Ben Cooney Earns Second-Team AP All-America Honors

CLAREMONT, Calif. - Senior cornerback Ben Cooney earned second-team Division III All-America honors from the Associated Press, the organization announced today.

Cooney adds the second-team honor to the first-team All-America award which he picked up earlier this week from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), making him the first CMS football player in program history to earn Division III first-team All-America distinction. 

In addition to his national honors, Cooney was also named the SCIAC Defensive Player of the Year after helping the Stags hold their opponents to just 9.2 points per game. CMS did not allow a touchdown in five of its nine games on its way to a share of the SCIAC title, and never allowed a touchdown at home this entire season (four games). 

Individually, Cooney was a standout cover corner for CMS, finishing this season with 44 tackles (29 solo), including 4.5 for losses. He also had two interceptions, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, and nine pass break-ups. He ended his four-year career with 165 tackles, 11 interceptions and 39 break-ups, while contributing to a pair of league championships in 2018 and 2022. 

In 2022, CMS ranked seventh in the country in total defense and scoring defense, 18th in pass efficiency defense, and 22nd in passing yards allowed. In the Stags' top non-conference game at Whitworth, Cooney had nine tackles, including two for losses, and an interception in a 12-7 loss, earning SCIAC Defensive Player of the Week.

Cooney earned the SCIAC Defensive Player of the Week a second time on Oct. 10 after coming up with a pair of turnovers in a 28-6 win over Chapman, which both came on opposite one-yard lines. He forced a fumble on the Chapman one-yard line to set up a touchdown that put the Stags ahead 21-6, and then intercepted a pass on the CMS one-yard line to kill Chapman's final drive. He broke up three passes in a 42-0 shutout win over Redlands that clinched a share of the SCIAC title for the Stags. 

During his career, Cooney earned All-SCIAC distinction all four seasons, with three selections to the second-team in 2018, 2019 and 2021, to go along with his Defensive Player of the Year honor and first-team distinction in 2022. He was chosen to the D3football.com National Team of the Week in 2019 after recording an interception and six pass break-ups in a win over Puget Sound.