Brian Simnjanovski

Brian Simnjanovski
Brian Simnjanovski in the dress of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Position: Punter
Date of birth: April 29, 1981 in Escondido , California
Date of death May 10, 2009 in San Diego , California
Career information
Active: 2005-2006
Teams
* Berlin Thunder (2005-2006)
Career highlights and awards

Brian Simnjanovski (born April 29, 1981 in Escondido , California , † May 10, 2009 in San Diego , California) was an American football - and especially American football player; in the seasons 2005 and 2006 he played in the NFL Europe as a punter for the Berlin Thunder .

Early years

Born and raised in California as the son of the married couple Djoko and Zorka Simnjanovski, Brian Simnjanovski attended Escondido High School there and trained both American football and soccer . During these years he won various awards in both sports and was appointed to local national teams. He then moved to San Diego State University (SDSU), where he became a star on the SDSU Aztec college football team . Through the soccer training he had a good shooting technique, which is why he was increasingly used in American football in the special teams , especially as a punter.

NFL Europe

In the 2005 season he played for the first time in NFL Europe, the European branch of the American professional series National Football League (NFL). With his team Berlin Thunder, he was able to qualify early for the final under the leadership of Rick Lantz , in which they moved as first in the group stage. The final opponents in World Bowl XIII were the Amsterdam Admirals , who won the game in Düsseldorf with 27:21.

In the 2006 season, again with Berlin Thunder, Simnjanovski stood out as the fourth-best punter in the NFL Europe, but his team was sixth and last in the group phase to build on previous successes. The season also suffered from the fact that it started unusually early because of the 2006 World Cup in Germany and Berlin Thunder had to move to the Friedrich-Ludwig-Jahn-Sportpark at the end of the season , because the Olympiastadion Berlin for the football games from May 2006 World Championship was prepared.

For his second season with Berlin Thunder, Simnjanovski had been sent by his then NFL home club, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . With these he subsequently completed the training camp, but did not receive a follow-up contract for the 2006 NFL season . He took a college degree at California State University and played football last only lower class.

death

On May 10, 2009, Simnjanovski died in a traffic accident at the age of almost 28 when he lost control of his vehicle and hit a tree.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Brian Simnjanovski * 27th San Diego State University, accessed on December 25, 2016 (English): "Born May 29, 1981, in Escondido ... Son of Djoko and Zorka Simnjanovski" 
2. ↑ Mick McGrane: Former Aztecs punter Simnjanovski dies in crash. The San Diego Union-Tribune, May 12, 2009, accessed December 25, 2016 : “Former San Diego State football player Brian Simnjanovski, who became one of the premier punters in the Mountain West Conference after joining the team as a walk-on, died Sunday night in a one-car accident. "