Sept. 23, 2004
SAN DIEGO - Lynell Hamilton, who was named a 2003 first-team freshman All-America running back by The Sporting News and Rivals.com, will sit out the 2004 football season as he continues to recover from the broken ankle that ended his 2003 campaign in the 10th game of the season.
Hamilton ended his freshman season with 1,087 yards in less than 10 full games. He suffered the season-ending injury at UNLV on Nov. 8, 2003. At the conclusion of the year, he became just the second true freshman in Mountain West Conference history to be named first team all-league.
Hamilton would have been the nation's 10th-leading returning rusher in 2004. He did not see any action in San Diego State's first two games of the season, a 38-21 win over Idaho State and a 24-21 loss at No. 17 Michigan.
"I don't think it would have been fair to the team for me to be out there," Hamilton said. "Right now it's hard for me to go full speed for two consecutive days. I'm still having trouble with my cuts. Hopefully sitting out this season will be the best thing for me and for San Diego State football."
"Lynell is one of the most respected players on our football team," said head coach Tom Craft. "He has been fighting back from this injury for 10 months. He has a tremendous work ethic and I think we all feel that Lynell will be better in 2005 than he was a year ago.
"Even though he is one of the younger players on our team, he sets a great example for everyone else in all facets of his life," Craft added.
New Orleans product Michael Franklin has stepped into the starting role in the Aztec backfield since Hamilton's injury. In those four games, dating back to last season, he has rushed for 367 yards, including three 100-yard games.
San Diego State returns to play Saturday night when it hosts Nevada at Qualcomm Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6:05 p.m.