This is the 32nd in a 50-day summer series counting down the top players in Michigan State football history, as I see them. As with last year’s MSU basketball top 50, the criteria is performance and impact at MSU only, professional career irrelevant. Have your own opinion? Leave a comment or tweet at me @Graham_Couch.
No. 19 – Plaxico Burress
Wide receiver, 1998-99, Virginia Beach, Va.
The skinny: Like his contemporary T.J. Duckett (No. 20 on this countdown), Burress had rare size and physical gifts for his position. And with them, he turned himself into an elite receiver. A 6-foot-6, 230-pound wideout, Burress set single-season school records in both of his seasons at MSU, with 65 catches as a sophomore and 66 as a junior. His 1,142 receiving yards in 1999 were also a program record at the time, as were his 12 touchdown catches.
Burress was twice All-Big Ten, first-team as a senior. As a junior, his 1,013 yards left him just shy of Courtney Hawkins’ mark (1,080) and his eight TD catches tied the previous record.
He’ll be remembered most for two performances during his senior season — his 10-catch, 255-yard day in a win over Michigan, and his 13-catch, 185-yard, three-touchdown finale in a Citrus Bowl win over Florida. In both cases, like Duckett at his best, Burress overwhelmed big-time opposition. The 255 yards against the Wolverines broke Andre Rison’s two-decade-old single-game record (252 yards) and has only been surpassed once, by Charles Rogers in 2001. Burress’ 13 catches in the Citrus Bowl topped Mitch Lyons mark of 12 in 1992. Matt Trannon (14 against Eastern Michigan in 2006 in a spread offense) is the only MSU player with more since.
The Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Burress in the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft, eighth overall. He played 11 full seasons in the NFL over 14 years and won a Super Bowl with the New York Giants.
Why he’s No. 19: In 1999, Burress gave MSU a dominant weapon in the passing game on a 10-2 team that finished ranked No. 7 in final AP poll. A year earlier, his four-catch, 125-yard performance at Ohio State played a critical role in the Spartans’ upset of the top-ranked Buckeyes.
Burress arrived on the scene with a 13-catch, 198-yard spring game in 1998, feeding anticipation back when hope was MSU’s strongest attribute. He then brought with him two years of justified swagger. On a team loaded with NFL Draft picks, Burress stood out.
Had he stuck around another season — unnecessary for his own career — he might be in the top 10 on this countdown. He would have bridged the gap at wideout between himself and Charles Rogers, and perhaps the Bobby Williams era goes differently for a while. The 2000 MSU team had a sometimes-staunch defense and a punishing running back, but lacked a playmaking weapon in the passing game.
Previously …
No. 20: T.J. Duckett
No. 21: Lynn Chandnois
No. 22: Le’Veon Bell
No. 23: Clinton Jones
No. 24: Max Bullough
No. 25: Blake Ezor
No. 26: Flozell Adams
No. 27: Larry Bethea
No. 28: Tico Duckett
No. 29: Carl Banks
No. 30: Sedrick Irvin
No. 31: Jeremy Langford
No. 32: Dan Currie
No. 33: B.J. Cunningham
No. 34: Earl Morrall
No. 35: Joe DeLamielleure
No. 36: Ed Budde
No. 37: Eric Allen
No. 38: Walt Kowalczyk
No. 39: Charlie Thornhill
No. 40: Jack Conklin
No. 41: John Pingel
No. 42: Billy Joe DuPree
No. 43: Trae Waynes
No. 44: George Saimes
No. 45: Greg Jones
No. 46: Ed Smith
No. 47: Bob Apisa
No. 48: Derrick Mason
No. 49: Ed Bagdon
No. 50: Denicos Allen
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