For the first time in league history, the Gateway has a repeat Offensive Player of the Year and a repeat Defensive Player of the Year honoree in the same season, as QB Russ Michna and LB Boomer Grigsby successfully defended their 2002 individual honors by earning 2003 Gateway Conference top player awards. Additionally, Jerry Kill - a finalist for Eddie Robinson national coach of the year honors - took the Bruce Craddock Coach of the Year award for league co-champ Southern Illinois.

Western Illinois’ Michna leads the Gateway with 226.8 passing yards per game and 240.3 offensive yards per contest. He had a league-high 18 touchdown passes and recorded a pass efficiency rating of 137.7. He is one of 16 finalists for the Walter Payton Award and was the 2002 Gateway Offensive Player of the Year. He is just the third player to repeat as the league's top offensive player (WR Dedric Ward of UNI in 1995 and 1996; and QB DeAndre Smith of SMS in 1989 and 1990).

Grigsby - a finalist for the Buck Buchanan award, given to the nation’s top I-AA defender -- leads all of I-AA in 2003 with 109 solo tackles and ranks second nationally with 179 total tackles for Illinois State. The junior is averaging 13.3 tackles per game for his career, and he joins four former Gateway players who have won the league's top Defensive honor in back-to-back seasons (LB Edgerton Hartwell of Western Illinois in 1999 and 2000; LB Andre Allen of UNI in 1993 and 1994; LB William Freeney of UNI in 1991 and 1992; and DT John Jurkovic of Eastern Illinois in 1988 and 1989).

For the first time in league history, a league Coach of the Year is coaching at Southern Illinois. The Salukis, under the guidance of Jerry Kill, have improved from 1-10 (8th place) to 4-8 (t-6th place) to 10-1 (t-1st place) in three years. Southern Illinois earned its first playoff berth as a Gateway member in 2003 as well as its first Gateway title. The Salukis were picked sixth in the conference’s preseason poll and enter the I-AA playoffs ranked No. 4 nationally.

Offensive Player of the Year: Russ Michna, WIU
Defensive Player of the Year: Boomer Grigsby, ISU
Coach of the Year: Jerry Kill, SIU

2003 all-Gateway Football Conference Team
(selected by coaches, SIDs and media panel)
FIRST TEAM
QB — Russ Michna, Western Illinois, Sr.
RB — Muhammad Abdulqaadir, Southern Illinois, Sr.
RB — Sha-Ron Edwards, Illinois State, Sr.
RB — Terrance Freeney, UNI, So.
FB — Brandon Robinson, Southern Illinois, Sr.
TE — Ryan King, Indiana State, Sr.
WR — Casey Rooney, Western Kentucky, Sr.
WR — Dwayne Smith, Illinois State, Sr.
OL — Buster Ashley, Western Kentucky, Jr.
OL — Ben Deike, UNI, Sr.
OL — Fred Layne, Western Illinois, Jr.
OL — Elmer McDaniel, Southern Illinois, Jr.
OL — Daniel Withrow, Western Kentucky, Sr.
PK — Matt Lange, Western Kentucky, Sr.
DL — Kyle Mitchell, Indiana State, So.
DL — Matt Mitchell, UNI, Sr.
DL — Mike O’Brien, Western Illinois, Sr.
DL — Ray Robinson, Illinois State, Sr.
LB — Erik Dandy, Western Kentucky, Sr.
LB — Boomer Grigsby, Illinois State, Jr.
LB — Karl Maslowski, Western Kentucky, Sr.
LB — Lee Russell, Western Illinois, Sr.
DB — Jeremy Chandler, Western Kentucky, Sr.
DB — Alexis Moreland, Southern Illinois, Jr.
DB — Justin Sandy, UNI, Sr.
DB — Benny Sapp, UNI, Sr.
P — Brian Claybourn, Western Kentucky, Jr.
RS— Antonio Veals, Western Kentucky, Sr.
SECOND TEAM
QB — Joel Sambursky, Southern Illinois, So.
RB — Travis Glasford, Western Illinois, So.
RB — Tom Koutsos, Southern Illinois, Sr.
FB — Nate Schurman, SMS, Sr.
TE — Mike Roberts, Youngstown State, Jr.
WR — Eddie Galles, UNI, Sr.
WR — Reggie Gray, Western Illinois, So.
OL — Josh Davis, Youngstown State, Sr.
OL — Stafford Davis, Illinois State, So.
OL — Brad Durham, SMS, Sr.
OL — Anthony Oakley, Western Kentucky, Sr.
OL — Wes Proctor, Southern Illinois, Sr.
PK — Stephen Carroll, Illinois State, Jr.
DL — Billy Beard, Southern Illinois, Jr.
DL — Chad Kincaid, Western Kentucky, Sr.
DL — Jon Kowalyshen, Western Illinois, Sr.
DL — Steve Watson, SMS, Jr.
LB — Phil Archer, Western Illinois, Sr.
LB — Jonathan Harrell, UNI, Sr.
LB — Charles Thompson, Western Kentucky, Jr.
LB — Royal Whitaker, Southern Illinois, So.
DB — Mike Bracken, Youngstown State, Jr.
DB — Vinceson Campbell, Western Illinois, Sr.
DB — Dre Dokes, UNI, Fr.
DB — Andrew Pappocia, Illinois State, Sr.
DB — Travis Washington, Western Illinois, Sr.
P — Ryan Hoffman, Illinois State, So.
RS — James Norris, Western Illinois, Jr.

Honorable Mention
Illinois State: LB Gene Gilot; FB Mike Larson; OL Jeremy Melville; OL Mike Stegeman • Indiana State: TE Matt Beste; P Pat Jordan; LT Stuart Williams • UNI: WR Marlus Mays; QB Tom Petrie; TE Andy Thorn • Southern Illinois: DT Linton Brown; S Frank Johnson; WR Brent Little • SMS: CB Torre Endsley; WR/RS Steven Rush; DT Joe Taylor; OL Jon Zweygardt • Western Illinois: DL Chad Daun; WR Terrence Hall; PK Justin Langan • Western Kentucky: DB Carl Birts; WR Shannon Hayes; RB Lerron Moore • Youngstown State: DB Waymann Peters; OG Will Sanders; PK Nick Terracina