Dec. 10, 2008
ORLANDO, Fla. - UCF senior Joe Burnett (Eustis, Fla.) continued his unprecedented haul of annual Conference USA awards on Wednesday when he was named the league's Special Teams Player of the Year.
Yesterday, Burnett was named first-team All-C-USA as a defensive back, punt returner and kick returner, marking the first time that a player has been named to the first team at three different positions. This feat had never been accomplished anywhere in the nation prior to last week when Antonio Brown of Central Michigan was named first-team All-Mid American Conference as a wide receiver, punt returner and kickoff returner.
Burnett completes a career sweep of the first-team All-C-USA punt returner titles, winning the award for each of the past four years (2005-08). He also earned first-team recognition as a defensive back in 2005 and 2007, giving him a total of eight career first-team all-conference awards.
Burnett completed his extraordinary UCF career as the school's record holder in numerous major categories including career interceptions (16) and punt return yards (1,304). Burnett is the Conference USA career record holder for most punt return yards and ranks 19th in NCAA history in that category. He stands second in C-USA annals with his 16 career interceptions. He scored a total of five career special teams touchdowns including a UCF-record three on punt returns.
In 2008, Burnett was the only player in the nation to rank in the top 20 of both kickoff and punt returns. He led C-USA in both disciplines. He will likely become just the third player since 2000 to finish the season ranked in the top 100 nationally in all-purpose yardage despite not gaining any of those yards either rushing or receiving. This fall, Burnett, in his first season as a kickoff returner, ran two back for touchdowns, coming against in-state foes USF and Miami, both of which were ranked at various points this year.
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