HANSON FIELD - Western Illinois University Athletics
HANSON FIELD - Western Illinois University Athletics
HANSON FIELD - Western Illinois University Athletics
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20<br />
BUCK BUCHANAN<br />
AWARD WINNERS<br />
James milton<br />
1998 Buck Buchanan Award Winner<br />
James Milton became the first Leatherneck and Gateway Conference player to win a national award when<br />
he was named the Buck Buchanan Award winner following the 1998 season.<br />
Milton was the leader of a <strong>Western</strong><br />
<strong>Illinois</strong> defense which led the nation<br />
in fewest points allowed (9.37) during<br />
the regular season, the secondlowest<br />
total in school history. Milton<br />
led the 1998 squad with 176 tackles,<br />
just seven shy of <strong>Western</strong>’s singleseason<br />
record, along with 22 tacklesfor-loss,<br />
six pass breakups and two<br />
interceptions.<br />
Milton finished his two-year career<br />
with 316 tackles and became <strong>Western</strong><br />
<strong>Illinois</strong>’ fourth consensus All-American<br />
in 1998 when he was named to six All-<br />
America teams.<br />
He scored the only touchdown of his Leatherneck career when he returned a blocked punt two yards. He<br />
was named the Gateway Defensive Player of the Week twice and earned Gateway Defensive Player of<br />
the Year honors. Don Hansen’s football Gazette picked him as the I-AA Linebacker of the Year.<br />
Milton was signed as a free agent by the Kansas City Chiefs, but was released prior to the 1999<br />
season.<br />
EDGERTON HARTWELL<br />
2000 Buck Buchanan Award Winner<br />
After leading the nation in tackles, Edgerton Hartwell was named the 2000 Buck Buchanan Award winner,<br />
making <strong>Western</strong> <strong>Illinois</strong> the first school to have two different players win the award.<br />
Hartwell finished his three-year career<br />
as <strong>Western</strong>’s all-time leading tackler<br />
with 512 stops, setting school records<br />
for career solo tackles (308) and total<br />
tackles in a season (191 in 2000). The<br />
two-time Gateway Defensive Player of<br />
the Year was the nation’s leading tackler<br />
in 2000 with 169 stops in the regular<br />
season and 191 including the playoffs.<br />
Hartwell became the first Leatherneck<br />
to earn back-to-back consensus All-<br />
American honors, being named to<br />
every All-America team in both 1999<br />
and 2000.<br />
He recorded 20 or more tackles six<br />
times in his career and tied the school<br />
record with 18 solo tackles in a game<br />
(vs. Elon College, 1999). During his<br />
career, Hartwell recorded three of<br />
<strong>Western</strong>’s top seven single-season<br />
tackle totals.<br />
He was selected in the fourth round of<br />
the 2001 NFL Draft by the Baltimore<br />
Ravens (126th pick overall), the second<br />
I-AA player drafted and <strong>Western</strong>’s sixthhighest<br />
pick of all time.<br />
62<br />
WESTERN ILLINOIS FIGHTING LEATHERNECKS
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