Oct. 29, 2002

BALTIMORE, Md. -- The Johns Hopkins University football team has had five of its players named to the 2002 Centennial Conference Football Academic Honor Roll, it was recently announced. The 24 players selected to the honor roll represent all seven Centennial Conference football-playing schools and the five representatives for Johns Hopkins are a league-high.

Senior offensive linemen Brian Williams (Katy, TX/Strake Jesuit) and John Tiberi (Rancho Palos Verdes, CA/Chadwick) are joined by junior linebackers Paul Longo (Kensington, MD/Bethesda-Chevy Chase) and Matt Taylor (Greenwich, CT/Greenwich) and junior defensive back Jonas Nelson (East Berlin, PA/Spring Grove) as Hopkins' representatives on the honor roll. Williams, Longo and Taylor were all named to the Centennial Academic Honor Roll for the second consecutive year.

Williams, who earned Verizon District II Academic All-America honors last season, boasts a 3.52 cumulative grade point average and is majoring in biology. A three-year starter at guard, Williams is a member of the Pre.-Med. Honor Society and has been instrumental in the success of the Blue Jay offense, which has been ranked among the top units in the Centennial Conference throughout his career.

Tiberi started at tackle last season and made the move to guard this season, where he has played in every game with five starts. A biology major with a 3.59 cumulative grade point average, Tiberi is the Chairman of the Johns Hopkins Ethics board and is a member of the Biological Honor Society.

Longo is in his second year as a starter at linebacker and has ranked among Hopkins' leading tacklers in each of the last two years. He has been named to the National Society of Collegiate Scholars and completed an internship last summer at the National Institute of Aging. Longo currently ranks second on the team with 51 tackles and has a team-high seven pass breakups to go along with two interceptions. He is majoring in political science and has a 3.70 cumulative GPA.

Taylor has been a key member of the Johns Hopkins special teams unit throughout his career and is a reserve linebacker. An international studies major, he currently has a 3.67 cumulative grade point average.

A public health major, Nelson has played both safety and cornerback during his career and has a team-best 3.80 cumulative grade point average. A member of the Pre.-Med. Honor Society, he has played in all seven games this season and has eight tackles to his credit.

Johns Hopkins is currently 5-2 overall and 2-1 in the Centennial Conference. The Blue Jays, who were ranked as high as 26th in the nation earlier this season, will host Dickinson in a key Centennial Conference game this Saturday at 1:00 pm at Homewood Field.

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