Martin Rucker, Jason Simpson Earn Pre-Season Accolades
8/2/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Aug. 2, 2005
Columbia, Mo. - A pair of University of Missouri football players were recognized yesterday on a national scale, as senior safety Jason Simpson and sophomore tight end Martin Rucker had their names associated with various awards and honors.
Simpson, a native of The Woodlands, Texas, was named a pre-season 3rd-Team All-American by CollegeSportsReport.com. Simpson is expected to be the leader of a defense which was one of the nation's most improved units in 2004. The team co-captain registered a career year in 2004, as he had career bests in tackles (98), tackles for loss (15), forced fumbles (2), passes broken up (6), QB hurries (3) and interceptions (1). Simpson was named 2nd-Team All-Big 12 after his junior season.
Rucker, a sophomore from St. Joseph, Mo., was named to the pre-season watch list for the 2005 John Mackey Award, which is given annually by the Nassau County Sports Commission, and goes to the nation's best collegiate tight end. One of 20 standouts on the watch list, Rucker is one of only two sophomores on the list (Zach Miller of Arizona State is the other). Rucker earned 2nd-Team Freshman All-American honors as a redshirt freshman in 2004, as he started 11 games on the year and caught 19 passes for 263 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Fall pre-season camp begins next Monday, Aug. 8th, with the first practice of the fall, set for 3:45 p.m. in Columbia. Be sure to stay tuned to www.mutigers.com for practice reports throughout camp. Additionally, stay tuned for more details concerning Mizzou's annual Fan Day, which is set for Sunday, August 14th.
