April 7, 2006
TEMPE, Ariz. (www.thesundevils.com) -- Arizona State University junior tight end Zach Miller (Phoenix, Ariz.) has been recognized as a 2006 Playboy Magazine All-American. Miller is just the 14th Sun Devil in history to earn the prestigious honor. Last season, former ASU wide receiver Derek Hagan (Palmdale, Calif.) was honored in the preseason as a Playboy Magazine All-American.
After his freshman season, Miller earned second-team All-America honors, just one of four freshmen to earn first team or second-team All-American accolades that season. Miller also earned first-team Freshman All-American accolades for his successful 2004 season. In 2004, he was named the Pacific-10 Conference Freshman of the Year, becoming just the second Sun Devil to earn the honor (Terrell Suggs, 2000).
As a freshman, Miller broke the ASU record for receptions in a season by a tight end with 56. His 56 receptions in 2004 tied for the most receptions in the NCAA by a tight end. Along with his 56 receptions, he tallied 552 receiving yards and six touchdowns. In 2005, Miller missed some time with an injury and still managed the team's third-highest amount of receptions with 38, four of which were touchdowns. He also recorded 476 receiving yards for an average of 12.5 yards per reception.
A 2004 graduate of Desert Vista High School (Phoenix, Ariz.), Miller was a unanimous selection as the No. 1 tight end prospect in the nation. He was also ranked the No. 5 prospect in the nation and No. 1 prospect in Arizona by Rivals.com. Listed by ESPN.com as the No. 10 overall prospect in the nation, Miller earned USA Today first-team All-American accolades coming out of high school. Along with being named "Big School" Player of the Year by the Arizona Republic, Miller was named Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year in 2003.
Other Sun Devils named to the Playboy Magazine All-American Team were: Ron Pritchard (1968), Woody Green (1973), Mike Richardson (1981, '82), Vernon Maxwell (1982), David Fulcher (1985), Randall McDaniel (1987), Nathan LaDuke (1990), Shante Carver (1993), Craig Newsome (1994), Juan Roque (1996), Bruce Snyder (1997 Coach of the Year), Grey Ruegamer (1998) and Derek Hagan (2004).
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