To follow the All-Time ASU Single-Season Fantasy Team for offense, the history lesson and data collection wrap up with a shift to defense and special teams.

These selections may not necessarily represent the absolute greatest overall player at each position in ASU history – though in many cases they do – but rather the most impressive single-season performances in terms of record-setting statistics, conference and national accolades and other prestigious honors. Some are the highlight seasons of consistently stellar careers, while some fall under the category of one-year wonders.

Selections were made with a heavy emphasis on the unprecedented nature of the statistics posted by each player and how postseason honors compare to others to have played the position at ASU.

Also, selections were entirely made by me, the writer, Joe Healey. Want to shower me with gratitude for such incredibly insightful picks or prefer to berate me for overlooking [enter name here]? Find me on Twitter, @JoeHealey42.

All-Time ASU Single-Season Fantasy Team – Defense and Special Teams

DL: Al Harris (1978), Derrick Rodgers (1996)/Jeremy Staat (1997), Terrell Suggs (2002), Will Sutton (2012)

LB: Ron Pritchard (1968), Bob Bruenig (1974), Vernon Maxwell (1982)

CB: Mike Haynes (1974), Eric Allen (1987)

S: Mike Richardson (1982), David Fulcher (1985)

KR: Jamal Miles (2011)

PR: Steve Holden (1970)

K: Zane Gonzalez (2016)

P: Josh Hubner (2012)

Defensive Line

Al Harris (1978): In the first year that sacks were recognized as an official statistic, Harris quickly became a master of the category as he notched 19.0 quarterback takedowns on his way to Unanimous All-America honors. The first Unanimous All-American in school history, Harris remains one of only three Sun Devils to have earned such unanimous accolades joining Terrell Suggs (2002) and Zane Gonzalez (2016). Also, a first-team all-conference pick in what was ASU’s debut season in the Pac-10, Harris was chosen as the ninth overall selection in the NFL Draft the following spring.

Tie – Derrick Rodgers (1996), Jeremy Staat (1997): In narrowing down four “starting” defensive linemen for this list, picking one and not the other among Rodgers and Staat simply couldn’t be done. The two share many parallels as both came to ASU by way of the junior college level, both enjoyed a season of absolute dominance and both also have military backgrounds – Rodgers before his time at ASU and Staat after finishing his football career.

Rodgers came to Arizona State as an undersized defensive end but left Tempe after just one season after establishing himself as one of the nation’s most fearsome pass rush threats. A First-Team All-American by multiple publications and a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Award, Rodgers also earned First-Team All-Pac-10 honors after totaling 24.0 tackles for loss including 12.0 sacks in his lone season as a Sun Devil while serving as a defensive catalyst for ASU’s run to the 1997 Rose Bowl.

A key reserve lineman on the conference champion team in 1996, Staat came into his own as a senior in 1997 as he was named a First-Team All-American and the defensive Morris Trophy winner after collecting 23.0 tackles including 12.5 for sacks. At the time, his sacks total set the school record for interior defensive linemen and was the third-best single-season total in Sun Devil history at the time.

Terrell Suggs (2002): The single most dominant season by a Sun Devil – perhaps in any sport, but most certainly on the football field – and one of the most incredible one-year efforts in college football history, Suggs was an absolutely unstoppable defensive force as a junior in 2002.

After posting 10.0 sacks in each of his first two seasons, the Chandler Hamilton High School product etched his name into college football history with his NCAA record-setting 24.0-sack effort as a junior in 2002.

Following his Herculean season, Suggs was a proverbial all-universe pick as he became just the second Sun Devil to earn Unanimous All-America honors, was named the Pac-10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year and became the first in program history to win the Rotary Lombardi Award, the Bronko Nagurski Award, and the Ted Hendricks Award. Suggs is the first and one of only three players to win all three awards in the same season later joined by Brian Orakpo of Texas in 2008 and Jonathan Allen of Alabama in 2016.

In just three years, Suggs finished his ASU career as the NCAA career record holder with 44.0 sacks and naturally bypassed his senior season to enter the 2003 NFL Draft. He has spent his entire career with the Baltimore Ravens, likely is bound for both the College and Pro Football Halls of Fame and enters his 16th NFL season this fall.

Will Sutton (2012): The most dominant interior defensive lineman of the Pac-10/12 era for Arizona State and one of the most impressive in program history, Sutton exploded from a decent part-time starter his freshman and sophomore seasons to an All-American as a junior in 2012.

As a junior, Sutton was named a Consensus All-American and the Pac-12 Conference Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year for what would be the first of two times receiving the accolade. On the year, he totaled 63 tackles including 23.5 for loss with 13.0 sacks. His tackles for loss and sacks totals at the time both ranked as the fourth-best single-season totals in Arizona State history.

