University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Johnson Named To AFCA Good Works Team
9/15/2004 12:00:00 AM | Football
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2004 AFCA Good Works Team
Johnson Named To AFCA Good Works Team
HATTIESBURG, Miss. ? Southern Miss junior punter Luke Johnson was selected as one of 11 NCAA I-A football players from across the nation to be named to the 2004 American Football Coaches Association's Good Works Team. This marks the second Southern Miss player to be named to the team as Karr Shannon was a member of the 1997 team.
The AFCA has named a Good Works Team every year since 1992. The team is made up of players who are actively involved and committed to working with a charitable organization, service group or involved in other community service activities. The 11-man team honors players for their dedication and commitment to community service. From 1992-1996, the Good Works Team was selected by the College Football Association. When the CFA disbanded in 1997, the AFCA began selecting the teams.
Johnson is heavily involved in community service and is dedicated to the Southern Miss Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Southern Miss Baptist Student Union and his ministry opportunities not only in the Hattiesburg area but also in other areas of the state and the world. He is an ordained minister as a student-athlete and is dedicated not only to his academics, but football and his ministerial calling.
Johnson has a 3.44 grade point average in business administration as a third-year student and has earned dean?s list honors. He was named SportsCare Scholar Athlete for Football in 2003 and was one of several student-athletes awarded the Conference USA Commissioner?s Medal for academic excellence.
Johnson has been involved in a variety of community service projects which include preaching at youth rallys and youth group events, serving on the ministry team at the Forrest County Jail preaching to inmates, serving on the ministry team for the Youth Challenge Program in Hattiesburg, Miss. ministering to teens, member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, distributing food and toys to families in need before Christmas, working as the 11th grade guys leader at "Disciple Now" weekend in Biloxi, Miss., and participating in mission trips. This past summer, he participated in a missions trip to Africa.
Johnson is the starting punter for the Golden Eagle football team. This season, he is averaging 41.7 yards per punt on seven punts and has a long punt of 52 yards. Last season, he averaged 42.1 yards per punt on 79 punts last season, punted 14 of them more than 50 yards with a long punt of 76 yards and placed 28 inside the opponents' 20-yard line. His 76-yard punt was the third longest in the school's history.
Since the Good Works Team started in 1992, Kentucky is tied for the lead of Southeastern Conference schools with eight student-athletes chosen for the team, while South Carolina has had six student-athletes selected. Notre Dame, Syracuse and Virginia added their third selections to the team, Southern Miss its second and New Mexico, Tulsa and Utah, earned Good Works honors for the first time.
2004 AFCA Good Works Teams Division I-A Name/Cl./Pos./School/Head Coach/Hometown/HS
Antoine Huffman/Jr./CB/Kentucky/Rich Brooks/Jonesboro, Ga./Lovejoy
Jamaal Brimmer/Sr./SS/UNLV/John Robinson/Las Vegas, Nev./Durango
Nick Speegle/Sr./LB/New Mexico/Rocky Long/Albuquerque, N.M./La Cueva
Derek Curry/Sr./LB/Notre Dame/Tyrone Willingham/Sealy, Tex./Sealy
Raymorris Barnes/Sr./CB/Rice/Ken Hatfield/D'lberville, Miss./D'lberville
Taqiy Muhammad/Sr./WR/South Carolina/Lou Holtz/Wilmington, N.C./Laney
Luke Johnson/Jr./P/PK/Southern Miss/Jeff Bower/Laurel, Miss./West Jones
Matt Tarullo/Sr./C/Syracuse/Paul Pasqualoni/Albany, N.Y./Colonie
James Kilian/Sr./QB/Tulsa/Steve Kragthorpe/Medford,Okla./Medford
Morgan Scalley/Sr./DB/Utah/Urban Meyer/Salt Lake City, Utah/Highland
Brian Barthelmes/Jr./OG/Virginia/Al Groh/Parkman, Ohio/Kenston
