Posted on January 8th, 2010 by David Whipkey

Courtesy The University of Pittsburgh

Pitt true freshman tailback Dion Lewis added to his impressive list of honors earlier this week by being selected to the 2009 Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) Freshman All-America Team.

The 28-player team was selected by an 11-person panel of nationally prominent college football writers led by Mike Griffith of the Knoxville News Sentinel. True freshmen and redshirt freshmen are both eligible for the team.

This is the latest honor for Lewis, the most decorated freshman in all of college football in 2009. His other noteworthy honors include:

Selection as the Big East Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year, the first time a player has won both awards in the same season since Virginia Tech quarterback Michael Vick in 1999. Lewis was also named Unanimous First Team All-Big East, the first Pitt freshman to accomplish that feat since 2002 when receiver Larry Fitzgerald, now a perennial Pro Bowler with the Arizona Cardinals, earned the honor.

· Recognition on no fewer than seven All-America teams, including The Associated Press, Sporting News, CBSSports.com, SI.com, Phil Steele, Rivals.com and Scout.com.

· Unanimous Freshman All-America status.

· Most Valuable Player honors for the 2009 Meineke Car Care Bowl after he rushed for 159 yards and a touchdown in Pitt’s 19-17 victory over North Carolina.

· Selection as the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Rookie of the Year.

Lewis (Albany, N.Y./Blair Academy [N.J.]) rushed for a Pitt freshman-record 1,799 yards on 325 carries (5.5 avg.), surpassing the 36-year-old mark held by the legendary Tony Dorsett (1,686 in 1973). Overall, Lewis’ total is the second-highest single-season rushing mark in Pitt history, trailing only Dorsett’s 2,150 yards in 1976, the same year he won the Heisman Trophy and the Panthers won the national championship with a 12-0 record.

Lewis additionally totaled 18 touchdowns (17 rushing) for a Pitt freshman-record 108 points, breaking the prior frosh record of 90 points set in 2007 by tailback LeSean McCoy, now of the Philadelphia Eagles.

With its bowl victory over North Carolina, the Panthers finished with a 10-3 record, their winningest campaign since 1981.