MINNEAPOLIS -- Augsburg College wide receiver
Royce Winford (SR, Brooklyn Park, Minn./Osseo HS) has been invited to attend the Minnesota Vikings' rookie minicamp for a tryout, Augsburg head coach
Frank Haege has announced.
The rookie minicamp will begin on Friday and run through Sunday at the Vikings' Winter Park complex in Eden Prairie, Minn. In addition to the five players the Vikings drafted during last weekend's NFL Draft and the 14 rookie free agents signed by the team following the draft, roughly 30 prospective players are also invited to attend the minicamp on a tryout basis, according to Bob Hagan, Vikings director of public relations. The Vikings do not release a list of tryout players invited to the rookie minicamp.
"Royce's opportunity is very exciting for everyone in the Augsburg football family," Haege said. "Royce is very deserving, as he can do so many things well and is a first-rate character player. We all wish him the very best and will be rooting for him hard all the way."
One of the top wide receivers in NCAA Division III football during his career, Winford was considered a "sleeper" for the NFL Draft, and had worked out for NFL scouts at a "pro day" held at the University of Minnesota in March. However, no Division III players were selected in the seven-round NFL Draft.
Winford has also received interest from several Canadian Football League teams, according to Haege, working out for the 2008 Grey Cup champion Calgary Stampeders at a three-day minicamp this month.
Winford earned Division III All-America honors the last two seasons, and was named Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year and D3football.com West Region Offensive Player of the Year in 2008.
Winford finished his career with 247 catches for 3,282 yards -- both totals second-most in school history, and tied Augsburg legend Scott Hvistendahl (1995-98) for the school's career records for both overall touchdowns (41) and receiving touchdowns (40).
This season, Winford caught 93 passes for 1,139 yards, his second straight 1,000-yard receiving season and the fifth-most receiving yards in a single season in school history. Winford tied his single-season school record with 16 touchdowns. Playing on defense for the first time in his career, Winford finished with four interceptions, three pass breakups and 11 tackles (eight solo) as a cornerback.
Nationally, Winford finished fourth among NCAA Division III receivers in receptions per-game (9.30), seventh in receiving yards per-game (113.90), 12th in total receiving yardage (1,139) and 23rd in scoring (98 points, 9.80 points per-game).
In MIAC overall statistics, Winford led the conference in receiving yardage per-game and scoring, while standing second in receptions per-game, third in all-purpose yardage and sixth in interceptions. In league games-only, Winford led the league in scoring (76 points) and receiving yardage (944), while standing second in receptions per-game (75, 9.38 per-game) and receiving yardage per-game (118.0 yards per-game), fourth in all-purpose yardage per-game (120.1) and sixth in interceptions (3).
Under Haege, in his fourth year as the Auggies' head coach, Augsburg finished 5-5 overall, 3-5 in MIAC play in 2008, duplicating its record from 2007. Augsburg opened its season with four straight victories, including its second win in a row over nationally-ranked Wartburg (Iowa) in nonconference play, a 30-24 overtime win on Sept. 13.
