James Madison’s Ratke 2021 Fred Mitchell Award winner
The Fred Mitchell Outstanding Place Kicker Award is proud to announce Ethan Ratke as the most Outstanding Place Kicker for his excellence on the football field for the 2021 season, and for continued community service during his collegiate career.
“Our selection committee is so pleased to acknowledge the record-breaking season and career of Ethan Ratke,” said Mitchell. “By all accounts, Ratke has been a reliable and unselfish teammate who has contributed mightily to the success of the James Madison football program. We welcome him to the esteemed fraternity of the previous recipients of this national award which goes to the best kicker among over 750 colleges.”
2021 Fred Mitchell Recipient
ETHAN RATKE
James Madison University (Va.) – Football Championship Subdivision (FCS)
FG: 29-32 | FG%: 91% | <20: 0-0 | 20-29: 14-15 | 30-39: 7-8 | 40-49: 8-9 | 50+: 0-0 | LONG: 47 | PAT: 57-59 | PTS: 144
Senior from Mechanicsville, VA…leads the #2 ranked 10-1 Dukes in scoring with 133 points (earned a bye in FCS Playoffs – next game is December 4)…NCAA all-time leader in career FG’s (100)…NCAA all-time leader in scoring by a kicker (525)…ranks 2nd all-time in FCS scoring by any player…ranks 16th in NCAA history in career scoring by any player…JMU single-season records for FGs (28 in 2021) and scoring (160 in 2019)…set JMU and CAA records for FGs in a game (6-for-6 in 32-22 win over #25 William & Mary on November 13) where he scored 20 points…broke his own school records for FGs in a season and in a game…two-time Stats Perform FCS National Special Teams Player of the Week on September 13 and November 15…four-time CAA Special Teams Player of the Week…Stats Perform FCS Preseason 1st Team All-American…HERO Sports FCS Preseason 1st Team All-American…Athlon Sports FCS Preseason All-American.
01/15/22 UPDATE: Ratke wound up with 150 points for this past season and an all-time college record 542 kicking points for his career, including an all-time career record (for all divisions) of 101 field goals. Last season he was 63 of 64 on extra points and 29 of 32 on field goals. He finished second all-time in FCS career scoring by a player at any position. He was a consensus All-American (by 7 organizations).
