Colorado University Athletics
Crosby Repeats As Playboy All-American
BOULDER ? University of Colorado senior placekicker Mason Crosby has been named to the prestigious 2006 Playboy College All-America Football Team, becoming the first Buffalo to be a repeat selection on the team.
Crosby, a 6-2, 210-pounder from Georgetown, Texas, also made the 2005 Playboy team, the first Buff since 1999 to be so honored. This marks the 23rd time since 1961 Playboy has selected CU player on its team. That year, Joe Romig, an offensive guard, was the first to make the team.
H
e enters his senor year tied for second overall on CU’s all-time scoring charts with 231 points, which are tied for the most by a placekicker at Colorado (along with Jeremy Aldrich); Eric Bieniemy leads with 254. He is also second in field goals made (47), second in PAT kicks made (90), second in field goal attempts (60) and first in PAT attempts (98). He has also excelled in late game heroics, making a name for himself in the clutch: he is 12-of-13 in the fourth quarter, including 10-of-10 in the final 8? minutes with eight kicks of 41 yards or longer and seven of them with the score of the game within six points.
Crosby was the runner-up for the 2005 Lou Groza Award (by just six points to Oregon State’s Alexis Serna), and became the first placekicker in Colorado history to earn first-team All-America honors, doing it in consensus fashion as he was honored by the Associated Press, the Football Writers Association of America, The Sporting News, SI.com, Walter Camp and Rivals.com. He was also the unanimous selection for first-team all-Big 12 honors for the second straight year from both the AP and league coaches, and was the pick for the Big 12 Special Teams Player-of-the-year by the coaches.
Of his amazing list of accomplishments in 2005, the crown jewel was a 58-yard field goal at Miami, Fla., the longest ever at sea level (7 feet) without a kicking tee in NCAA Division I-A history. He led the team in scoring with 94 points, converting all 31 PAT kicks (he has made 38 consecutive) and 21-of-28 field goals; he led the nation in the average distance per field goal made at an astounding 41.2 yards. He strung together a school record 10 straight field goals made between the end of his sophomore year and his junior season, in both of which he led the NCAA in field goals made from 50 yards or longer (six in 2004, five in 2005).
Several CU players who went on to NFL stardom are among those who have previously made the team include Mike Montler (1968), Herb Orvis (1971), Cullen Bryant (1972), Dave Logan (1974), Don Hasselbeck (1976), Tom Rouen and Alfred Williams (1990), Jay Leeuwenburg (1991), Michael Westbrook (1993), Chris Hudson (1994) and Chris Naeole (1996).
“Any time you get the ball on your side of the 50, Mason is capable of putting points on the board,” CU head coach Dan Hawkins said. “He also has a chance to be a dominant punter. Mason is also a great student and an even better person, so this is a tremendous and well-deserved honor for him.”
In addition, Crosby has kicked off 157 times, with 110 going for touchbacks, with the average starting yardline of the opponent its 22 after his kicks. In the postseason, he is fourth all-time in scoring with 19 points in bowls (5-of-7 FG, 4-of-4 PAT), the second in kick scoring, trailing Aldrich.
Officials at Playboy were not sure of the exact count of players who were repeat selections, but seniors through the years have traditionally dominated the team.