Brian Simnjanovski
Encyclopedia
Brian Simnjanovski was a former NFL Europe
punter for the Berlin Thunder
, an American football
team.
and soccer
and as a senior, he was named Escondido High School's co-Athlete of the Year. In football, he was an All-Valley selection. In soccer, he was a four-year letterman. He played club soccer with FC San Diego (formerly San Diego Soccer Club, Pegasus) and the San Diego Nomads (formerly La Jolla Nomads). During his club play he was selected as an Olympic Development Player and represented the western United States from 1996-1998. Simnjanovski graduated from Escondido High School with Honors distinction.
2001: Averaged 43.6 yards per punt for the third best single-season average in the history of San Diego State - Had 14 punts that covered at least 50 yards and had another 22 downed inside the opposition's 20-yard-line -Best game of the season may have come at Arizona State... Averaged 47.4 yards on eight punts at ASU... Had four punts travel over 50 yards and four that were downed inside the 20 against the Sun Devils -Booted a 64-yarder in the field position battle at Colorado State and had nine kicks for a 46.8-yard average in Fort Collins.
2000: Handled every kickoff for the Aztecs, recording six touchbacks... Emerged as one of the nation's top punters and handled all but pooch-punt situations... Averaged 42.8 yards on 55 punts, including a 60-yarder at New Mexico, to rank second in the MWC and 14th nationally in punting... It was the seventh best average in school history... His 43.8-yard average during conference play led the league... In all, had nine punts travel over 50 yards... Placed six punts inside the 20-yard-line.
1999: Saw action all season as a walk-on, handling kickoff duties... Credited with two tackles.
immigrants, Djoko and Zorka Simnjanovski (Macedonian spelling
of surname: Симњаковски), and was the younger brother of Riste Simnjanovski. Brian was also a second cousin to Aztec place-kicker Tommy Kirovski; and Jovan Kirovski
a former member of the U.S. national soccer team and current member of the LA Galaxy. He was an undergraduate social science major, and had completed his teaching credential at California State University, San Marcos. He died six days before he was scheduled to receive his degree, on Mother's Day (May 10, 2009).
3.0 sedan slammed into a tree at about 10 p.m PST. He was 27 years, 11 months and 11 days old. Simnjanovski was driving south on Valley Center Road in San Diego when his car swerved at a curve at Vesper Road, authorities said. Simnjanovski, who was a graduate student at California State University
's San Marcos campus, was alone in the car and died on impact, according to the San Diego County medical examiner
's office. Simnjanovski, who was single, is survived by his parents Djoko and Zorka Simnjanovski and his brother Riste Simnjanovski. The cause of death is unknown.
NFL Europe
NFL Europe was an American football league which operated in Europe from 1991 until 2007. Backed by the National Football League , the largest professional American football league in the United States, it was founded as the World League of American Football to serve as a type of spring league...
punter for the Berlin Thunder
Berlin Thunder
The Berlin Thunder were a professional American football team in NFL Europe, which was a springtime American football league serving primarily as a developmental league for the National Football League. Most of the players were young American professional players assigned by NFL teams to receive...
, an American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
team.
High School Years
Simnjanovski attended Escondido High School and was a student and a letterman in footballHigh school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
and soccer
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
and as a senior, he was named Escondido High School's co-Athlete of the Year. In football, he was an All-Valley selection. In soccer, he was a four-year letterman. He played club soccer with FC San Diego (formerly San Diego Soccer Club, Pegasus) and the San Diego Nomads (formerly La Jolla Nomads). During his club play he was selected as an Olympic Development Player and represented the western United States from 1996-1998. Simnjanovski graduated from Escondido High School with Honors distinction.
