The last time the Knights earned two major awards was in 2010 when Bruce Miller was voted as the defensive player of the year while Jeff Godfrey was the offensive player of the year.

Since Â鶹ԭ´´ joined the league in 2005, it boasts three C-USA Defensive Player of the Year awards, the most of any school. Miller picked up that distinction in back-to-back seasons from 2009-10. The Knights, meanwhile, are tied atop the chart with East Carolina with two C-USA Special Teams Player of the Year accolades. KR/PR Joe Burnett received the honor in 2008.

For the rest of the C-USA individual award winners, visit ConferenceUSA.com.

Â鶹ԭ´´â€™s Postseason Conference Players of the Year Since 2005

C-USA Defensive Player of the Year

C-USA Offensive Player of the Year

C-USA Special Teams Player of the Year

C-USA Freshman of the Year

Ranking third all-time at Â鶹ԭ´´ with 360 career tackles, Ishmael serves as one of the Knights’ three team captains in 2012. He leads the team in tackles for the third-straight year with a personal-best 116, and ranks tied for first in C-USA with three fumble recoveries as well as tied for fifth with three interceptions. Ishmael has started 48-straight games since his true freshman campaign in 2009.

On his final snap at Bright House Networks Stadium, Ishmael notched his first-career sack in the win over UAB. He also produced one of the top moments in stadium history when he intercepted a pass in double overtime to seal the victory against Southern Miss.

A graduate of nearby Edgewater High School, McDuffie stands as the Â鶹ԭ´´ career kickoff return leader with 90 returns, 2,501 yards and six touchdowns. This season, he ranks first in the nation among qualified players with a 34.2-yard return average thanks to 582 yards on 17 returns.

McDuffie tied a NCAA record with two kickoff returns for touchdowns when he ran back returns of 97 and 98 yards against Marshall. He also returned a 99-yarder against East Carolina which completely shifted momentum after Â鶹ԭ´´ trailed 14-0 (Knights won, 40-20).

In 2012, the program’s final year in the league before moving to the BIG EAST next fall, the Knights won their fourth C-USA East Division title in eight seasons in the league. They also have earned their fifth bowl berth since 2005 as they will travel to the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl in St. Petersburg where they will face Ball State Dec. 21 at 7:30 p.m.

For ticket information to the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl, contact the Â鶹ԭ´´ Ticket Office at (407) Â鶹ԭ´´-1000 or visit Â鶹ԭ´´Athletics.com.

Wide receiver Brandon Marshall (Chicago) had 12 catches for 92 yards in the Bears’ 28-10 win over Minnesota. Marshall has 1,017 receiving yards in his first season with the Bears, making him their first 1,000-yard receiver since 2002 (Marty Booker, 1,189 receiving yards). He is only the fifth player in NFL history (Irving Fryer, Tony Martin, Randy Moss, Terrell Owens) to record a 1,000-yard receiving season with three different teams; Chicago, Denver and Miami.

Fullback Bruce Miller (San Francisco) had 3 receptions for 37 yards in the 49ers’ 31-21 win over the Saints on Sunday. Look for him to be active again this week against the Rams as he continues to get touches in the 49ers offense while leading the way for running back Frank Gore.

Cornerback Asante Samuel (Atlanta) had 2 passes defended in the Falcons’ close 24-23 win over the Bucs on Sunday and nearly added to his gaudy career-interception total.

Cornerback Josh Robinson (Minnesota) is averaging 3.5 tackles per-game in his first season in the NFL, while kicker Matt Prater (Denver) hit a 34-yard field goal and was 2-for-2 on extra points in the Broncos’ 17-9 win over the Chiefs on Sunday.

Tackle Jah Reid (Baltimore) made his second-career start this week in the Ravens’ overtime win against the Chargers after missing the first seven weeks of the season with a calf injury.

It was also a milestone day for wide receiver Jamar Newsome. The former Knight was signed from the practice squad on Nov. 24 and made his Kansas City debut with his first-career NFL catch for 10 yards against the Broncos.

In the Canadian Football League, cornerback Joe Burnett was named to the CFL West Division All-Star team along with five of his fellow teammates.

For the complete update on former Knights in the NFL and CFL, check out the below list.

Â鶹ԭ´´ Knights in the NFL – Regular Season/Most Recent Game

Offense

Defense

Special Teams

Â鶹ԭ´´ Knights in the CFL – Regular Season

“Offence”

“Defence”

Current NFL players returning are Atari Bigby, Pat Brown, Joe Burnett, Leger Douzable, Mike Greco, Brandon Marshall, Sha’reff Rashad, Asante Samuel, Mike Sims-Walker, Josh Sitton, Kevin Smith and Torell Troup. Joining them are former NFL players Damien Demps, Corris Ervin, Travis Fisher, Ryan Flinn, Jimmy Fryzel, Doug Gabriel, Mike Gruttadauria, Alex Haynes, Rashad Jeanty, Shawn Jefferson, Darcy Johnson, Paul Miranda, Elton Patterson and Terrance Williams.

