HICKORY, N.C. – On Friday night, former Lenoir-Rhyne safety and Cliff Harris Award Winner Kyle Dugger was selected by the Patriots in the second round with the 37^th overall pick. Here's a look at just how historic that selection was in terms of Division II, the South Atlantic Conference and Lenoir-Rhyne.

RECORD-BREAKING (SOUTH ATLANTIC CONFERENCE):

• Prior to the 2020 Draft, the highest selection from the South Atlantic Conference was Ricardo Colclough out of Tusculum. Also a defensive back, Colclough was selected 38^th overall by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Dugger broke that record when the Patriots took him one slot earlier.
• Since the first year of the SAC in 1975, Dugger became the 26^th player drafted out of the conference and the second by the New England Patriots. The previous SAC/New England connection worked out well as LB Todd Collins played six years for the Patriots and had an eight-year NFL career.
• On top of being one of just 26 players taken in 45 years and the highest selection in the league's history, Dugger and Colclough are the only players to ever go in the second round. Only two other players were taken in the third round out of the conference.
• Since 2000, only eight players have been drafted with two of them from LR.

THE LAST TIME (NCAA DIVISION II)

• Dugger is the highest selection to come out of a Division II program since Lamar King was taken 22^nd overall by Seattle out of Saginaw Valley St.
• The last DII safety to be taken out of the Division II ranks was Danieal Manning in 2006 by the Chicago Bears. Manning was taken 42^nd overall by the Chicago Bears and he went on to have a nine-year NFL career.

THE LAST TIME (LENOIR-RHYNE)

• Dugger is the last Bear taken in the draft since 2000 and just the ninth ever. He easily surpasses the highest round of the previous best (5, John Millem, 2000) and the highest selection (106, Harold Bullard, 1958) in the 100-year history of LR Football.
• No LR draftee has ever been selected by the Patriots. Dugger isn't the first LR player to be taken by an AFC East team as Shannon Myers went to the Dolphins in 1995. Dugger is just the third defensive player ever drafted out of Lenoir-Rhyne.
• When he makes his NFL debut, Dugger will become the sixth Lenoir-Rhyne alum to play in the NFL. The longest NFL career for a Bear was TE Craig Keith who played in 28 career games over three NFL seasons. Many other Bears were on NFL squads but only a select few have seen action.

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS

• In his LR career, Dugger was a rare athlete who accomplished rare feats.
• Became the only Division II player invited to the Senior Bowl in 2020 and the only D2 player to participate in the 2020 NFL Combine.
• Became the only Division II player to ever compete in the State Farm All-Star Football Challenge that was broadcast on ESPN2.
• Won the Cliff Harris Award which is given to the best defensive player in Division II and is the only Bear to ever win the award.
• Is the only player in LR history to return two punts for a touchdown in the same game and he accomplished that feat twice. Dugger had returns of 69 and 64 against Newberry on Oct. 6, 2018 and returns of 68 and 67 (just 3:23 apart) against UVA Wise on Oct. 5, 2019. He won National Special Teams Player of the Week honors each week.
• One of the only players in history to return a fumble, interception and punt for touchdowns in his career.
• Owns the all-time record for most career punt return yards, most punt return touchdowns and most punt return yards in a single season.