Wheaton, Ill. – Wheaton College senior Peter Gibson has been named to the Division III All-American Team by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA). There have been 15 AFCA Division III All-American selections from Wheaton through the years. Wheaton's 15 selections to the AFCA Division III All-American Team since the awards began in 1972 is tied for sixth-most in the history of the program.

Gibson, a guard for the Thunder, is a two-time All-CCIW honoree on the offensive line; and is the only selection on this year's AFCA All-America Team from a CCIW member school. In 2015 he was a Third Team All-American selection by D3football.com and was honored as a preseason All-American by the website in 2016.

Gibson anchored a balanced Wheaton offensive line that helped the Thunder offense average 417.9 yards per game this season. Wheaton averaged 252.9 passing yards this season and ran for 165.0 yards per contest.

Wheaton has produced four AFCA All-Americans since 2010. Four of the Thunder All-Americans selected by the coaches organization in that time have been offensive lineman: Nick Biggee (2010); Spencer Clark (2014) and Gibson (2016).

The AFCA has selected an All-America team every year since 1945. The five teams now chosen for each AFCA division evolved from a single 11-player squad in 1945. From 1945 until 1967, only one team was chosen. From 1967 through 1971, two teams, University Division and College Division, were selected. In 1972, the College Division was split into College I and College II. In 1979, the University Division was split into two teams — Division I-A and Division I-AA.

In 1996, the College I and College II teams were renamed Division II and Division III, respectively. The AFCA began selecting an NAIA-only team in 2006. Also in 2006, the Division I-A and Division I-AA teams were renamed Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), respectively.

The AFCA has selected an All-America team every year since 1945. The five teams now chosen for each AFCA division evolved from a single 11-player squad in 1945. From 1945 until 1967, only one team was chosen. From 1967 through 1971, two teams, University Division and College Division, were selected. In 1972, the College Division was split into College I and College II. In 1979, the University Division was split into two teams — Division I-A and Division I-AA. In 1996, the College I and College II teams were renamed Division II and Division III, respectively. The AFCA began selecting an NAIA-only team in 2006. Also in 2006, the Division I-A and Division I-AA teams were renamed Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), respectively. From 1965-81, a 22-player (11 offensive, 11 defensive) team was chosen. In 1982, a punter and placekicker were added to the team. In 1997, a return specialist was added, giving us the current 25-player team. The return specialist position was replaced by an all-purpose player in 2006.

MOST AFCA DIVISION III ALL-AMERICAN SELECTIONS ALL-TIME
1.) Mount Union - 25
T2.) Linfield and Wittenberg - 21
T3.) Augustana (Ill.) and Washington & Jefferson - 19
T4.) UW-La Crosse and UW-Whitewater - 17
T5.) Mary Hardin-Baylor  - 16
T6.) WHEATON, Montclair State, Central (Iowa) and Wesley - 15
T7.) Springfield and Widener - 14
T8.) Emory & Henry, St. Thomas (Minn.) and Ithaca - 13
T9.) Salisbury and Frostburg State - 12
T10.) John Carroll; Wabash and Thomas More - 11