CAREER
STATS FCS Third Team All-America selection in 2019 … Three-time First Team All-Ivy League selection as a return specialist (2018, 2019, and 2021) … Became only the fourth player in school history to earn three First Team All-Ivy League honors and joins quarterback Archie Roberts (1962, 1963, 1964), linebacker Rory Wilfork (1994, 1995, 1996), and offensive lineman Jeff Adams (2009, 2010, 2011) as the only players to achieve that distinction … In 2019, became the first Columbia player to earn back-to-back All-Ivy League First Team honors since offensive lineman Jeff Adams earned three straight honors from 2009-11 … Over his three-year, 26-game career, Roussos has totaled 2,393 all-purpose yards (No. 10 on the all-time list), 92.0 all-purpose yards per game (No. 6 on the all-time list), 612 punt return yards (No. 3), 14.60 punt return average (No. 2), 1,265 kickoff return yards (No. 6), 24.80 kickoff return average (No. 2), 511 receiving yards on 54 receptions, and nine 100-yard all-purpose games. He has scored 10 career touchdowns (four rushing, three receiving, and three on returns) and has set or tied Columbia career records for most combined return touchdowns (3), most combined returns of over 50 yards (7), most plays of 50-yards or more (7), and most punt return touchdowns (2), and most kickoff return touchdowns (1) … Five-time Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week honoree and six-time weekly honoree (Rookie of the Week) in career … Also ranked among school leaders in virtually all kickoff return, punt return and all-purpose career, season and game records … Three-year letterman … Finalist for Columbia’s on-campus Maniatty award, which honors the top graduating senior student-athlete.
2021
Nominated for FCS ADA All-America honors as a return specialist … First Team All-Ivy League honoree for the third straight year as a return specialist … Earned First Team All-Ivy League honors as an all-purpose player, Third Team as a punt returner and kickoff returner by Phil Steele Magazine … Unanimous preseason All-America selection for the third straight season … Named to the StatsPerform Third Team preseason All-American team as its punt returner … Selected to Third Team All-America by Phil Steele Magazine as a punt returner … Four-time preseason Ivy League selection by Phil Steele Magazine … Earned preseason All-Ivy League First Team honors by Phil Steele Magazine as the conference’s kickoff returner, punt returner and all purpose player and Third Team honors as a wide receiver … Earned the Special Teams Award at team banquet … Earned NFF Hampshire Honor Society honors … Ranked No. 14 nationally and No. 3 in the Ivy League in punt return average (9.4), No. 6 in the Ivy League in all-purpose yards per game (81.25), No. 18 nationally in combined kick return yardage, and No. 1 in the Ivy League (547), and No. 15 nationally and No. 3 in the Ivy League in kickoff returns (26.4). In eight games, he finished with 652 all-purpose yards (397 on kickoff returns, 152 on punt returns, 104 receiving yards), three 100-yard all-purpose games, and caught 16 passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns … Led the Lions in punt returns, kickoff returns, ranked No. 4 in receptions and No. 3 in all-purpose yards in eight games played … Played in eight games with five starts at wide receiver … Finished with 88 all-purpose yards (one catch for nine yards, 2-55 on kickoffs, 2-24 on punt returns) in season finale at Cornell (Nov. 20) … Totaled a season-high 120 all-purpose yards, including a 57-yard kickoff return (3-85 on day), three punts for 22 yards (long of 28 yards) and caught two passes for 13 yards vs. Brown (Nov. 13) … Finished with 101 all-purpose yards including 72 yards on two kickoff returns (long of 37) and one punt return or 31 yards vs. Harvard (Nov. 6) … Caught a season-high tying four passes for 11 yards and returned five punts for 19 yards at Yale (Oct. 30) … Scored first touchdown of the year on a diving catch, caught three passes for 37 yards and returned a kickoff 39 yards at Dartmouth (Oct. 22) … Rushed two times for one yard, caught one pass for 19 yards, returned a kickoff for 17 yards and two punts for 24 yards vs. Penn (Oct. 16) … Registered three kickoff returns for 71 yards and one catch at Central Connecticut State (Oct. 9) … Finished with 104 all-purpose yards including season-high tying four catches for 16 yards, three kickoff returns for 57 yards and two punt returns for 31 yards at Princeton (Oct. 2) … Missed the season’s first two games: vs. Marist (Sept. 18) and vs. Georgetown (Sept. 25).
