UCF ALL-AMERICANS JOSH ROBINSON Defensive Back – 2009 CollegeFootballNews.com (freshman), FWAA (freshman), Phil Steele (freshman), The Sporting News (freshman) Josh Robinson set a UCF record with six interceptions as a freshman, leading all true freshmen nationally and tying for the most of any freshman. His 14 passes defended made him the only true freshman in the NCAA’s top 100.
JOE BURNETT Returner – 2008 ESPN.com, Sports Illustrated, Walter Camp As a senior, Joe Burnett was the only player in the nation to rank in the top-20 in both kickoff (7th, 28.7) and punt returns (10th, 14.5). Burnett led Conference USA in both categories. He had a pair of kickoff return touchdowns and finished 19th in NCAA history in career punt return yards.
KEVIN SMITH Tailback – 2007 Associated Press, CBSsports.com, Collegefootballnews. com, ESPN.com, Football Writers Association of America, NFL Digest, Phil Steele’s, Rivals. com, The Sporting News, SportsIllustrated.com, Walter Camp Kevin Smith’s 2007 campaign was one of the finest in NCAA history. The tailback finished his junior season with 2,567 rushing yards and 30 total touchdowns, with 29 coming on the ground. His single-season rushing effort was the second-highest in Football Bowl Subdivision history, trailing only Oklahoma State’s Barry Sanders (1989). In addition to leading the country in rushing, he paced the nation in scoring (12.86). A consensus All-American, Smith earned first-team honors from nine organizations: Associated Press, CBSsports.com, Collegefootballnews.com, ESPN.com, Football Writers Association of America, Phil Steele’s, The Sporting News, SportsIllustrated.com and Walter Camp.
BLAKE CLINGAN Punter – 2007 The Sporting News (freshman) After a solid true freshman campaign for the Knights, Blake Clingan earned freshman All-America honorable mention recognition from The Sporting News. He punted 59 times during the year, averaging 40.7 110
yards. Clingan landed 14 punts inside the 20. When he made his debut in the Knights’ season-opening victory at NC State, Clingan became the first true freshman to punt in a game for the program since 1998.
BRUCE MILLER Defensive End – 2007 The Sporting News (freshman) Bruce Miller appeared in all 14 contests for the Knights in 2007 and earned freshman All-America honorable mention honors following the regular season. As a redshirt freshman, Miller recorded 38 total tackles. He finished the campaign second on the squad with 7.0 sacks for a loss of 53 yards. The defensive end totaled 9.0 tackles for loss (57 yards) and also posted six quarterback hurries and a forced fumble.
MICHAEL TORRES PlaceKicker – 2007 Collegefootballnews.com Michael Torres had a strong senior year for the Knights, garnering honorable mention All-America status from Collegefootballnews.com. Torres made 20-of-24 field goals and connected on 50-of-51 extrapoint attempts. His 110 points were good for a school kicking record. The 50 extra-points made were also a UCF single-season record. From 40 yards or longer, Torres made 7-of-8 field-goal attempts.
JOE BURNETT
MATT PRATER Punter – 2003 SportsIllustrated.com After serving as UCF’s placekicker the previous year, Matt Prater added punting to his duties in 2003 and earned SportsIllustrated. com All-America honorable mention recognition. The sophomore led the nation and set a new UCF and MidAmerican Conference record with a 47.9 yards per punt average. In UCF’s season opener at Virginia Tech, Prater punted six times for 334 yards. His 55.7 punt average set a school record. He recorded two of the top-five punts in program history during the game, including a 71-yard boot.
MATT PRATER Placekicker - 2002 The Sporting News (freshman) Matt Prater garnered freshman All-America honors from The Sporting News as a true freshman in 2002. He made 14-of-21 field-goal attempts on the year. In his first collegiate game, Prater hit three field goals at Penn State. He connected on a season-high 53-yard kick against the Nittany Lions. Prater also made 44-of47 extra-point attempts during the campaign and finished the season with 86 points, which ranked ninth in the Mid-American Conference.
