BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Bridgewater State University senior running back David Coakley has been selected to the 2020-2021 Academic All-District® One Division III Football Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Coakley and teammate Michael Rosa are the first members of the Bridgewater State football program to earn the CoSIDA Academic All-District® honor since Travis Bassett in 2015. All told, eight different football Bears have garnered the accolade since 2001 including Martyn Voorhis (2014), Alex Monteiro (2012), Justin Lima (2007, 2008), Russell Booth (2002, 2003) and Nicholas Bosh (2002).

Of the 17 District One honorees, Coakley and Rosa are the only two student-athletes from the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) to be voted to the team. District One is comprised of Massachusetts and Maine.

To be eligible for all-academic honors, a student-athlete must be a starter or a key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. First-team Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® ballot. First and second Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in early July.

A native of Bourne, Massachusetts, Coakley just wrapped up his final semester at Bridgewater State with an overall grade point average of 3.99. He earned a Bachelor of Science in public health and will attend the BSU graduation ceremony in late July at Gillette Stadium. Coakley, who transferred from Merrimack University, was named to the Dean's List in each of his six semesters at Bridgewater State and is also a three-time MASCAC Fall/Winter All-Academic Team selection. He was also selected to the 2021 National Football Foundation (NFF) Hampshire Honor Society and was recently named the co-recipient of the Peter Mazzaferro Scholarship Award. 

In two seasons on the BSU gridiron, Coakley appeared in 19 games and rushed for 150 yards and three touchdowns. He also caught one pass for 16 yards and returned two kickoffs for 24 yards. The Bears went 14-7 in David's two seasons with the squad including a 34-19 New England Bowl victory over Salve Regina University in 2018.

2020-2021 CoSIDA Academic All-District® Division III Football Teams (PDF)