College and Professional Years
A two-time academic all-conference pick who was named as a Verizon Academic All-American following his junior season... Coming off an impressive campaign... He had recorded two of the best single-season averages in school history... Also handled kickoff duties and battled for place-kicking assignments after a strong spring of putting the ball through the uprights... Was a valuable weapon for the Aztecs... Finished 14th nationally and topped in the Mountain West in punting his junior year...was on the Ray Guy Award watch list and was a strong contender for the honor in his senior year. Simnjanovski the Aztecs' special teams player of the year his junior and senior years at SDSU.2001: Averaged 43.6 yards per punt for the third best single-season average in the history of San Diego State - Had 14 punts that covered at least 50 yards and had another 22 downed inside the opposition's 20-yard-line -Best game of the season may have come at Arizona State... Averaged 47.4 yards on eight punts at ASU... Had four punts travel over 50 yards and four that were downed inside the 20 against the Sun Devils -Booted a 64-yarder in the field position battle at Colorado State and had nine kicks for a 46.8-yard average in Fort Collins.
2000: Handled every kickoff for the Aztecs, recording six touchbacks... Emerged as one of the nation's top punters and handled all but pooch-punt situations... Averaged 42.8 yards on 55 punts, including a 60-yarder at New Mexico, to rank second in the MWC and 14th nationally in punting... It was the seventh best average in school history... His 43.8-yard average during conference play led the league... In all, had nine punts travel over 50 yards... Placed six punts inside the 20-yard-line.
1999: Saw action all season as a walk-on, handling kickoff duties... Credited with two tackles.
- In the 2006 season, his second with the Thunder, Simnjanovski ranked as the No. 4 punter in NFL Europe, averaging 39.5 yards per punt. He punted 50 times for a gross total of 1,974 yards with a long of 54 yards. He pinned opponents inside the 20 yard line on 18 occasions. Simnjanovski was allocated to the Berlin Thunder by the Tampa Bay BuccaneersTampa Bay BuccaneersThe Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football franchise based in Tampa, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the Southern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League – they are the only team in the division not to come from the old NFC West...
of the National Football LeagueNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
. He participated in the Buccaneers' 2006 training camp before being released at the conclusion of the team's camp.
Personal
Simnjanovski was born May 29, 1981, in Escondido. He was the son of MacedonianRepublic of Macedonia
Macedonia , officially the Republic of Macedonia , is a country located in the central Balkan peninsula in Southeast Europe. It is one of the successor states of the former Yugoslavia, from which it declared independence in 1991...
immigrants, Djoko and Zorka Simnjanovski (Macedonian spelling
Macedonian alphabet
The orthography of Macedonian includes an alphabet , which is an adaptation of the Cyrillic script, as well as language-specific conventions of spelling and punctuation....
of surname: Симњаковски), and was the younger brother of Riste Simnjanovski. Brian was also a second cousin to Aztec place-kicker Tommy Kirovski; and Jovan Kirovski
Jovan Kirovski
Jovan Kirovski is an American soccer player who currently plays for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer.-Club career:...
a former member of the U.S. national soccer team and current member of the LA Galaxy. He was an undergraduate social science major, and had completed his teaching credential at California State University, San Marcos. He died six days before he was scheduled to receive his degree, on Mother's Day (May 10, 2009).
Death
Simnjanovski died May 10 after his Audi A4Audi A4
The first generation Audi A4 debuted in 1994, with production starting November 1994. It was built on the Volkswagen Group B5 platform, which it shared with the fourth generation Volkswagen Passat . It had a front-mounted longitudinal engine and front-wheel drive...
3.0 sedan slammed into a tree at about 10 p.m PST. He was 27 years, 11 months and 11 days old. Simnjanovski was driving south on Valley Center Road in San Diego when his car swerved at a curve at Vesper Road, authorities said. Simnjanovski, who was a graduate student at California State University
California State University
The California State University is a public university system in the state of California. It is one of three public higher education systems in the state, the other two being the University of California system and the California Community College system. It is incorporated as The Trustees of the...
's San Marcos campus, was alone in the car and died on impact, according to the San Diego County medical examiner
Medical examiner
A medical examiner is a medically qualified government officer whose duty is to investigate deaths and injuries that occur under unusual or suspicious circumstances, to perform post-mortem examinations, and in some jurisdictions to initiate inquests....
's office. Simnjanovski, who was single, is survived by his parents Djoko and Zorka Simnjanovski and his brother Riste Simnjanovski. The cause of death is unknown.