NEW HAVEN, CT -- After leading the University of Delaware football team to the FCS National Championship game, Blue Hen seniors Mike Byrne and Omar Cuff have earned first team All-American honors as selected by the Walter Camp Foundation.

The Walter Camp team is the first of four NCAA FCS All-American teams to be announced this month. The American Football Coaches Association and The Sports Network All-American teams will be announced later this week followed by the Associated Press team later this month.

Byrne (at right), a 6-6, 295 lb. senior from Lititz, PA (Manheim Central), is just the third Delaware offensive lineman to earn first team Walter Camp honors following only Brian Cook in 1998 and Jeff Fiss in 2000.

In 2007, Byrne has started all 14 games and helped pave the way for an offense that finished the regular season ranked first in the Colonial Athletic Association in scoring (37.3 points-per-game), passing (286.3 yards-per-game), and total offense (462.6 yards-per-game).

Earlier this season Byrne also was selected to the 1st team All-CAA squad, while he earned ESPN the Magazine/CoSIDA District 2 All-Academic honors and was a semifinalist for the National Football Foundation Draddy Award.

Cuff (at left), a senior from Landover, MD (C.H. Flowers), is the first Blue Hen running back to earn Walter Camp honors. A first team All-CAA selection this season, he has run for 1,861 yards at a 4.9 yards-per-carry clip. He has also hauled in 52 receptions for 513 yards.

A starter in all 14 games, Cuff leads the nation in scoring with 38 touchdowns, which set a new single-season FCS record and is just three shy of the All-Divisions mark. His 132.93 rushing yards-per-game average is also the seventh best in the country.

A third-team All-American selection by The Sports Network as a sophomore in 2005, he earned national Offensive Player of the Week honors by the College Sporting News this year after scoring seven touchdowns and racking up 296 yards of total offense against William & Mary in the season opener.

Once again, the Colonial Athletic Association was well-represented on the Walter Camp All-American team making up seven of the 27 selections. Joining the two Blue Hens were Massachusetts' Mike Austin and Jason Hatchell, Richmond's Tim Hightower, and James Madison's Tony LeZotte. Ricky Santos, New Hampshire's senior quarterback, also earned first team honors for the third time in his career.

AGATE:

2007 Walter Camp Foundation NCAA I-AA All-American Team:

Offense - WR - Terrell Hudgins (Elon), Ramses Barden (Cal Poly); TE - Matt Champa (Dayton); OL - Kerry Brown (Appalachian State), Mike Byrne (Delaware), Mike Austin (Massachusetts), Nate Safe (North Dakota State), Chad Rinehard (Northern Iowa); QB - Ricky Santos (New Hampshire); RB - Omar Cuff (Delaware), Tim Hightower (Richmond); K - Dan Carpenter (Montana).

Defense - DL - Kroy Biermann (Montana), Bryan Smith (McNeese State), Brian Johnson (Gardner-Webb), Eric Bakhtiari (San Diego); LB - Kye Stewart (Illinois State), Bobby Daly (Montana State), Jason Hatchell (Massachusetts), Joe Mays (North Dakota State); DB - Corey Lynch (Appalachian State), Tony LeZotte (James Madison), Ladarius Webb (Nicholls State), Derrick Huff (Eastern Kentucky); P - Chris MacDonald (Texas State); KR - Jeremy Gilchrist (Hampton).