Black Bears named All-American

ORONO – University of Maine football players Chad Hayes, Stephen Cooper and Lennard Byrd were selected on Monday to the Sports Network All-American teams.

Hayes, a senior tight end, and Cooper, a junior linebacker, were second-team selections. Byrd, a senior return specialist, was a third-team pick.

Hayes, a 6-foot-6, 252-pounder from Old Town, caught 39 passes for 510 yards and nine touchdowns for the Bears. His 28 regular-season catches for 382 yards were all-time highs for UMaine tight ends.

Cooper, a 6-1, 220-pounder from Wareham, Mass., led the Black Bears with 115 tackles, and is a finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is presented to the top defensive player in the nation in Division I-AA ranks.

The 5-7, 174-pound Byrd, a native of Kingston, N.Y., averaged 26.4 yards per kickoff return and 10.7 yards per punt return. In 2001, he became the second Black Bear in history to return both a punt and a kickoff for a touchdown.