Sutton would return for his senior season to help ASU win the Pac-12 south division and go on to be drafted into the NFL by the Chicago Bears.

Honorable Mention

Curley Culp (1967): This selection was a challenging one because no defensive statistics are available for what Culp did throughout his Sun Devil career. However, he was very well known as an absolutely overpowering force and in 1967 he was a team captain, a First-Team All-American by multiple publications and was a First-Team All-WAC selection for the second consecutive year.

Bob Kohrs (1978): Though he earned greater accolades in terms of All-America and all-conference honors the year after, Kohrs’ best impact in the box scores came in 1978. While lining up opposite Unanimous All-American Al Harris in 1978, Kohrs was a terror in his own right as he posted 14.0 sacks as part of 20.0 total tackles for loss. His sacks total remains the third-best single-season effort in ASU history behind Suggs in 2002 and Harris in 1978.

Jim Jeffcoat (1982): A force on a dominant Sun Devil defense that guided Arizona State to a 10-win season and a Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma, Jeffcoat registered an incredible total of 111 tackles from his defensive line position and earned both Third-Team All-America and First-Team All-Pac-10 honors.

Shante Carver (1993): Carver ended his four-year tenure in impressive fashion as he posted team highs of 79 tackles including 17.0 for loss with 10.0 sacks on his way to First-Team All-America recognition. The next spring, Carver was selected 23rd overall by the Cowboys and his rookie year was a member of Dallas’ Super Bowl champion squad that coincidentally won its championship that year at Sun Devil Stadium.

Linebacker

Ron Pritchard (1968): A bit of an educated guess as defensive statistics for his tenure are not available in ASU’s records, Pritchard was named a Consensus All-American in 1968 – the first in school history at any position – as well as a First-Team All-WAC selection and ultimately was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Pritchard remains the only Sun Devil linebacker to achieve Consensus All-America status. Stats or no stats, that’s good enough for me.

Bob Breunig (1974): Also now a member of the College Football Hall of Fame along with Pritchard and others from ASU, Breunig was named a First-Team All-American and a First-Team All-WAC member as a senior in 1974. The Phoenix native posted an amazing total of 146 tackles including 92 solo tackles, still the third-best single-season effort in school history.

Vernon Maxwell (1982): A First-Team All-American and First-Team All-Pac-10 selection, Maxwell set what remains a school record for sacks in a season by a linebacker (12.0) while also totaling 110 tackles including for loss. Maxwell’s other-worldly efforts in 1982 make him the only defender in school history to have posted 100 or more tackles, 20 or more tackles for loss and 10 or more sacks all in the same season.

Honorable Mention

Larry Gordon (1975): The Defensive Most Valuable Player in ASU’s historic Fiesta Bowl win over Nebraska, Gordon also earned Honorable Mention All-America and First-Team All-WAC recognition in 1975 after accumulating an amazing total of 150 tackles.

Greg Battle (1985): An Honorable Mention All-American and a Second-Team All-Pac-10 pick, Battle tallied 147 tackles on the year – only once since has his total in 1985 been outdone. Battle remains ASU’s all-time leader in tackles (425)

Mark Tingstad (1988): Tingstad recorded a mind-boggling total of 172 tackles – still a school record – helping him notch Honorable Mention All-America and Second-Team All-Pac-10 honors.

Brett Wallerstedt (1992): A third-team All-American and First-Team All-Pac-10 selection, Wallerstedt had an extremely productive senior season with 119 tackles including 22.0 for loss. His tackles for loss total marked a school single-season record for a linebacker (since surpassed by Antonio Longino’s 22.5 in 2015), and only once since 1992 has a Sun Devi linebacker posted 100 or more tackles including 20 or more tackles for loss in the same year – Adam Archuleta 111 and 21.0 in 1999.

Pat Tillman (1997): The 1997 Pac-10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year – an award that now posthumously honors Tillman by carrying his name – the greatest hero in Sun Devil history was a First-Team All-American on the field and a Second-Team Academic All-American for ASU after leading the team with 97 tackles as a senior.

Adam Archuleta (2000): Named the 2000 Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year, the former walk-on from Chandler was a First-Team All-American, a Butkus Award semifinalist, a finalist for the Football News Defensive Player of the Year and a First-Team All-Pac-10 member after recording 127 tackles including 15.0 for loss with 4.0 sacks.

Dale Robinson (2005): One of two winners of the 2005 Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year Award in the Pac-10 Conference along with Oregon’s Haloti Ngata, the hard-hitting Robinson capped off his two-year Sun Devil career with 115 tackles including 15.0 for loss with 4.0 sacks, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries as a senior.

