Tracy and Lissemore drafted into pro football
Broadway bound Defensive end Adrian Tracy (97) was selected in the sixth round of the NFL draft by the New York Giants. courtesy of Tribe athletics
He's a Cowboy Defensive lineman Sean Lissemore (93) will be joining the Dallas Cowboys as a seventh-round draft pick. courtesy of Tribe athletics
Watch out, Brett Favre Tribe QB R.J. Archer is joining the Minnesota Vikings as a free agent. courtesy of Tribe athletics
The Colts called S David Caldwell will join the AFC Champion Indianapolis Colts this summer as a free agent.
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All-American defensive end Adrian Tracy (Sterling, Va.) was selected by the New York Giants in the sixth round (184 overall), while the Dallas Cowboys chose defensive tackle Sean Lissemore (Dumont, N.J.) in the seventh round (pick 234).
Tribe quarterback R.J. Archer (Earlysville, Va.) was extended a free-agent offer by the Minnesota Vikings at the completion of the draft, while safety David Caldwell (Montclair, N.J.) accepted a free-agent offer from the Indianapolis Colts.
This marks the second-straight year William and Mary has had a player drafted. Former Tribe cornerback Derek Cox was selected in the third round of the 2009 draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars and went on to start every game for the team. Only former Tribe All-American safety Darren Sharper has been selected higher (second round by the Green Bay Packers in 1997) in the College's history. Last season, Sharper helped lead the New Orleans Saints to a Super Bowl title and earned his fifth All-Pro honor.
A two-time first-team All-Colonial Athletic Association honoree, Tracy was one of the country’s most dominant defensive players. He ranked seventh nationally with 1.57 tackles for loss per game and 15th at 0.79 quarterback sacks per game. With 12 sacks, he equaled the single-season school record established by Luke Cullinane in 1996.
Additionally, Tracy ranked sixth in the conference in tackles among defensive linemen with 5.6 per game. Tracy finished his senior season having been named to a total of four All-America teams in 2009 (earning first-team honors from both the Walter Camp Football Foundation and the American Football Coaches Association, while garnering second-team distinction from the Associated Press and the Sports Network). In addition, he established a school record by starting all 47 games played during his career.
Lissemore was a four-year contributor on the defensive front for the College, but saved his best overall performance for last, as he earned his first career all-conference honor by being named first team All-CAA this season. He also earned first-team All-America honors from the Sports Network by finishing the year with 66 total tackles (30 solo) and 14 tackles for loss, including 6.5 sacks.
Lissemore also collected a pair of interceptions and had four passes deflected on the year, further proof that he was simply one of the most dominant interior players in the country.
One of the more physical safeties in the Football Championship Series (FCS), Caldwell was a four-year starter for the College, after seeing playing time as a true freshman. After leading the Tribe in tackles during both his sophomore and junior seasons, he earned the initial all-conference honor of his career with a first-team selection in 2009. The Montclair, N.J., native finished the season with 58 tackles, two for losses, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. With 165 solo tackles during his career, he ranked 14th among all active players at the end of the season.
In just his first year as a starting quarterback, Archer was named to the all-conference second team after ranking second in the league with 198.4 passing yards per game. He also ranked second in the CAA with 216.6 total yards per game. One of Archer’s top performances came at then-No. 2 Villanova when he threw for 354 yards and equaled a single-game school record with 35 completions. He also established a single-game school record with 55 pass attempts versus the Wildcats.
Archer also etched his name in the Tribe record book with the two longest completions in school history; a 98-yard TD pass to Cam Dohse in the NCAA national semifinals at Villanova, and a 91-yard touchdown pass to Chase Hill against Delaware. He finished the season completing 261 of 433 passes for 2,778 yards and 16 touchdowns, while rushing for 255 yards and five scores.
Having both Tracy and Lissemore drafted marks the most for the College in a single year since the 1987 season, when Archie Harris (seventh round, then-Los Amgeles Rams), Michael Clemons (eighth, Kansas City Chiefs) and Ken Lambiotte (ninth, Philadelphia Eagles) all had their names called. The school record for a single draft is seven in 1948, which lasted 30 rounds. Interestingly, the last Tribe player to be selected in that draft was Lou Creekmur (26th round by the Detroit Lions), who went on to have a Hall-of-Fame NFL career.
