Teams: Football: Press Releases

TASSINARI SELECTED TO D3FOOTBALL.COM PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN TEAM

MEDFORD -- Safety Tom Tassinari (Andover, MA), who will be a senior on the Tufts University football team this fall, was announced as a D3football.com 2009 Preseason All-American today. He is the only defensive player from New England on D3football's All-American First and Second Teams for the preseason.

One of just two New England players among the 50 selected overall as preseason All-Americans, Tassinari is on the Second Team at safety. MIT running back DeRon Brown is the only other player from the region named to the teams. D3football.com is the definitive voice of NCAA small college football.

Tassinari was selected All-East Region by D3football after the 2008 season. He was the only New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) defender among the 22 players picked by D3football for the first and second teams. He was also one of only four defenders from New England Division III  honored on the All-Region teams. Ten players from New England overall were on the first and second team offenses and defenses overall.

With Division I size in the defensive backfield at 6'3", 210 pounds, Tassinari intercepted five passes in '08 and returned them for a total of 127 yards. For the second straight year, he had an interception return for a touchdown when he took one back 48 yards against Bates on September 27. He also had three interceptions for 79 yards in returns at Middlebury on November 8, all coming in the first half. He returned the first 48 yards, leading to a Tufts field goal. The second, on the next Middlebury possession, was returned 31 yards and set up a Jumbo touchdown. His third pick against the Panthers came at the Tufts 1-yard line, stopping Middlebury from going in and preserving a 17-7 Jumbo lead at the time.

Tied for second in the NESCAC with five interceptions last fall, his 0.63 per game average tied for 17th in Division III nationally. Including four pass break-ups, his nine passes defended for the Jumbos in eight games were among the NCAA Div. III top 100.

In addition to being All-NESCAC first team for the last two seasons, Tassinari last year was also the first Jumbo selected to the prestigious New England Football Writers' All-New England team since Chris Decembrele in 2005. With five interceptions for the Jumbos in 2007, Tassinari now has 10 in his career.

►2009 D3football.com preseason All-Americans

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