, including 1.5 sacks, to finish the season ranked among the PFL's top 20 in tackles for loss. Coleman posted three double-digit tackle games during 2014, including a 19-tackle outing at Dayton. He was an honorable mention All-PFL selection this season.

Coleman was also one of seven Bulldogs named to the Academic All-PFL team with a spot on the first team for the second-consecutive season. Quarterback Andy Rice (Stevens Point, Wis.) also garnered his second selection to the Academic All-PFL first team with a 3.76 GPA as a marketing and management major. On the field he started all 11 games and threw for 2,261 yards with 11 touchdowns while running for five scores to earn honorable mention All-PFL accolades.

Defensive lineman Brett Park (Olivette, Mo.) made 40 tackles with 5.5 sacks while maintaining a 3.70 GPA as a finance student to also earn a spot on the Academic All-PFL first team.

Four Bulldogs dotted the Academic All-PFL second team with offensive linemen Jack Beck (Whitefish Bay, Wis.) and Aaron Johnson (Iowa City, Iowa) each being named to the team. Beck owns a 3.59 GPA in his marketing coursework while Johnson is a law, politics and society major with a 3.62 GPA.

Defensive back Drew Ormseth (Lake in the Hills, Ill.) was also named to the second team thanks to two interception returns for a touchdown this season while posting a 3.71 GPA as a health sciences major. Kicker Spencer Lee (Johnston, Iowa) rounded out Drake's honorees as one of three specialists honored on the second team. Lee, Drake's kickoff specialist the entire season, transitioned to the team's starting placekicker while earning a 3.62 GPA in health sciences.

The Academic All-PFL teams are a complement to the Capital One Academic All-America® program presented by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Eleven PFL student-athletes were named to their respective Capital One Academic All-District Teams® this fall. The 2014 Capital One Academic All-America Teams® will be announced Thursday.

Pioneer Football League athletic directors established the Academic All-PFL squads in 1993 as a way to recognize the league's outstanding student-athletes. To be eligible for Academic All-PFL consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade-point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00 and reached their second season both athletically and academically at his current institution.

The Academic All-PFL announcement concludes a bountiful week of PFL honors for the Bulldogs. On Monday, Mack Marrin (Mendota Heights, Minn.) was named the PFL Freshman Defensive Player of the Year. On Tuesday, 16 Bulldogs were named to the All-PFL teams for their accomplishments on the field.

2014 Pioneer Football League Major Award Winners

Offensive Player of the Year: Connor Kacsor, Dayton

Defensive Player of the Year: Donald Payne, Stetson

Freshman Offensive Player of the Year: Jeffrey Keil, Davidson

Freshman Defensive Player of the Year: Mack Marrin, Drake

Coach of the Year: Dale Lindsey, San Diego

Scholar-Athletes of the Year: JoJo Ciancio, Butler & Taylor Coleman, Drake