Nov. 9, 2007

HOUSTON - University of Houston junior Jake Ebner was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District football team yesterday, November 8, announced the College Sports Information Directors of America and ESPN The Magazine.

Ebner, a fullback out of Friendswood, Texas, is finishing a double major in finance and marketing and has achieved a 3.42 grade point average. As a member of the first team he is now eligible to receive Academic All-America honors given to the top-11 athletes throughout the eight districts. Those winners will be announced later this month. It is the second consecutive year a Houston football player has earned first team accolades.

The Academic All-America Teams program honors 816 male and female student-athletes annually who have succeeded at the highest level on the playing field and in the classroom. Individuals are selected through voting by CoSIDA (the College Sports Information Directors of America), a 2,000 member organization consisting of sports public relations professionals for colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.

To be eligible, a student-athletes must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.

ESPN The Magazine - winner of the 2003 National Magazine Award for General Excellence - is a provocative and innovative sports publication. Full of insight, analysis, impact and wit, the oversized bi-weekly with a circulation of 1.85 million looks ahead to give fans a unique perspective on the world of sports. For more information about the Academic All-America Teams program, please visit www.cosida.com.