Indiana University Athletics
Randle El Receives Playboy All-America Invite
4/3/2001 12:00:00 AM | Football
April 3, 2001
Bloomington, Ind. -- For the second time in three seasons, Indiana University will be represented on PLAYBOY's All-America Football Team, the most prestigious of the numerous preseason all-star squads. Indiana senior quarterback/wide receiver Antwaan Randle El has been invited by Playboy to be a member of its 2001 Preseason College All-America Football Team. He plans to attend the Dream Team photo session in Phoenix, Ariz., on May 11-13. When the team is announced in what is normally the October issue of the magazine, PLAYBOY is expected to recognize Randle El as the first-ever "multiple-threat" position player in the 45-year history of the team. In 1999, Indiana's Adewale Ogunleye, who is presently a member of the Miami Dolphins, was named to the squad as a defensive end.
A frontrunner for the 2001 Heisman Trophy and widely regarded as college football's most exciting player, the 5-foot-10, 190-pound, Randle El is expected to see action at quarterback and wide receiver in 2001. During spring drills, he has played exclusively at wide receiver while also returning punts.
A standout quarterback in his first three seasons at Indiana, the Thornton, Ill, product is on pace to rush for more yards than any quarterback in NCAA Division I-A history. Needing only 681 more rushing yards to achieve this mark, his 1,270 rushing yards in 2000 paced all I-A signal callers. With only 69 more rushing yards and 195 additional passing yards, he would become the only player in college football history to pass for 6,000 yards and rush for 3,000 yards in a career. To put this mark in perspective, former Louisiana-Lafayette quarterback and current Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Mitchell is the only other player in NCAA Division I-A history to pass for 5,000 yards and rush for 2,000 yards in a career, and only six players have ever reached the 4,000/2,000 plateau. Randle El has also led an Indiana offense that has scored at a prolific pace as the Hoosiers averaged 30.6 points per game in 2000, the second highest total in school history. Randle El is one of only two players in college football history to score 200 career points and to account for 200 career points passing and now has the seemingly unattainable 300/300 plateau in his sights. Among active players, he is first on the Big Ten's career passing list and second on the league's career rushing list.
In 2000, Randle El completed 133 of 277 passes for 1,783 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also rushed for 1,270 yards and 13 scores. As a sophomore in 1999, he competed 150 of 279 pass attempts for 2,277 yards and 17 touchdowns and rushed for 788 yards and 13 touchdowns. As a freshman, he emerged on the national scene with a season that saw him rush for 873 yards and 10 touchdowns and pass for 1,745 yards and 6 scores.
A multi-sport athlete, Randle El has also played basketball and baseball during his college career. He is expected to graduate this summer and play the 2001 season as an Indiana University graduate.