Defensive Back/Punt Return – 2005 Collegefootballnews.com (freshman), Football Writers Association of America (freshman), Rivals.com (freshman), The Sporting News (freshman)
OMAR LAURENCE
Following a spectacular true freshman campaign, Joe Burnett garnered freshman All-America honors from several outlets, including first-team recognition from the Football Writers Association of America. As a punt returner, he ranked sixth nationally and led Conference USA, averaging 16.5 yards per return. He returned a pair of punts for touchdowns. On defense, Burnett recorded 63 total tackles and was second in the conference with five interceptions.
After appearing in nine contests as a redshirt freshman, Omar Laurence received honorable mention status when The Sporting News announced its freshman All-America squads. Laurence was sixth on the Knights with 56 total tackles. He recorded 44 solo stops. During the season, Laurence also registered six pass breakups during the campaign.
JASON VENSON Defensive Back – 2005 Collegefootballnews.com m (freshman) Jason Venson made nine starts as a redshirt freshman in 2005 and was named a third-team freshman All-America by Collegefootball-news.com. Venson led thee Knights with 85 tackles and d also ranked first on the squad d with 66 solo stops. He also o had three interceptions, two wo forced fumbles and five pass awaii breakups. In the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl against Nevada, Venson on recorded seven total tackles and nd an interception.
Defensive Back – 2002 The Sporting News (freshman)
STEVE EDWARDS Offensive Lineman – 2001 Football News Steve Edwards had a strong senior campaign for the Knights in 2001 and was an honorable mention AllAmerica pick by Football News. Edwards helped UCF rank eighth nationally in passing offense, averaging 308.3 yards through the air per contest. The Knights were also 40th in total offense (408.82 yards per game) and 31st in scoring offense, averaging 30.27 points an outing.
RASHAD JEANTY Defensive End – 2001 Football News (freshman), The Sporting News (freshman) As a true freshman, Rashad Jeanty made an immediate impact and earned second-team freshman AllAmerica honors from Football News and third-team
UCF ALL-AMERICANS freshman recognition from The Sporting News. Jeanty played in 10 contests, making three starts. He finished the season with 58 total tackles, with 33 coming unassisted. Jeanty had eight tackles behind the line of scrimmage and four sacks for a loss of 14 yards.
ALEX HAYNES Tailback – 2001 The Sporting News (freshman) In only nine contests as a redshirt freshman, Alex Haynes posted a strong campaign and was named a fourth-team freshman All-America pick by The Sporting News. Haynes carried the ball 140 times for the Knights and rushed for 690 yards with nine touchdowns. He rushed for more than 100 yards on four occasions and scored a school-record four touchdowns against Tulane. Haynes added 14 receptions for 143 yards.
ELTON PATTERSON Defensive End – 2001 Football News As a junior, Elton Patterson finished the year with 85 tackles and was an honorable mention All-America pick by Football News. Patterson had 9.0 sacks for 47 yards lost and totaled 21 tackles-for-loss. The defensive end tied for sixth nationally with five forced fumbles. Patterson also registered 25 quarterback hurries and broke up a pair of pass plays. In the season opener at Clemson, he totaled 15 stops.
DAUNTE CULPEPPER Quarterback – 1998 Football News, NFL Draft Report, Playboy, The Sports Network A spectacular senior season helped Daunte Culpepper garner first-team All-America honors from the NFL Draft Report and The Sports Network and honorable mention recognition from Football News and Playboy. Culpepper completed a school-record 296 passes for 3,690 yards with 28 scores. He recorded seven 300-yard passing performances for the Knights and set a school record with a .017 interception-to-attempt ratio.
DAUNTE CULPEPPER Quarterback – 1997 Football News, NFL Draft Report As a junior in 1995, Daunte Culpepper garnered AllAmerica first team status from the NFL Draft Report and honorable mention honors from Football News. He finished fourth in the nation in total offense with an average of 320 yards per game. Culpepper also ranked 15th nationally in passing efficiency (146.91). During the course of the season, he set 15 school records. He passed for 3,086 yards with 25 scores. Additionally, he rushed 136 times for 438 yards with five scores.
