WACO, Texas – University of Notre Dame junior wide receiver Golden Tate has been named to the 2009 AFCA Coaches’ All-America Team announced Thursday by the American Football Coaches Association.

Michigan State junior linebacker and 2009 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Greg Jones was also named First-Team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association.

Tate becomes the 49th Notre Dame player and the 56th selection to the AFCA All-America Team. Only Oklahoma has had more players named (52) and more players represented (60 selections) on the AFCA All-America Team.

Tate is the first Notre Dame player tabbed for this team since cornerback Shane Walton in 2002 and the first offensive player selected since offensive tackle Aaron Taylor in 1993.

The 5-11, 195-pounder from Hendersonville, Tenn., rewrote the Irish receiving record book in 2009 as he tied or broke six school records.

Tate set single-season records with 93 receptions for 1,496 yards and tied the school record with 15 receiving touchdowns. He broke the career receiving yards record with 2,707 yards and set the school record for most 100-yard receiving games in a season (nine) and in a career (15).

A finalist this year for the Biletnikoff Award, presented annually to college football’s top wide receiver, Tate ranked in the top eight nationally in nine receiving categories. He tied for first in total touchdowns (18), scoring (108) and scoring per game (9.0 points), ranked second in receiving touchdowns and was fourth in total receiving yards and receiving yards per game (124.67). Tate ranked sixth in total receptions, seventh receptions per game (7.75) and eighth in yards per catch (16.09).

Tate added 186 rushing yards on 25 carries with two rushing TDs and also scored on an 87-yard punt return at Pittsburgh. He scored at least one TD in each of the final 11 games and no player had more 100-yard receiving games this year than Tate.

The 6-foot-1, 228-pound Jones leads the Big Ten and ranks third in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision with 141 tackles, the eighth-best single-season total in MSU history. He becomes the first Spartan to earn AFCA All-America honors since wide receiver Charles Rogers in 2002.

Jones ranks fourth in the NCAA FBS in tackles per game (11.8), tied for 22nd in sacks (0.75 per game) and tied for 43rd in tackles for loss (1.13 per game). He also is listed among the Big Ten leaders in sacks (fourth) and tackles for loss (tied for eighth at 1.12 per game). Jones leads the team in tackles (141 total), tackles for loss (13.5 for 68 yards), sacks (9.0 for 53 yards) and production points (282). He became the first Spartan to record back-to-back 100-tackle seasons since 2003-04 when both linebacker Ronald Stanley and free safety Jason Harmon reached the milestone.

Jones reached double-figure tackles for the eighth time this season in MSU’s regular-season finale against No. 13 Penn State, matching his career high with 15 tackles. He recorded 2.5 tackles for loss (11 yards) against the Nittany Lions, including 1.5 sacks (6 yards).

He also posted double-digit tackles against Montana State (14), Central Michigan (15), Wisconsin (14), Illinois (11), Northwestern (14), Iowa (12) and Minnesota (12). Jones produced a career-best two sacks (9 yards) in MSU’s 24-14 Homecoming victory over Northwestern.

2009 AFCA Coaches’
All-America Team
Offense
WR Golden Tate, Notre Dame; WR Mardy Gilyard, Cincinnati; TE Dennis Pitta, BYU; OL Mike Johnson, Alabama; OL Russell Okung, Oklahoma State; C Chris Hall, Texas; OL Trent Williams, Oklahoma; OL Mike Iupati, Idaho; QB Colt McCoy, Texas; RB Mark Ingram, Alabama; RB Toby Gerhart, Stanford

Defense
DL Ndamukong Suh, Nebraska; DL Jerry Hughes, TCU; DL Jared Odrick, Penn State; DL Derrick Morgan, Georgia Tech; DL Brian Price, UCLA; LB Rolando McClain, Alabama; LB Greg Jones, Michigan State; DB Eric Berry, Tennessee; DB Joe Haden, Florida; DB Javier Arenas, Alabama; DB Earl Thomas, Texas

Special Teams
P Drew Butler, Georgia; PK Kai Forbath, UCLA; AP C.J. Spiller, Clemson