The St. John’s football team is known for its defense. Opposing coaches in the Northeast Conference (NEC) recognized that this week.
Senior nose tackle Shawn Oliver and senior outside linebacker Josiah Mooney were named to the All-Northeast Conference Second Team Defense by NEC coaches.
Despite going 5-6 the defense ranked second in Division I-AA, averaging 244 yards allowed per game.
Head Coach Bob Ricca nominated Mooney for “Defensive Player of the Year”. He called him the best player he has ever coached. Mooney racked up 66 tackles, 24 of them for losses which accumulated to 130 yards. He also had seven sacks and four interceptions.Mooney finished his four year career with 167 tackles, nine sacks and seven interceptions.
Shawn Oliver emerged as a standout in 1999 when he replaced Elliott Hulse at nose tackle. Hulse had been moved to fullback. In 2000 Oliver had 47 tackles and five sacks. In his three seasons he had 108 tackles and 12 sacks.
