Sakoda Named to the AFCA All-America Team

Ute makes the coaches' first team as a kicker.

Louie Sakoda is the first Utah player to make a major All-America team at two different positions.
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Dec. 4, 2008

SALT LAKE CITY - Utah's Louie Sakoda has been named a first-team All-America place kicker by the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), the organization announced today. Sakoda becomes the first player in Utah history to make a major All-America team at two different positions. He was voted a first-team All-America punter a year ago by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and CBSSports.com.

Sakoda was the only player from a non-BCS conference selected to the 2008 AFCA All-America team. A top-three finalist for both the Lou Groza (kicking) and Ray Guy (punting) awards, Sakoda's 21 field goals ranks third in the nation and he is second in kick-scoring points with 115. He has made 21-of-23 field goals (91.3%) and is a perfect 17-of-17 in field goals from 47 yards and in. His only misses were from 48 and 54 yards and his average made field goal is 39 yards.

Sakoda is a three-time Mountain West Conference Special Teams Player of the Year (2006-08) and is the league's career record holder at any position for player of the week citations with 12 (five this season).

A business marketing major who carries a 3.73 cumulative GPA, Sakoda is a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete, a national finalist for the Draddy Trophy, Lowe's Senior Class Award and the Wuerffel Trophy. Sakoda was also named a first-team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American.

He will attend the prestigious NFF Annual Awards Dinner in New York City on December 9 and will head from there directly to Orlando, Fla., for the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show, where he will be honored as a Lou Groza and Ray Guy finalist on December 11. He is just the second player in history to make the finals for both awards in the same year.

The AFCA has selected an All-America team every year since 1945. The AFCA's Football Bowl Subdivision All-America Selection Committee is made up of three head coaches from each of the AFCA's nine FBS districts.