Several others will be on-hand Friday night for the annual Football Lettermen’s Club Golf Outing and Luncheon at Rio Pinar Country Club.

After getting the NFL alumni autographs, fans can watch the next wave of NFL Knights in action in the 2 p.m. Spring Game for just $5. Students and children 12 and under are free. Following the game, there will be another FREE autograph session, this time with the current Â鶹ԭ´´ team.

Only 2011 Â鶹ԭ´´ football season ticket holders are eligible to attend the autograph session, so purchase or renew for the upcoming season to guarantee your opportunity to meet some of the best players in Knights’ history.

Two of the jerseys, Densch (1986) and Culpepper (1999) have previously been recognized, and will be joined in 2010 by the monumental accomplishments from Smith and Burnett during their respective collegiate careers. Current criteria to commemorate a jersey, while not removing the number from usage by a current student-athlete, includes those who earn prominent national first-team All-American honors, while gaining conference player of the year recognition and have brought positive recognition and prominence to the university and themselves through their accomplishments.

#1 – Wayne Densch: On Oct. 22, 1986 a plaque was placed in the middle breezeway of Â鶹ԭ´´ Athletics Department thus renaming the complex the Wayne Densch Sports Center. The plaque was adorned in honor and recognition of the benevolence shared by one of the Central Florida region’s greatest philanthropists. The gift to Â鶹ԭ´´ Athletics would be the start of a long-standing relationship with the Densch family and the Wayne M. Densch Charitable Trust, whose name also marks the front of the current Â鶹ԭ´´ football offices and athletics training center. In gratitude for this monumental gift in 1986, Â鶹ԭ´´ Athletics retired jersey #1 in honor of Densch.

#8 – Daunte Culpepper: In March 1999, Daunte Culpepper, who just completed his trailblazing career at Â鶹ԭ´´, saw his #8 retired during the team’s postseason awards banquet. Culpepper’s collegiate career would see the Ocala-native leave Â鶹ԭ´´ at the top of virtually every quarterback record chart (more than 30 in all), while setting an NCAA record for single-season completion percentage (.736). Culpepper would accomplish a career feat equaled by only two others in NCAA history when he passed for 11,412 yards and rushed for 1,020 yards over his four seasons. He would finish his career sixth on the NCAA’s all-time total offense list for all divisions with 12,459 yards and was responsible for 108 touchdowns (84 passing, 24 rushing). He won the 1998 Sammy Baugh Trophy as the passer of the year in college football and was chosen along with Ricky Williams from Texas as the national Co-Player of the Year by The Sports Network.

#19 – Joe Burnett: A record setting cornerback and returner for the Knights who was named a Walter Camp All-American as a senior in 2008, in addition to ESPN.com and Sports Illustrated. Burnett helped Â鶹ԭ´´ to its first two bowl berths in 2005 and 2007, as well as playing a critical defensive and special teams role in the school’s first ever conference championship during 2007. He earned an amazing total of eight career All-Conference USA honors, including a four-year sweep of the first-team punt returner award. In his final campaign, he was named C-USA Special Teams Player of the Year. He left Â鶹ԭ´´ as both the school and C-USA record holder for career punt return yards (1,304). He also set the Â鶹ԭ´´ record, and ranked second in C-USA history, with 16 career interceptions.

#24 – Kevin Smith: Nearly everybody’s All-American following his record-setting 2007 season, Kevin Smith is Â鶹ԭ´´’s lone consensus All-American earning first-team praise by the Associated Press, Walter Camp, the Football Writers Association of America, ESPN.com, The Sporting News, and Sports Illustrated, amongst a total of nine media entities that season. He would also go on to earn 2007 Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year honors following his junior campaign which saw him rush for an astounding 2,567 yards and 30 total touchdowns, both figures leading the nation. Â鶹ԭ´´ would go onto enjoy arguably its finest season all-time in 2007, opening up a new on-campus stadium, winning the C-USA Championship in front of its home crowd and playing in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl. His single-season rushing effort was the second-highest in Football Bowl Subdivision history, trailing only Oklahoma State’s Barry Sanders (1989). In addition to leading the country in rushing, he paced the nation in scoring (12.86).

For the latest news on the Knights, log on to Â鶹ԭ´´Athletics.com – the official site for Â鶹ԭ´´ varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of Â鶹ԭ´´’s new online apparel store.