RICHMOND, Va. – Coach Rob Ambrose and freshman Terrance West, who led the Tigers to a dramatic turnaround and the Colonial Athletic Association championship, have been honored as the CAA Coach of the Year and the CAA Offensive Rookie of the Year respectively, it has been announced by CAA officials.

In addition, seven Tigers earned All-CAA honors. West was one of three Tigers who were named first team All-CAA. Junior defensive end Frank Beltre and junior safety Jordan Dangerfield (right) were also first team selections.

Senior tackle Henry Glackin and freshman kick returner Derrick Joseph earned second team All-CAA notice while senior fullback Tyler Wharton and sophomore tackle Eric Pike were named to the All-CAA third team.

For Beltre and Wharton, it marked the second time that they were named as All-CAA selections. Wharton was a second team All-CAA selection last year while Beltre earned third team honors.

Prior to this season, the Tigers had only five players named first team All-CAA. Linebacker Brian Bradford, '08 was honored in 2007 while offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod, '07 and wide receiver Eric Yancey, '07 were named to the first team in 2006. In 2005, defensive back Allante Harrison, '06 was a first team all-conference selection while safety P.D. Moore, '05 was honored in 2004.

Having seven players earn All-CAA honors is also a program high.

Ambrose, a 1993 Towson graduate, was the architect of one of the most dramatic turnarounds in NCAA FCS history. In his third season as their coach, he led the Tigers to a 9-2 record and a 7-1 mark in the CAA. The Tigers, who were 3-19 in his first two seasons, made an eight-game improvement over the 2010 season. The Tigers were 1-10 last year.

Picked to finish last in the CAA in the conference's pre-season poll, the Tigers won seven of eight conference games. Towson entered the season with 26 losses in its last 28 CAA games.

Ranked eighth in NCAA FCS in this week's poll that is conducted by The Sports Network, the Tigers posted six victories over nationally-ranked teams this season. In back-to-back weeks, the Tigers beat No. 7 Maine and No. 7 New Hampshire.

The Tigers are just the second team in CAA history to go from “worst to first.” In 1998, James Madison finished last in the league with a 3-8 overall record and a 2-6 conference record. One year later, JMU posted an 8-4 overall record and a 7-1 conference mark. The Dukes shared the conference championship with UMass in 1999.

The tenth-leading rusher in NCAA FCS, West has rushed for 1,242 yards on 183 carries in ten games. Averaging 124.20 yards per game, he ranks second in the CAA. A leading candidate for the Jerry Rice Award, presented to the top freshman in NCAA FCS Football, West has scored 27 touchdowns. His school record 27 touchdowns lead NCAA FCS. West, who had a career high 261-yard performance against New Hampshire two weeks ago, has rushed for more than 100 yards in six of his last seven games. He has scored at least two touchdowns in each of the Tigers' last seven games.

Named as the CAA Offensive Player of the Week twice this year, West was also been selected as the CAA Rookie of the Week four times.

A member of the All-CAA Pre-Season team, Beltre is fifth on the team with 63 tackles in 11 games. Ranked fourth among CAA defensive linemen with 5.7 tackles per game, he leads the Tigers with 11 tackles for lost yardage. He is a two-year starter on the defensive line who has made 193 tackles in his career. As a sophomore, he was second on the team with 85 tackles. He finished second among all CAA defensive linemen in tackles last year.

One of the Tigers' team captains, Dangerfield leads the Tigers with 82 tackles in nine games. A two-year starter in the secondary, he missed two games with a knee injury this season. In the Tigers' 56-42 win over New Hampshire, he made a career high 16 tackles. He also has two interceptions, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery this year. A transfer from Hofstra prior to the 2010 season, he has made 178 tackles in 20 games over the last two years.

A four-year starter at right tackle, Glackin is one of the Tigers' team captains and the only senior on a very effective offensive line. Glackin and his teammates on the offensive line enabled the Tigers to lead the CAA with 239.5 rushing yards per game. The Tigers were also second in the CAA with 34.5 points and 439.4 yards of total offense per contest. The 6-4, 298-pound Glackin has appeared in 36 career games and started 31 times.

The CAA leader in kickoff returns, Joseph is averaging 27.9 yards per return. Ranked eighth in NCAA FCS, he has returned 35 kickoffs for 978 yards and scored a touchdown. In the Tigers' 56-42 win over New Hampshire, he returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a 93-yard TD. It was only the sixth kickoff return for a touchdown in school history and the first one since 1995. Joseph also had an 85-yard kickoff return against Villanova and a 47-yarder against Delaware.

A second team All-CAA pick last season, Wharton (left) earned third team honors this year. A starter in 10 of 11 games, he has been an outstanding blocker from the fullback position in his career. As a senior, the converted linebacker ran for 21 yards on three carries. He was also the Tigers' sixth-leading receiver with 12 receptions for 179 yards and he caught five touchdown passes. In the season opener against Morgan State, he caught two TD passes. He also had a 49-yard TD reception against Colgate. In the Tigers' win at Old Dominion, he had a 26-yard touchdown reception. Wharton also scored on a three-yard pass in the  Tigers' win at William and Mary.

A second-year starter at left tackle, Pike rounds out the Tigers' contingent of All-CAA players. A 6-5, 280-pound sophomore, Pike has started 22 consecutive games for the Tigers. He also contributed to the Tigers' impressive offensive season as they topped the CAA with 239.5 rushing yards per game. Pike served as one of the Tiger co-captains as a sophomore, an unusual honor for a second-year player.

While Ambrose was the CAA Coach of the Year and West was the CAA Offensive Rookie of the Year, quarterback Kevin Decker of New Hampshire was honored as the CAA Offensive Player of the Year. Defensive lineman Ronnie Cameron of Old Dominion was named as the CAA Defensive Player of the Year while Jonathan Grimes of William and Mary earned the CAA Special Teams Player of the Year award. Freshman linebacker Dillon Lucas of Villanova was named as the CAA's Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Maine led all CAA schools as 13 players were named All-CAA, including four first team selections. James Madison placed 12 players on the All-CAA teams, including three first team honorees. Old Dominion had 11 All-CAA picks while Delaware and Massachusetts each had ten selections. New Hampshire and William and Mary had eight honorees each, just ahead of the Tigers' seven selections.