DAUNTE CULPEPPER Quarterback – 1995 Poor Man’s Guide to the NFL Draft Following his freshman campaign, Daunte Culpepper was a third team All-America pick by the Poor Man’s Guide to the NFL Draft. In 1995, he completed 168 of 294 passes for 2,071 yards and 12 touchdowns. He concluded the campaign 28th nationally in passing efficiency (122.9). Culpepper also rushed for five touchdowns.
MARQUETTE SMITH Tailback – 1995 Football Gazette Marquette Smith had an incredible campaig campaign for the Knights in 1995 as he earned second team AllAm America honors from the FFootball Gazette. During the year, he rushed for a then school-record 1,511 yards on 274 carries. Smith had nine 100-yard rushing performances in 1995 and found the man end zone 14 times. He averaged 5.5 yards per game.
TODD CLEVELAND Kick Returner – 1994 The Sports Network As a senior in 1994, Todd Cleveland was one of the nation’s top kick returners and as a result, earned All-America second team honors from The Sports Network. Cleveland was third in the country, averaging 31.73 yards per return. He returned three kicks for touchdowns, including an 100-yard return against Bethune-Cookman. Cleveland also had a 99-yard return for a score versus Buffalo.
TRAVIS COOPER Linebacker – 1994 The Sports Network
by The Sports Network in 1994. He was the lone UCF player to record more than 100 tackles. The senior posted a team-high 66 solo stops. Cooper had seven tackles for loss (20 yards) and three pass breakups. He also added a fumble recovery for the Knights.
GREG JEFFERSON Defensive End – 1994 The Sports Network Greg Jefferson garnered honorable mention All-America status from The Sports Network as a senior. During the 1994 campaign, Jefferson totaled 45 tackles, with 26 of them solo stops. He paced the Knights with 8.0 sacks for 29 yards. Jefferson also forced a fumble during the year and posted one pass breakup.
CHARLIE PIERCE Plackekicker – 1994 The Sports Network As a sophomore in 1994, Charlie Pierce was named to The Sports Network’s All-America First Team. He connected on 14-of-16 field goal attempts. Pierce made 11-straight field goals to conclude the year. His longest field goal of the year was a 48-yarder against East Carolina. Pierce made 47-of-47 extra-point attempts and paced the team with 89 points.
DAVID RHODES Wide Receiver – 1994 The Sports Network David Rhodes had ad a strong senior season in 1994, garnering honorablee mention All-America honors rs from The Sports Network.. Rhodes registered 62 2 receptions for 1,075 yards with 11 touchdowns during the year. He ranked 13th nationally in yards perr game at 97.73.. The wideout also was 24th in the country in receptions per game (5.64).
After leading the Knights with 109 total tackles, Travis Cooper was an honorable mention All-America pick
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UCF ALL-AMERICANS DAVID RHODES
BERNARD FORD
BILL GIOVANETTI
Wide Receiver - 1993 Associated Press, Football News, The Sports Network, Walter Camp
Wide Receiver - 1987 Associated Press, Football News, Kodak
Linebacker – 1981 Associated Press
After a record-breaking junior campaign, David Rhodes was a first team All-America selection by the Associated Press. He also earned second team honors from Football News, The Sports Network and Walter Camp. In 1993, Rhodes set school records for receptions (90) and touchdowns (15). He tallied 1,379 yards. Rhodes finished third nationally in receptions per game (7.09) and fourth in yards per game (105.36).
Bernard Ford earned first team All-America honors from Football News and Kodak as a senior in 1988. He also garnered second team recognition from the Associated Press. In 11 contests, Ford totaled 82 receptions for 1,304 yards. He found the end zone 13 times on the year. Ford also ran the ball 12 times for 95 yards.
