Michael Cotton was the first UMass Dartmouth football player to earn national recognition when he was named a Division III All America after his junior year in 1998.  He was a First-Team defensive back on the 1998 Football Gazette Division III All-America Team. He was also named Second Team on the Hewlett Packard Division III All-America team. Cotton gained notoriety for by leading the NCAA Division III with 11 interceptions.  Three of Cotton’s interceptions were returned for touchdowns, while he averaged, 1.1 interceptions per game with 206 yards in returns. Cotton was also a First-Team All-New England Football Conference selection, a First-Team ECAC New England Division III choice and named to the New England Football Writers’ 1998 Division II and III All-New England team. He was part of a defensive unit, which ranked #3 in total defense in the NCAA Division III. The Corsairs led the NEFC in passing efficiency defense, holding opponents to the fewest passing yards plus 18 interceptions and only four TD passes, fewest in the NEFC. Cotton earned a Golden Helmet during the ‘98 season after returning two interceptions for TDs in a win over Worcester State.  In his senior season he was a Preseason Div. III All America by Street and Smith and Div. II College Preview Magazine. After leading the NCAA Division III in interceptions as a junior, he earned NEFC First Team honors as a senior.