Ball State University Athletics
Football's Chris Miller Earns All-America Honors
December 18, 2006 | Football
Chris Miller (Libertyville, Ill./Carmel H.S.), a sophomore punter for the Ball State University football team, has been named to The Sporting News All-America Second Team.
Miller was named to the All-Mid-American Conference First Team for a second consecutive campaign in 2006 after leading the league with a 46.26 punting average. With only the bowl games remaining, Miller ranks second in the country in punting behind only Baylor's Daniel Sepulvada's 46.48 average. Miller punted 57 times for 2,637 yards with a long punt of 78 yards. Of his 57 punts, 20 were placed inside the opponent's 20-yard line, 10 were touchbacks and six were fair catches. Opponents returned 26 punts against the Cardinals this season and averaged only 7.2 yards per punt with 15 yards being the longest return this season. Ball State's net punting in 2006 is 38.28, which ranks sixth in the country. Miller's 2,637 punt yards is the 10th highest single-season total in Ball State history, while his 46.3 average is the second best in Ball State annals, behind only Brad Maynard's 46.5 average in 1995. Miller also received honorable mention on the SI.com All-America Team this year, and was a co-recipient of Ball State's Bill Reynolds Special Teams Player of the Year Award, which is given in the memory of Reynolds, who spent 31 years as a volunteer in the Ball State athletics department with an emphasis on the football program prior to his death in the summer of 2000.
