CBSSports.com ACC All-Decade Team
Below is a list of CBSSports.com's ACC All-Decade team, which was voted on by the writers and staff at CBSSports.com.
With 12 teams in the conference, this was one of the toughest conferences to select and is shown by no team having more than four players on the team.
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| Philip Rivers (Getty Images) |
He guided the Wolfpack to four consecutive bowl games, winning MVP in all three victories (two Tangerine Bowls and Gator Bowl). He was also named the MVP of the 2004 Senior Bowl. Rivers became the first QB in ACC history and seventh in NCAA history to throw for 3,000 yards in three different seasons.
In 2003, he was the conference player of the year after leading the nation with a 72 percent completion percentage, while throwing for 4,491 yards and 34 touchdowns with only seven interceptions.
| Pos. | Player |
| QB | Philip Rivers, N.C. State |
| RB | Tashard Choice, Georgia Tech |
| RB | Chris Barclay, Wake Forest |
| WR | Jerrico Cotchery, N.C. State |
| WR | Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech |
| TE | Heath Miller, Virginia |
| OL | Alex Barron, Florida State |
| OL | D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Virginia |
| OL | Barry Richardson, Clemson |
| OL | Elton Brown, Virginia |
| OL | Steve Justice, Wake Forest |
| DL | Julius Peppers, North Carolina |
| DL | Mario Williams, N.C. State |
| DL | Chris Long, Virginia |
| DL | Shawne Merriman, Maryland |
| LB | E.J. Henderson, Maryland |
| LB | Aaron Curry, Wake Forest |
| LB | D'Qwell Jackson, Maryland |
| DB | John Talley, Duke |
| DB | Alphonso Smith, Wake Forest |
| DB | Victor Harris, Virginia Tech |
| DB | Kenny Phillips, Miami (Fla.) |
| K | Nick Novak, Maryland |
| P | Ryan Plackemeier, Wake Forest |
| Ret | Devin Hester, Miami (Fla.) |
"I can't put into words how much Philip Rivers means to this team, this program and this university," said former head coach Chuck Amato in a 2003 interview.
Joining Rivers were two great running backs, Georgia Tech's Tashard Choice, who ended with 18 100-yard games the most in the decade by an ACC player and Virginia Tech's Kevin Jones, who ended his career with 3,475 yards and 35 TDs. Jones had 1,647 yards and 21 TDs in final year in college.
On defense, some of the greatest players in the decade nationwide come from the ACC. North Carolina's Julius Peppers, linebacker E.J. Henderson and Wake Forest's Alphonso Smith.
Henderson is the CBSSports.com defensive player of the decade, edging out Peppers. A two-time All-American at Maryland and winner of the Butkus and Bednarik Awards (2002), Henderson holds the NCAA record for career tackles per game with 12.4. He has the most solo tackles in a season, recording 135 in 2002.
Henderson is also third in NCAA history in career tackles for loss per game with 1.74. Peppers is first with 1.87 per game.
"He's the best linebacker I've seen the past two years," said coach Ralph Friedgen in 2002. "He's meant so much to our football program. He has been a model of consistency game in and game out, day in and day out. He's a true warrior. Dick Butkus would be very proud of E.J. Henderson."
Miami's Devin Hester, one of the best return men in college history was named the conference's all-decade returner after recording six returns for a touchdown.
Miami and Virginia Tech, who both joined the conference in 2005, also had players on the Big East All-Decade team.
