1 Paul Edinger
	Class: Senior Hometown: Lakeland, Fla. High School: Kathleen Height / Weight: 5-10 / 168 Position: Place Kicker Birthdate: 01/17/1978 Experience: 3L

A leading candidate for the Lou Groza Award, which is presented annually to the nation’s top placekicker . . . heads into his second season as Michigan State’s starting placekicker . . . rated among the nation’s top 10 placekickers according to Lindy’s College Football Annual (No. 5) and The Sporting News (No. 7) . . . preseason first-team All-Big Ten selection by the Football News, Lindy’s and Athlon . . . teams with punter Craig Jarrett to give the Spartans one of the top kicking tandems in the country . . .

AS A JUNIOR: Named first-team All-American by the All-American Football Foundation in 1998 . . . earned third-team All-America honors from the Football News . . . second-team All-Big Ten pick by the coaches and media . . . presented the Jim Adams Award as MSU’s unsung hero . . . appeared in 11 games in ’98 (DNP vs. Central Michigan/sprained right ankle) and played 34.5 minutes . . . led the Big Ten and ranked third in the NCAA in field goals at 2.0 made per game . . . finished second in the league and No. 18 nationally in scoring at 8.6 points per game . . . his 94 points represent the most scored in a season by a Spartan placekicker . . . connected on a school single-season record 22-of-26 field-goal attempts (.846) . . . also converted a Spartan-record 13-consecutive field goals during a four-game stretch . . . hit 8-of-9 field-goal attempts (.889) from 40-plus yards . . . named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week after tying MSU’s single-game record with five field goals vs. Northwestern (39, 46, 38, 21 and 30 yards) . . . again tied the MSU single-game record with five field goals vs. top-ranked Ohio State, including a career-long 49-yarder, to earn Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors for the second-straight week . . . named Spartan Special Teams Player of the Week after kicking three field goals vs. Indiana (48, 47 and 22 yards) . . . converted 28-of-31 extra-point attempts (.903) . . . 14 of his 61 kickoffs resulted in touchbacks . . .

AS A SOPHOMORE: Saw action in all 12 games in 1997, with 88 special teams appearances . . . averaged 39.2 yards on 54 punts . . . hit three punts 50-plus yards . . . had 10 punts downed inside the opponent’s 20-yard line . . . provided a season-long 43-yard field goal vs. Washington in the Aloha Bowl . . . named Spartan Special Teams Player of the Week vs. Ohio State after averaging 46.7 yards on seven punts, including a career-long 62 yarder . . . averaged 41.7 yards on three punts vs. Notre Dame and pinned the Irish inside their 20-yard line twice . . . also handled the placekicking duties over the last three games of the season . . . scored 16 points in ’97, hitting three-of-five field-goal attempts (.600) and seven-of-nine extra-point tries (.778) . . . kicked two field goals vs. Illinois, from 25 and 30 yards . . . four of his 17 kickoffs resulted in touchbacks . . .

AS A FRESHMAN: Appeared in all 12 games in 1996 and played 35.5 minutes . . . ranked fifth in the Big Ten in punting with his 41.8-yard average (55 punts) . . . produced MSU’s best single-season average since Josh Butland averaged 43.1 yards in 1989 . . . hit nine punts 50 or more yards . . . had 14 punts downed inside the opponent’s 20-yard line . . . finished strong averaging 46.3 yards per punt over the last five games . . . averaged 47.1 yards on eight punts vs. Stanford in the Sun Bowl, including a 50-, 52- and season-long 57-yarder . . . pinned Stanford inside its 20-yard line three times . . . named MSU Special Teams Player of the Week vs. Michigan after averaging 42.3 yards on three punts . . . averaged 49.3 yards on three punts vs. Wisconsin, including a 50-yarder . . . selected Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week after averaging 42.7 yards on 10 punts vs. Nebraska, including 55- and 57-yard efforts . . . missed his only field-goal attempt, from 27 yards vs. Eastern Michigan . . .

HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Listed among the nation's top 13 placekickers by Blue Chip Illustrated . . . earned all-state and All-Polk County honors as a senior . . . kicked 11 field goals in 1995, including a career-best 53-yarder . . . averaged 42 yards per punt as a senior . . . made nine field goals as a junior, including a 49-yarder . . . 46 of his 51 kickoffs resulted in touchbacks . . . played for Coach Dave Robson at Kathleen Senior High School in Lakeland, Fla. . . . won three letters in soccer and earned Class 4A all-state honors . . . born Jan. 17, 1978, in Frankfort, Mich. . . . majoring in park recreation and tourism.

Edinger’s Career Statistics

Scoring

        PAT         FG            PTS
1996    0-0         0-1           0
1997    7-9         3-5           16
1998    28-31       22-26         94
Career  35-40(.875) 25-32 (.781)  110

FG Accuracy

        -20   20-29  30-39  40-49  50+  Total  LG
1996    0-0   0-1    0-0    0-0    0-0  0-1    —
1997    0-0   1-1    1-2    1-2    0-0  3-5    43
1998    0-0   6-6    9-12   8-10   0-0  22-26  49
Career  0-0   7-8    10-14  9-12   0-0  25-32  49

Punting

        G    No.   Yds.   Avg.   LG
1996    12   55    2297   41.8   57
1997    12   54    2118   39.2   62
1998    11   5     146    29.2   41
Career  35   114   4561   40.0   62