BOBBY SPITULSKI Linebacker – 1991 Associated Press Bobby Spitulski was an Associated Press All-America Third Team pick in 1991. The senior linebacker appeared in nine contests and ranked fourth on UCF with 67 total tackles. Forty-four of his tackles were solo stops. Spitulski posted 5.0 sacks for 31 yards and paced the squad with 8.0 tackles for loss. He also tied for first on the team with four interceptions.
EDDIE O’BRIEN Placekicker – 1987 Associated Press, News, Kodak
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EDDIE JAMES Football
As a senior in 1987, Eddie O’Brien was named to the Football News All-America First Team. He also received second team honors from the Associated Press and Kodak. During the year, O’Brien led the Knights with 97 points. He made 20-of-30 field goal attempts and also made all 37 of his extra points tries.
Linebacker – 1981 Associated Press Eddie James earned honorable mention All-America honors from the Associated Press in 1981. During the season, he led the Knights with 116 total tackles. He also paced the squad with 56 solo stops. James recorded three tackles for loss and also had a pair of fumble recoveries and two pass breakups for the Knights.
SCOTT RYERSON
DARIN SLACK
STEVE SPEARS Defensive Lineman – 1988 Football Gazette
Bill Giovanetti was one of three All-America honorable mention picks from UCF during the 1981 campaign. The junior linebacker ranked second on the squad with 116 total tackles. Giovanetti paced the Knights with four interceptions during the season. He had a pair of tackles for loss and also broke up four passes.
Placekicker – 1981 Associated Press
Quarterback – 1987 Football News
Steve Spears was one of two Knights tabbed by the Football Gazette as an All-America pick in 1988. Spears was an honorable mention selection. As a senior, Spears recorded 84 total tackles, which ranked third on the squad. He posted four tackles for a loss of four years and had one sack. Spears also recorded four fumble recoveries during the year.
Darin Slack was named to the Football News All-America Second Team as a senior in 1987. He guided the Knights to a 9-4 mark as the team advanced to the second round of the Division II playoffs. Slack completed 256-of-486 attempts for 3,457 yards. He concluded the season with 28 touchdown tosses.
DAVE UNDERWOOD
WYATT BOGAN
Offensive Lineman - 1988 Football Gazette
Linebacker – 1986 Football News
Offensive tackle Dave Underwood was a Football Gazette All-America Second Team selection as a senior. Underwood helped the Knights total 219 first downs in 1988, compared to 197 for their opponents. UCF averaged 292.2 passing yards during the season.
In 1986, Wyatt Bogan was a Football News All-America First Team selection. He paced the Knights with 143 tackles, including 58 unassisted stops. Bogan recorded four sacks as a junior. He also registered three pass breakups.
MIKE COAD
DAN BURKE
Linebacker – 1987 Football News
Offensive Line – 1981 Associated Press
Mike Coad had a strong senior campaign for the Knights in 1988. He was a Football News All-America Second Team pick. Coad recorded 154 total tackles for the Knights, which ranked second on the squad. Fifty-three of his stops with unassisted. Coad tallied 2.5 sacks and an interception. He also added three pass breakups.
As a junior in 1981, Dan Burke garnered honorable mention All-America recognition from the Associated Press. He played center and tackle during the year for the Knights.
After scoring 62 points in 1981, Scott Ryerson was named to the Associated Press All-America Third Team. The junior converted 18of-29 field goals and made 8-of-12 extra-point attempts. The 18 field goals were the most among all kickers in Division II and III. Against Savannah State, Ryerson hit a pair of field goals of 50 yards or better, including a 54-yarder.
TIM KIGGINS Kick/Punt Returner – 1980 Associated Press UCF’s first All-America selection, Tim Kiggins earned third team honors from the Associated Press in 1980. Kiggins returned 19 kicks for the Knights, averaging 17.6 yards per return. He also averaged 11.8 yards per punt return, which ranked among the top-15 nationally in the statistical category. As a defensive back, Kiggins recorded three interceptions.