Pays becomes first Carroll player to earn prestigious honor
(Courtesy photo) Former Bulldog Todd Pays became the first Carroll player ever to be named to the COSIDA All-American first team this week.
SANDPOINT — Former Sandpoint football player Todd Pays earned a high honor this week, becoming the first Carroll College football player ever to be named to the College Sports Information Directors of American College Division Academic All America first team.
Pays, a 6-4, 290 pound starter on the Carroll offensive line that produced the second rushing offense in the Frontier Conference and the No. 18 ranking in the NAIA with 209.8 yards per game, capped his career with a strong senior season.
Pays is a civil engineering major with a gaudy 3.93 GPA, and his play on the field and work in the classroom earned the respect of his coach.
“This is an outstanding award for Todd,” Saints head coach Mike Van Diest said. “This is great recognition for what he has done on the field and in the classroom. Civil Engineering is not an easy major and it shows that an athlete can excel on the field, excel in the classroom and be a great human being as well.”
The award is the first for a Carroll football player. To be eligible for the award, a player must have been on the CoSIDA Academic All-District Team. The Saints have placed more players on the all-district team than any other program at any level over the past two seasons.
Back in 2013, when Bulldog head coach Satini Puailoa was describing twins Tim and Todd Pays, both of whom played offensive line for the Saints, he said Carroll liked their “brains and frames.”
Turned out he was spot on, as both are 6-4 and ranked among the top students at Carrol college before graduating recently.
“Tim and Todd were recruited to Carrol and awarded scholarships because of there size and grades, but more than that was their ability to work and overcome adversity. These two stayed the course and saw their commitment through, honoring their scholarship,” said Puailoa. “They would show up early and stay late. These qualities will continue to serve them well. The community of Sandpoint should be extremely proud of these two, who represent the finest qualities of scholar athletes.”