Carl Bradford (2012): A sensational pass rush linebacker from his “Devilbacker” position, Bradford exploded as a redshirt sophomore with 81 tackles including 20.5 for loss with 11.5 sacks. Far from a one-trick pass rush pony, Bradford is one of only three linebackers in school history to post 20 or more tackles for loss and 10 or more sacks in the same season along with Vernon Maxwell in 1982 and Antonio Longino in 2015.

Antonio Longino (2015): One of only three linebackers in ASU history to post at least 20.0 tackles for loss and 10.0 sacks in a season, Longino finished his three-year Arizona State career as one of the most fearsome defenders in the Pac-12 as he collected 57 total tackles including 22.5 for loss with 11.0 sacks. That year, Longino was the Pac-12 leader in sacks and finished in a tie for ninth nationally.

Cornerback

Mike Haynes (1974): Though he earned Consensus All-America recognition the following year, Haynes’ numbers were spectacular as a junior in 1974. A First-Team All-WAC pick as both a defensive back and returns specialist as well as an Honorable Mention All-American in 1974, Haynes intercepted 11 passes during his junior season – a total that stands as the second-best single-season total in ASU history.

Eric Allen (1987): An Honorable Mention All-American and First-team All-Pac-10 selection in 1987, Allen tallied eight interceptions as a senior – the fifth-best single-season interceptions total in Arizona State history, the most by an ASU cornerback in the Pac-10/12 era and a total that has not since been outdone by any Sun Devil.

Honorable Mention:

Windlan Hall (1971): A First-Team All-America honoree in 1971, Hall joins Haynes as the only two Sun Devils ever to be named First-Team All-Americans. A team captain and also a First-Team All-WAC pick as he was the previous season, Hall registered seven interceptions in 1971.

Mike Martinez (1975): The team leader with seven interceptions for ASU’s undefeated 1975 squad, Martinez earned Honorable Mention All-America and First-Team All-WAC accolades as the Devils’ starting corner opposite eventual Hall of Famer Mike Haynes.

Safety

Mike Richardson (1982): A Consensus All-American and First-Team All-Pac-10 selection for the second straight year, as a senior Richardson totaled 127 tackles and two interceptions for the outstanding Sun Devil defense that helped guide ASU to a Fiesta Bowl victory over Oklahoma.

David Fulcher (1985): A Consensus All-American as he received first-team honors from six different entities, Fulcher grabbed a team-high six interceptions as a junior in 1985. Also a First-Team All-Pac-10 pick, Fulcher used his stellar junior year as a launch pad to the pro level as he bypassed his senior year and left Tempe after the 1985 season to enter the NFL Draft.

Honorable Mention

Nathan LaDuke (1990): A Thorpe Award finalist, a Second-Team All-American and First-Team All-Pac-10 selection, LaDuke ended his Sun Devil career with an outstanding senior season in 1990 by leading the team with 122 tackles and four interceptions. A playmaker in every way, in 1990 LaDuke set the school record for total interception return yards (255), including two returned more than 90 yards for touchdowns over the course of the season.

Seth Miller (1969): Miller’s 11 interceptions in 1969 still stand tied for the second-best single-season total in Arizona State history and were enough to earn the team captain strong safety First-Team All-WAC recognition.

Kickoff Returns

Jamal Miles (2011): Miles’ 26.3-yard average is exceptional as his 2011 season is one of only seven times in Arizona State history that a player had at least 30 kickoff returns. He also scored twice on kickoff returns and added one punt return touchdown, making him the first at ASU since 1996 and just the second in school history to post multiple kickoff return touchdowns in the same season. His total kickoff return yardage of 788 ranks third on ASU’s single-season list and Miles graduated as ASU’s all-time leader in kickoff return touchdowns (three).

Honorable Mention

Terry Battle (1996): In addition to being a First-Team All-American running back, Battle was one of the nation’s most dangerous returns threats in 1996 as he averaged 29.1 yards on 20 kickoff returns with two touchdowns. Battle’s average of 29.1 yards is the single-season school record for a player with at least 20 kick returns in a year and he joins Miles as the only two Sun Devils with multiple kick return touchdowns in a single season.

Punt Returns

Steve Holden (1970): Holden averaged 19.1 yards on 20 punt returns with two touchdowns, including a 94-yard touchdown against BYU – at the time the longest punt return in school history. His 19.1-yard average ties for the fourth-best single-season effort in school history and is the best among players to have returned at least 20 punts in a season. His punt return yardage total of 381 remains third best in school history and has not since been outdone by a Sun Devil. Holden also remains ASU’s all-time leader in career punt return yards with 1,120.

Honorable Mention

Lenny Randle (1969): Though his greater achievements came on the baseball field as he was a standout on ASU’s 1969 national championship team and played more than a decade at the major league level, Randle established himself as perhaps the program’s top all-time returns threat during what was just a two-year football career at ASU. In 1969, Randle averaged 15.6 yards on 22 returns with a school record three touchdowns and remains ASU’s career leader in punt return touchdowns (five), while also adding one career kick return touchdown the previous season in 1968.