2020
Unanimous preseason All-America selection as a return specialist … Named a preseason Second Team All-America selection by HeroSports as a punt returner … Named a preseason Third Team All-American by Phil Steele Magazine as a punt returner … Phil Steele Magazine preseason All-Ivy League selection: First Team honoree as a kickoff returner and punt returner and Second Team honoree as its all-purpose player … Season canceled due to COVID pandemic.
2019
Named a Third Team All-America by STATS FCS as a punt returner, one of four Ivy League players to earn such honors … Earned Fourth Team All-America honors by Phil Steele Magazine … Named to the Sophomore All-America Team by HEROSports … First Team All-ECAC selection as a return specialist … Named a unanimous First Team All-Ivy League selection as a return specialist as a sophomore wide receiver … One of five Ivy League players to earn unanimous First Team honors … Named Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Year, First Team All-Ivy League as both its kickoff returner and punt returner and Third Team All-Ivy League as its all-purpose player by Phil Steele Magazine … Named the team’s prestigious Sid Luckman Award winner and co-Special Teams Player of the Year honoree at team banquet … Saw action and started all 10 games at wide receiver and also as Columbia’s wildcat quarterback in short-yardage situations … Played primary role as Columbia’s return specialist (punts and kickoffs) … Earned preseason Third Team All-America honors and preseason All-Ivy League First Team honors as a punt returner by Phil Steele Magazine … Led the Ivy League in four statistical categories including kickoff return average (23.8), punt return average (17.3), punt return touchdowns (1), and combined kick return yardage (907), and ranked No. 3 in all-purpose yardage per game (130.8) … Also ranked among national FCS statistical leaders in punt return touchdowns (No. 2, 1), punt return average (No. 3, 17.3), combined return yardage (No. 4, 907), all-purpose yards per game (No. 18, 130.8), and kickoff return average (No. 30, 23.8) … Earned the Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week honor three times on year … Led the Lions with six touchdowns (team-high four rushing TDs), 1,308 all-purpose yards (665 kickoff returns, 242 punt returns, 395 receiving and six rushing), ranked second on the squad in both receptions (35) and receiving yards (395) and totaled six games of 100 or more all-purpose yards … Set or tied school records for most combined return yards in a season (907), most career 50-yard returns (6), and most career return touchdowns (3) … Finished with six games over 100 or more all-purpose yards, including four straight games from Oct. 12-Nov. 2 … Totaled 87 all-purpose yards including four catches for 39 yards, 31 kickoff return yards and 17 punt return yards in season finale at Cornell (Nov. 23) … Finished with 148 all-purpose yards, ran back a kickoff 49 yards (4-106 KO return yards) and caught three passes for 35 yards (long of 32 yards) vs. Brown (Nov. 16) … Caught a career-high seven receptions for 41 yards and rushed for a touchdown vs. Harvard (Nov. 9) … Registered 175 all-purpose yards, ran a kickoff back 53 yards (2-75 KOR yards), a punt back 29 yards and caught five passes for 70 yards (long of 38 yards) at Yale (Nov. 2) … Named Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week on Nov. 4 … Totaled a career-high 259 all-purpose yards, including 177 yards on kickoff returns (eight attempts), including a 54-yard return, rushed for a touchdown and caught a then-career-high six passes for 79 yards with a long of 32 at Dartmouth (Oct. 25) … Totaled 103 all-purpose yards, caught four passes for a career-high 92 yards vs. Penn (Oct. 19) … Accumulated 185 all-purpose yards, including 88 on punt returns (four attempts, long of 55 yards), 87 on kickoff returns (three attempts) and caught one pass for 10 yards vs. Central Connecticut State (Oct. 12) … Named Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week on Oct. 14 … Registered 98 all-purpose yards with a rushing touchdown, two catches for nine yards, 60 yards on three kickoff returns and 27 yards on two punt returns vs. Georgetown (Sept. 28) … Scored on 56-yard punt return and one-yard rushing touchdown, totaled 149 all-purpose yards (66 on punt returns, 77 on kickoff returns, 5 receiving, 1 rushing) in season opener at Saint Francis, Pa. (Sept. 21) … With his punt return touchdown, became the first player to score on punt returns in back-to-back games since Austin Knowlin in 2008 … Named Ivy League Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts.
