Donaldsonville Tiger alum named to All-SWAC team

A great college football career came to a great end for an Ascension Parish product just recently.

Donaldsonville alum Percy Cargo, Jr. played his final game with the Grambling State University Tigers. It concluded a wonderful senior season that was good enough to earn Cargo second-team All-Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) honors.

Only three other Tigers made the All-SWAC squad. Those players were linebacker De'Arius Christmas, defensive back Joseph McWilliams and defensive lineman Anfernee Mullins.

Cargo had a tremendous final year as a starting safety for Grambling. Though the Tigers struggled at times, finishing 6-5, Cargo played extremely well.

He finished the year with 53 total tackles, which was fourth on the team. He also tied Christmas with most solo tackles at 30. Christmas was named the SWAC Defensive Player of the Year.

Three of Cargo's tackles were for losses. To go with those tackles, he broke up six passes, recovered two fumbles, forced another, blocked one kick and came up with one interception.

This superb senior campaign just added to what was a tremendously productive career at Grambling for Cargo.

As a freshman in 2015, Cargo played in 10 games for the Tigers and registered 14 tackles and one pass breakup. He also blocked a kick.

It was as a sophomore when he had a breakout year.

Cargo played in all 13 games for the Tigers and finished with 33 total tackles, which included 2.5 for losses. He also broke up three passes and recovered two fumbles.

He became a full-time starter last year for his junior season.

In that time, he made 54 tackles. Thirty-seven of those were solo stops, and 3.5 came for losses. Cargo also had three pass breakups, one sack and one fumble recovery.

Even as great as his performance was on the field, he was recognized for all the great things he did off of it.

Cargo was selected as a finalist for the 2017 STATS FCS Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award.

The Doris Robinson Scholar-Athlete Award is named after the wife of legendary Grambling State coach Eddie Robinson. It's presented to an FCS student-athlete who excels not only in the classroom, but in the community and beyond.

Last year, Cargo earned the United States Marine Corps Excellence in Leadership Award at the Bayou Classic and boasted a 3.76 GPA as a business management major. He plans to pursue a master's degree after he graduates.

Cargo is the son of Yvonne and Percy Cargo, Sr.