First year Ryan Slager from Orland Park, IL was named the 2015 Troy Barboza Award winner. Barboza played for the Pioneers in the mid-80's and went on to a career in law enforcement. He went undercover to help take down a major drug operation in Hawaii. As he was waiting to testify in the case, he was tragically murdered. Each year the Pioneers honor the player who has displayed the most courage throughout the past year, and that definitely fits with Ryan.
Asked to start at inside linebacker from day one, Ryan rose to the occasion. Posting 18 tackles in his first game against Beloit, Slager filled a need for the defense immediately. He recorded 17 tackles against Illinois College, 19 against Knox, and 15 in the season finale against Lawrence. All told, Slager accounted for 134 tackles on the year. His 13.4 per game was good for second in the country.
As impressive as his debut was, we look for even bigger things from Ryan over the coming three years!
