VALDOSTA, Ga. – Valdosta State placed 10 players on the Gulf South Conference All-Decade Team and was named the 2000 through 2009 Team of the Decade, according to an announcement made by the league offices recently.

The Blazers earned 103.5 out of a possible 116 points, or 89.0 percent of the possible points, in being named the Team of the Decade. VSU easily out-distanced runner-up Delta State, who tallied 90 points, or 78.0 percent, while North Alabama was third with 83 (72.0 percent). Valdosta State finished among the top three teams in the conference all 10 years during the decade, including league championships in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2004.

Dusty Bonner, who won the Harlon Hill Trophy as NCAA Division II’s top player both seasons he played for Valdosta State, was named the GSC Offensive Player of the Decade. One of only three players to ever win the Harlon Hill in back-to-back seasons, Bonner dominated during the 2000 and 2001 seasons as he passed for 8,163 yards and 107 touchdowns. He owns the league record for career completion percentage (71.1 after completing 649 of 913 passes), touchdown passes in a game (seven) and touchdown passes in a season (55).

Valdosta State also laid claim to the GSC Coach of the Decade as Chris Hatcher earned the honor after leading VSU to four conference championships and a national title in 2004. Hatcher, who led the Blazers from 2000 through 2006, compiled a 76-12 record during his seven seasons with the Red and Black. He was named the GSC Coach of the Year in three of his seven seasons and left VSU with a .864 winning percentage, the highest in league history.

Bonner was joined on the first team All-Decade squad by a quartet of offensive players as well as one each from defense and special teams. The seven first team All-Decade members for Valdosta State were the most by any school in the conference.

The Blazers dominated the skill positions as Aaron Jenkins was one of two running backs named to the squad. Jenkins was named the 2002 GSC Offensive Player of the Year and led all conference running backs with a VSU record 3,859 rushing yards during the decade. Jenkins also scored 34 touchdowns while earning All-America honors in 2002.

A pair of receivers also earned first team recognition as wide receiver Reggie Mosley and tight end C.J. Lofton, who teamed together between 1999 and 2002, won the honor. Mosley, one of three wide receivers on the first team, is the GSC career leader in receiving yards with 3,738 and receiving touchdowns with 48. A two-time All-American, Mosley is also fourth in the league history books with 235 career receptions. Lofton, a three-time All-American, also ranks among the top 10 in all three categories as he is third in touchdowns with 32, fifth in receptions with 228 and 10th in receiving yards at 2,724.

Torrey Howard rounded out the first team offensive honorees for VSU as he was named first team All-GSC in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Also an All-American in 2004, Howard is just one of seven offensive lineman in the history of the conference to earn All-GSC three times.

Three-time All-American Sherard Reynolds was the lone Blazer honored on the defensive side of the ball. Reynolds, who played wide receiver as a freshman before moving to safety for his final three years, tallied 243 tackles in his three seasons on the defensive side of the ball, the 11th highest total in VSU history. He also intercepted 14 passes and recovered five fumbles while breaking up 18 passes.

Kicker Will Rhody rounded out the VSU first team honorees. Rhody scored 308 points during his Valdosta State career, the fourth-highest total in GSC history. He kicked a league-record 51 field goals during his four-year career and led the decade with 158 extra points made.

Three Blazers earned second team All-Decade recognition, led by wide receiver Cedric Jones. Jones, the conference leader in career receptions with 252, was named first team All-GSC three times in his career and earned All-America honors in 2007. He was joined on the offensive side of the ball by offensive tackle Gerald Davis, who played for the 2004 and 2007 national championship teams, as well as defensive end Tim Thompson, who recorded a school record 49.0 tackles for loss during his career.

Men’s Hoops teams follow football steps
VALDOSTA, Ga. – Valdosta State placed two players on the Gulf South Conference men’s basketball All-Decade East Division Team while the Blazers were named the conference’s overall Team of the Decade, according to an announcement made by the league office on Thursday.

The Blazers topped West Georgia by just half a point, earning 115 out of a possible 161 points, to earn the Team of the Decade honor. The Blazers finished with 71.4 percent of the possible points in earning the award while the Wolves tallied 71.1 percent. Harding was third with 108.5 points (67.4) followed by Delta State with 107.5 (66.8) and Alabama-Huntsville with 106 (65.8).

Former Blazer Tyrone Curnell, who finished his stellar two-year VSU career this past season, earned first team All-Decade honors while Jon Rogers, who starred for the Blazers from 2002 through 2006, was recognized on the second team.

Curnell earned All-America honors both seasons he was with VSU while being named the GSC and South Region Player of the Year in 2010. Curnell averaged 15.9 points and 8.5 rebounds per game over the course of his two years as he scored 1,003 points and grabbed 538 rebounds in 61 games. He shot 50.6 percent from the field and 71.2 percent from the free throw line while dishing out 136 assists, blocking 58 shots and tallying 115 steals.

Rogers was one of the most dominant big men in the GSC throughout his four year career as he 10.5 points and 7.4 rebounds during his time in the Red and Black. He scored 1,148 points and had 804 rebounds while playing in 109 out of a possible 110 games in his career. Rogers blocked 195 career shots and had 69 steals while also handing out 43 assists. He also shot 55.5 percent from the floor over the course of his career.