Doiron of Plainville earns Academic All-America honors

David Doiron has a 3.97 grade-point average as an economics major.

SPRINGFIELD - Whether on the field or off, David Doiron takes his work very seriously.

Two days after he earned second-team All-New England Football Conference honors, the King Philip Regional High graduate from Plainville was named to the ESPN the Magazine College Division Academic All-America second team. He is the first football player from Western New England College to make the squad, which combines athletic and academic success.

"I was really excited," said Doiron, a 6-foot, 245-pound right guard with a 3.97 grade-point average as an economics major. "Last year my name was on the ballot and I didn't get it so I was really hoping I'd get it this year. I knew I had a better chance coming into this year."

"I'm excited but not surprised," said WNEC coach Keith Emery. "He's a great kid and very deserving of the award. He's a high-effort individual on and off the field. I'm very happy he's been recognized, but not surprised at all."

A junior at the private college in Springfield, Doiron was a key cog for a Golden Bears' offense this fall, when it ranked fifth out of 16 teams in the NEFC in passing (averaging 200.2 yards per game) and eighth in scoring (25.6 points per game).

"He's the type of kid every coach wants. His enthusiasm of the game, his enthusiasm of getting better is ever present. He always gives 100 percent all of the time," Emery added.

Away from the field and classroom, Doiron is a volunteer for Habitat for Humanity; an NCAA CHAMPS Life Skills mentor, helping freshmen make the transition from high school to college by sharpening their time management, organization, and test skills; and a speaker at Boys and Girls clubs.

"If I know I'm going to have a lot of work coming up during the season, I'll try to get a head start on it instead of starting it at 10 p.m. after practice, cramming it all in," said Doiron.

As a member of King Philip's class of 2006, Doiron captained the football and wrestling teams and was honored as a Hockomock League scholar-athlete.