Six Upper Iowa University football players were named to the All-Independent Football Alliance (IFA) Team today. The Peacocks were honored with four first team selections, one second team choice and one honorable mention pick.
 
Three of the first team selections were on the offensive side of the ball. Senior Aaron Maar (Stuart, Fla./Martin County HS) was named a first team offensive lineman. The 6-6, 305-pound tackle started all 11 games for the Peacocks this season. He graded out at 92 percent and recorded 15 pancakes. Maar was a four-year starter for UIU.
 
Senior Gary Glasby Jr. (St. Louis, Mo./Lindbergh HS) was named a first team wide receiver and an honorable mention return specialist. He was second on the team with 41 receptions and 496 receiving yards. Glasby caught three touchdown passes and had three games of at least 100 yards receiving. He also carried the ball 15 times for 71 yards and a score. As a return specialist, Glasby returned 21 kickoffs for 489 yards, including a season-long 49-yard return at South Dakota. He finished his two-year UIU career with 55 receptions for 628 yards and three touchdowns, and added 126 rushing attempts for 552 yards and seven scores.
 
Despite missing the final four games of the season due to injury, sophomore T.C. Hicks (Immokalee, Fla./Immokalee HS) earned first team running back honors. Hicks led the team with 152 rushing attempts, 659 yards and six rushing touchdowns. He had three 100-yard rushing games and one 99-yard effort. In playing just the first half of a win at Waldorf, Hicks had the sixth-best single-game rushing performance in school history with 198 yards on 20 carries. Hicks has rushed for 1070 yards in his two-year Peacock career.
 
On defense, sophomore Adam Kirksey (Charles City, Iowa/Charles City HS) was named a first team defensive lineman. The 6-4, 280-pound defensive tackle finished second on the team with 87 total tackles and 11 tackles for loss. He also broke up two passes and recovered a fumble. Kirksey had two double-digit tackle performances, including 16 stops against Northwestern Oklahoma State. In that game, he also blocked a potential game-tying extra point to preserve a Peacock victory in the second overtime of a 30-29 win.
 
Fellow defensive lineman Duran Major (Miami, Fla./American HS) represented Upper Iowa on the second team. The senior defensive end led the team and was among the nation's leaders with 17.5 tackles for loss and seven sacks. His sack total is the highest for a Peacock in a single year since 2000. He finished with 46 total tackles. Major registered a season-high 9 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, against Minnesota Duluth. He finished his four-year UIU career with 92 total tackles, 27.5 tackles for loss, 14 sacks and seven forced fumbles.
 
Sophomore Dwayne Croker (Immokalee, Fla./Immokalee HS) led Upper Iowa with 61 receptions, 720 receiving yards and five touchdown catches, but only earned honorable mention wide receiver recognition. His 61 receptions place him fifth on the school's all-time list for receptions in a season. Croker had more than 100 yards receiving in two games and caught at least four passes in nine contests this year. He also added his name to the Peacock record book following his 12-catch, 138-yards, one-touchdown performance at South Dakota, which tied him for second place for receptions in a game. Croker was also an honorable mention return specialist after returning 15 kickoffs for 350 yards, including a long return of 50 yards.
 
Upper Iowa finished the 2005 season with a 3-8 record, marking the most wins for the Peacocks since the 2001 campaign.
 
The Independent Football Alliance is an association of 10 NCAA Division II Independent Institutions consisting of Central State University, Chowan College, Lincoln University, University of Missouri-Rolla, North Greenville College, Oklahoma Panhandle State University, Saint Joseph's College, Tiffin University, Upper Iowa University and Western New Mexico University.