Wake Forest Athletics
Plackemeier To Participate In East-West Shrine Game
1/19/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Jan. 19, 2006
San Antonio, Texas - Wake Forest punter Ryan Plackemeier is in San Antonio, Texas, this week to participate in Saturday's East-West Shrine Game presented by AT&T. The 81st edition of the game is set for Saturday, January 21 at 4:00 p.m. eastern time on ESPN2 at the Alamodome.
The game is considered to be one of the nation's top postseason all-star games. Of last year's 95 participants, 90 were on NFL Opening Day rosters in 2005. This week's practices have been attended by about 300 NFL scouts, according to Greg Johnson of the Alamo Bowl who is assisting with the event.
Plackemeier will wear his number 81 while competing for the East team, coached by Arkansas' Houston Nutt. Plackemeier's teammates will include nine former ACC rivals such as Matt Henshaw and Leon Washington of Florida State, Eric Henderson and Dawan Landry of Georgia Tech, Gerrick McPhearson of Maryland, Rashad Butler and Rocky McIntosh of Miami, Wali Lundy of Virginia and James Anderson of Virginia Tech.
To date, the game has raised more than $14 million for Shriners Hospitals and has helped inform millions of people about the mission of this extraordinary philanthropy.
Plackemeier, the 2005 Ray Guy Award winner and consensus first team All-American, led the nation in both net punting and average per punt. As a senior, he punted 67 times with an average of 47.2 yards per punt. Plackemeier also dropped 20 punts inside the 20 yardline and nearly half his kicks were not returned.
Among those with 200 career attempts, Plackemeier is the NCAA's all-time leading punter with a career average of 45.26 yards per punt. He was a three-time first team All-ACC selection. No fewer than 10 organizations and publications named Plackemeier first team All-American, including the American Football Coaches Association, Associated Press and Football Writers Association of America.
A native of Bonsall, Calif., Plackemeier had 13 punts of at least 60 yards this season. Three of those went at least 70 yards, including an 82-yard blast against NC State on October 22. That punt was the fourth-longest punt in ACC history. His punts of 71, 74 and 82 yards were the three longest punts in the ACC this season.
Plackemeier shattered his own Wake Forest single season record for average yards per punt, originally set in 2003 when he averaged 45.6 yards per punt. He eclipsed that mark by nearly a yard and a half in 2005.
At Wake Forest's postseason banquet, Plackemeier was selected the winner of the program's first ever Most Outstanding Special Teams Player Award.
Plackemeier's Career Punting Statistics
G-GS No Yds Avg Lg In20 50+ 60+ 70+ 80+2002 10-8 32 1,383 43.2 62 2 10 1 0 02003 12-12 57 2,600 45.6 67 11 20 3 0 02004 11-11 64 2,809 43.9 69 17 17 4 0 02005 11-11 67 3,165 47.2 82 20 21 13 3 1 44-42 220 9,957 45.3 82 50 68 21 3 1
