CAREER NOTES: Minnesota’s all-time career leader in receiving yards (1,293) and receptions (109) by a tight end ranks ninth all-time in school history in career receptions and career receiving TDs and is 13th in career receiving yards has 12 touchdowns for his career had 22 multi-catch games during his career had at least one reception in each of the last 20 games he played started 45 of 48 career games played had a streak of 37 consecutive starts snapped at Ohio State in 2006 due to injury sat out of the 2006 Insight Bowl after having shoulder surgery at the conclusion of the regular season.
2006 SENIOR SEASON: Won the John Mackey Award for the nation’s most outstanding tight end Associated Press First Team All-American earned All-Big Ten First Team honors by the coaches and the media for the second straight season earned the Bronko Nagurski Award for the team’s most valuable player ranked second on the team in receiving Academic All-Big Ten selection nominated for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award Game-by-Game: had a team-high three catches and 58 yards at Kent State (8/31) tied a career-high with six receptions, including a career-long 48-yard catch, at No. 23 Cal (9/9), leading the team in receiving for the second straight game hauled in his first touchdown catch of the year at Purdue (9/23) finished the game against the Boilermakers with five catches for 48 yards had four catches for 47 yards against Michigan (9/30) matched a career best with six catches for a career-high 99 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown catch, against Penn State (10/7) moved past Ben Utecht in career receptions by a tight end and became the 19th member of the Gophers’ 1,000-yard receiving club during the game against the Nittany Lions had a team-high four catches for 42 yards at Wisconsin matched a career best with six catches for 49 yards against NDSU (10/21) had three catches for 30 yards and one touchdown against Indiana (11/4) caught four passes for 51 yards at Michigan State (11/11) became the school’s all-time leader in career receiving yards by a tight end with a 38-yard catch in the second quarter against the Spartans caught five passes for 44 yards and one touchdown against Iowa (11/18) participated in 731 plays letterwinner.
2005 JUNIOR SEASON: Started all 12 games First-Team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and the media finished the season with 26 catches for 333
yards and four touchdowns joined Mike Nicholson, Tony Brinkhaus and Steve Shidell as the only Gophers to reach at least 1,000 plays helped lead the
Gophers to an average of 494.8 yards of total offense per game in 2005, which ranked seventh in the nation, was the highest average in school history, and
ranked third all-time in Big Ten history for average yards per game in a season part of the Gophers’ rushing offense, which ranked third in the country and first
in the Big Ten, averaging 273.1 yards per game, which is the second-highest average in school history and the seventh-highest average in Big Ten history
Game-by-Game: recorded his first catch of the season against Florida Atlantic (9/17) had four catches for 68 yards and a touchdown vs. Purdue (9/24)
touchdown catch was his first of the season also had a season-long 36-yard reception against the Boilermakers registered three catches for 21 yards
against Penn State (10/1) caught one pass for eight yards against Michigan (10/8) caught one pass for five yards and a touchdown vs. Wisconsin (10/15)
caught three balls for 58 yards against Ohio State (10/29) had a team-high four catches for 66 yards and a touchdown against Indiana (11/5) had three
catches for 24 yards against Michigan State (11/12) caught four balls for 49 yards against Iowa (11/19), his fourth straight game with at least three catches
had two catches for 25 yards against Virginia in the Music City Bowl (12/30) earned the Neil Fredenburg Award for courage and love for the game Academic
All-Big Ten selection scholar-athlete award winner participated in a team-high 1,025 plays earned third letter. Preseason: Received All-America recognition
by Street & Smith’s.
2004 SOPHOMORE SEASON: Honorable mention All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and the media ranked third on the team in receptions (24) and fourth
in receiving yards (298) was second in receiving touchdowns with four started all 12 games Game-by-Game: established a career high with six catches for
71 yards and two touchdowns at Colorado State (9/18) followed that performance with five receptions for 72 yards vs. Northwestern (9/25) had one catch for
eight yards at Michigan State (10/16) tied his personal best with six catches for 95 yards and two touchdowns at Indiana (10/30) caught two passes for 28
yards at Wisconsin (11/6) had three receptions for 18 yards against Iowa (11/13) Academic All-Big Ten selection scholar-athlete award winner
participated in 943 plays earned second letter.
2003 FRESHMAN SEASON: Named to The Sporting News Big Ten All-Freshman Team Rivals.com Freshman All-American selection appeared in all 13
games made 10 starts, including the final five games had 12 receptions for 98 yards caught a career-high three passes for 31 yards against Troy State (9/
6) also had one catch for four yards against Louisiana-Lafayette (9/20) had one catch for seven yards vs. Michigan (10/10) had two receptions for 19
yards vs. Michigan State (10/18) recorded one catch for six yards at Illinois (10/25) hauled in one pass for 10 yards vs. Wisconsin (11/8) tied career-high
with three catches for 21 yards at Iowa (11/15) Academic All-Big Ten selection scholar-athlete award winner participated in 908 plays earned first letter.
2002: Redshirted.
HIGH SCHOOL: A 2002 graduate of St. Michael-Albertville High School (Minn.) high school coach was Earl Bauman the defensive MVP of the 1999 3A state
championship game, was also the defensive MVP of his conference first team all-metro by the coaches, Minneapolis Star Tribune and KARE 11-TV two-time
all-county and all-conference selection made 22 receptions for 294 yards and three touchdowns his senior year made 203 tackles and eight interceptions
and forced five fumbles his senior year also earned three letters as a center on the basketball team averaged 30 points and 13 rebounds per game named
all-conference three times for his play on the hardwood.
PERSONAL: Marketing major son of Ken and Terri Spaeth father, Ken, played football at Nebraska and was a draft choice of the NFL’s Buffalo Bills born
November 24, 1983.
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Courtesy: University of Minnesota