Terry Richardson (2005): Richardson averaged 15.3 yards on 22 punt returns with two touchdowns on his way to Second-Team All-America and First-Team All-Pac-10 honors as a returns specialist. His two touchdowns were crucial and memorable runs as the first came against top-ranked USC and the second was the catalyst in ASU’s comeback win over rival Arizona. Also, Richardson is the only player for ASU to score on multiple punt returns in one season since the Sun Devils joined the Pac-10 Conference in 1978.

Kicker

Zane Gonzalez (2016): “Legatron”. “The GOAT”. Whatever you want to call him, by the time his career was over at Arizona State, Zane Gonzalez, on the heels of a spectacular senior season, seized control of the position of the most accomplished kicker in NCAA history. The 2016 Lou Groza Award winner and just the third Unanimous All-American in ASU history joining defensive linemen Al Harris and Terrell Suggs, in 2016 Gonzalez connected on 23-of-25 field goals including a school-record 59-yarder at Colorado. He also ranked third nationally by registering 60 touchbacks on kickoffs. As a result of his phenomenal final year, Gonzalez graduated as the all-time FBS career leader in field goals (96), points by kicking (494) and three other NCAA kicking records.

Honorable Mention

Luis Zendejas (1983): Considered by most to be the greatest Sun Devil kicker of all time and one of the absolute best at his position in college football history – well, until Zane Gonzalez – Zendejas enjoyed a stellar career in Tempe in the early ‘80s. A First-Team All-Pac-10 pick as a junior in 1983, Zendejas set what remain school single-season records in field goals attempted (37) and made (28) including a pair made from 52 yards and two made from 51 yards. A Consensus All-American in 1983, Zendejas would ultimately set virtually every placekicking record at ASU and hold on to top billing until Gonzalez came around more than 30 years later.

Thomas Weber (2007): The first Lou Groza Award winner in ASU history, Weber came virtually out of nowhere as a redshirt freshman to become the nation’s premier placekicker in his very first collegiate season. Taking the place of departed four-year starter Jesse Ainsworth, Weber had to battle just to win the kicking job in the preseason but went on to convert 24-of-25 field goals and tied what at the time was the school’s single-season points by kicking mark of 118. Weber also earned Consensus All-America and First-Team All-Pac-10 accolades for his incredible debut season.

Punter

Josh Hubner (2012): A Third-Team All-American as a senior, Hubner joins Trevor Hankins as the only two punters in school history to receive first, second or third-team All-America accolades as he set ASU’s single-season record with a 47.1-yard average on 52 punts. The Scottsdale native was the Pac-12 leader in punting average and ranked second nationally. Hubner also was named a Ray Guy Award semifinalist and earned Second-Team All-Pac-12 recognition in 2012.

Honorable Mention

Mike Black (1982): An Honorable Mention All-American for the second consecutive season and a First-Team All-Pac-10 pick for the third straight year, Black’s 70 punts in 1982 stood at the time as the third highest single-season total in ASU history while his 44.2-yard average ranked at the time as the second-best single-season output in Sun Devil history. Black graduated as ASU’s all-time leader in total punts (235) and remains the school record holder in career punting yards (9,902), giving him a legitimate claim as the most accomplished punter in Arizona State history.

Stephen Baker (1998): A school record at the time, Baker averaged 45.7 yards on his 56 punts in 1998. Baker remains ASU’s career leader in punting average at 44.9. Statistically, Baker ranked second in the Pac-10 and third nationally in punt yardage. Additionally, Baker was ASU’s placekicker in 1998 and connected on 10-of-17 field goals. For his efforts, Baker was named a Freshman All-American and a Second-Team All-Pac-10 pick in 1998.

Nick Murphy (2000): As a junior in 2000, Murphy punted an incredible 86 times – just one short of the school single-season record. Despite the seemingly countless attempts, he still averaged a career-best 41.3 yards. Among his accomplishments that season, Murphy set a school record with 514 punting yards on 12 punts against Washington, while his total punting yardage for the year (3,551) remains ASU’s single-season record. A Ray Guy Award semifinalist, Murphy also was an Honorable Mention All-Pac-10 selection in 2000.

Trevor Hankins (2010): A Second-Team All-American, Hankins is the only punter in school history to earn first or second-team All-America distinction. Hankins averaged 44.6 yards on 54 punts, at the time the second-best punting average by a Sun Devil since 1959. Hankins also earned Honorable Mention All-Pac-10 accolades.

Click here for the All-Time ASU Single-Season Fantasy Team for the offense