2018
Second Team Freshman All-America selection by Phil Steele Magazine … First Team All-Ivy League selection as a first-year return specialist … First Team All-Ivy League selection as both a kickoff returner and punt returner by Phil Steele Magazine … Becomes just the second first-year player in school history to earn First Team All-Ivy League honors (Oren Milstein, 2016 is the other) … Earned the team’s Special Teams Award at team banquet, an award he shared with placekicker Chris Alleyne … Saw action in eight games with no starts at wide receiver and on special teams … Earned both Ivy League Special Teams Player and Rookie of the Week honors after his performance vs. Cornell … Led the Lions in punt returns (12-218, 18.2 average, one TD) and ranked second on the squad in kickoff returns (8-203, 25.4 average, one TD) and totaled 433 all-purpose yards, which ranked third on the squad … Also caught three passes for 12 yards with a long of 14 … Set Columbia first-year records for most all-purpose yards in a game (206), most punt return yards in a game (91) and season (218), most total return yards in a game (192), longest punt return (91) and kickoff return (87) for a first year … Became the first player in school history to score on both a kickoff and punt return in the same game as he returned a kickoff 87 yards for the dramatic game-winning touchdown with 45 seconds to play and scored on a school-record tying 91-yard punt return in the first quarter in season finale vs. Cornell (Nov. 17) … Also totaled 206 all-purpose yards, the most for a first-year in a game in school history … Earned Ivy League Special Teams Player and Rookie of the Week honors for his efforts … Totaled 53 all-purpose yards (2-34 kickoff returns, 4-19 punt returns) at Brown (Nov. 10) … Totaled a then-career-high 102 all-purpose yards after finished with 75 punt return yards on three attempts, two kickoff returns for 29 yards and a career-best two catches for -2 yards at Harvard (Nov. 3) … Returned first kickoff for 30 yards and first punt 17 yards vs. Dartmouth (Oct. 20) … Saw first career action on special teams in season opener at Central Connecticut State (Sept. 15).
HIGH SCHOOL
A 2018 graduate of River Ridge High School in New Port Richey, Fla., where he played three years of varsity football for Head Coach Ryan Benjamin … Three-time All-State honoree in 2015, 2016 and 2017 … Three-time All-Suncoast Conference performer in 2015, 2016 and 2017 … Two-time Suncoast News All-Pasco County Football Team honoree … Two-time team captain as a junior and senior … An all-around multi-purpose player who saw action at wide receiver, punt returner, kick returner and defensive back … Even threw five passes … Led the Royal Knights to back-to-back district football championships as a junior and senior … In three-year career at River Ridge, finished with 3,508 all-purpose yards … Totaled 1,466 all-purpose yards (122.0 yards per game), 439 receiving yards, 394 rushing yards, 275 punt return yards and three interceptions for 48 return yards as a senior … Named the Suncoast Times Pasco Athlete of the Week on Oct. 18, 2017 after intercepting a pass and scoring four of the Royal Knights five touchdowns a 38-35 loss to Zephyrhills … Returned a kickoff 79 yards for touchdown, scored three rushing touchdowns, intercepted a pass and topped 100 yards rushing in the game … In a 55-13 win over Gulf, scored three touchdowns three different ways (one rushing, one KOR, one PR) … In a 47-0 win over Anclote, threw for a touchdown, caught two TD passes and rushed for another … Also totaled 12 touchdowns and intercepted four passes as a junior … Caught 51 passes for 627 yards and six touchdowns and rushed for 209 yards on 34 carries and four touchdowns and made 36 tackles (26 solo) during junior season … Returned a kickoff 83 yards … As a sophomore, totaled 598 all-purpose yards, caught seven passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns, scored three total touchdowns and finished with 50 tackles (35 solo) and three interceptions on defense … Returned a kickoff 84 yards … Also competed in weightlifting and three years in track and field (2016-18) … Competed in the 200-meter, 100-meter, 4x100-meter dash and long jump … Career-best was a 22-3 long jump … Named to the Straight As Honor Roll … Volunteered at Special Olympics event.
PERSONAL
Born Michael Vassilios Roussos on October 15, 1999 in Dunedin, Fla. … Son of Michael and Marylou Roussos … Has a brother and sister: Anthony and Julia … Hobbies and interests include fishing, weightlifting and four wheeling … Has worked as a marina dockhand … Can ride a unicycle … His childhood nickname is Mikey … Chose Columbia because the school offers its students a world-class education, exceptional opportunities in a city with endless possibilities … Favorite things about Columbia are its diversity and family feeling of it … Chose Columbia over Cornell and Florida Institute of Technology … Enrolled in the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science … Majors in Mechanical Engineering.
ARTICLES
http://www.tampabay.com/sports/footballpreps/meet-river-ridges-mr-everything-mikey-roussos/2300267
http://www.suncoastnews.com/sports/pasco-athlete-of-the-week/article_f1bdcee0-b453-11e7-9295-fb7b5f8a168b.html
