Senior Mark Niles named Second Team All-America by American Football Coaches Association

By Tim Glon

| AFCA All-America Team (.pdf) |

ADA — Senior linebacker Mark Niles (Miramar, Fla.) has been named Second Team All-America in 2019 by the American Football Coaches Association.

Niles is a three-time All-Ohio Athletic Conference honoree and received the Gene Slaughter Award as the league's most valuable linebacker.

He was named First Team All-OAC in 2019 and 2018 and Second Team All-Conference in 2017.

Niles led the league in tackles for the second consecutive year in 2019, averaging 11.9 per game, which was more than two tackles per game better then his closest competitor.

He had 95 tackles in just eight games this year and ended his career ranked ninth all-time in ONU history with 268 tackles in 26 games.

The Polar Bears finished the season 6-4 overall and were tied for third in the OAC with a 6-3 league mark under 16th-year head coach Dean Paul.

ONU also clinched its 23rd upper division OAC finish in the past 25 seasons.