Fields Named Associated Press All-American
12/13/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 13, 2004
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State sophomore Brandon Fields, who leads the nation in punting with his 47.9-yard average, has been named first-team All-American by the Associated Press as selected by a nationwide panel of sports writers. The 25-man lineup features nine players from the Big Ten Conference, including Fields who becomes the first Spartan punter in school history to be named AP first-team All-American.
Fields, a first-team All-Big Ten selection by the league's media panel and finalist for the Ray Guy Award, led the nation in punting for 12 weeks during the 2004 regular season, including the last 11 in a row. He hit 23 punts 50 or more yards and had 13 kicks downed inside the opponent's 20-yard line.
"It feels great to be mentioned among the elite players in the country," Fields said. "I grew up a lot during my sophomore year and became a more consistent punter.
"Despite all of the accolades that I've received this year, I know that there's a lot of room for improvement before next season."
"This is a great honor for Brandon Fields," Spartan special teams coach Jim McElwain said. "Brandon has all the tools to be a great punter, including a real strong leg. He definitely gives us an opportunity to create field position because of the way he can hit the football."
The Toledo, Ohio, native has earned first-team All-America honors from the AP, Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), Walter Camp, SI.com and Rivals.com.
The 6-foot-6, 234-pound Fields averaged 51.0 yards on four punts vs. Wisconsin, including a 49-yarder that went out of bounds at the Badger 4 late in the third quarter. Fields averaged 54.0 yards on three punts vs. Ohio State, including a 62-yarder in the third quarter that was downed at the OSU 1-yard line. He averaged 55.7 yards on three punts vs. Illinois, including two kicks downed inside the Illini 20. Fields averaged 53.0 yards on four punts vs. Indiana, including a season-long 65-yarder, with two kicks downed inside the Hoosier 20. He averaged 55.3 yards on six punts vs. Central Michigan, including a 62-yarder.
His career 47.1-yard punting average ranks No. 1 on MSU's and the Big Ten's all-time lists.
Fields, a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, sports a 3.41 grade-point average in kinesiology.
2004 AP ALL-AMERICA TEAM
OFFENSE
Quarterback: Matt Leinhart (Jr.), Southern California.
Running Backs: Adrian Peterson (Fr.), Oklahoma; J.J. Arrington (Sr.), California.
Wide Receivers: Braylon Edwards (Sr.), Michigan; Taylor Stubblefield (Sr.), Purdue.
Tight End: Heath Miller (Jr.), Virginia.
Center: David Baas (Sr.), Michigan.
Guards-Tackles: Jammal Brown (Sr.), Oklahoma; Alex Barron (Sr.), Florida State; Elton Brown (Sr.), Virginia; Michael Munoz (Sr.), Tennessee.
All-Purpose: Reggie Bush (So.), Southern California.
DEFENSE
Linemen: Erasmus James (Sr.), Wisconsin; David Pollack (Sr.), Georgia; Shaun Cody (Sr.), Southern California; Marcus Spears (Sr.), LSU.
Linebackers: Derrick Johnson (Sr.), Texas; Matt Grootegoed (Sr.), Southern California; A.J. Hawk (Sr.), Ohio State.
Defensive Backs: Carlos Rogers (Sr.), Auburn; Antrel Rolle (Sr.), Miami-Fla.; Marlin Jackson (Sr.), Michigan; Ernest Shazor (Sr.), Michigan.
Punter: Brandon Fields (So.), Michigan State.
