Mike Ainsworth
Wide Receiver
6-1, 180
Monrovia (Monrovia HS)
One of the most versatile athletes in the nation who will play wide
receiver for the Golden Bears...earned a unanimous 10 votes in the
prestigious Long Beach Press-Telegram Best in the West poll, only the
fourth Cal recruit in the history of the poll (Pat Barnes, Andre Carter,
Marc Hicks) to achieve that elite status...also was recruited by many
schools as a defensive back and actually pulled down first team all-state
honors as a DB as named by Student Sports magazine...was a SuperPrep
All-America selection, ranking as the No. 14 wide receiver prospect in the
country...was rated among the Top 100 prep prospects in the nation by Tom
Lemming's Prep Report...also was named the SuperPrep Far West Offensive
Player of the Year, raning the No. 14 overall prospect (and top receiver)
in the region...has great instincts to go along with fine athletic
skills...coaches love his great hands and his ability to catch the football
in traffic or in clutch situations...had 43 receptions for 904 yards for an
average of 21.0 yards per catch his senior year...also scored 14
touchdowns...as a standout defensive back, he grabbed 7 interceptions and
returned 3 of those for touchdowns...also returned 2 punts and 1 kickoff
for TDs in 1997...helped Monrovia to a 12-1-1 record...also had a
sensational junior season in which he was the CIF Player of the Year for
Division IX and was an All-CIF selection for all divisions...had 48 catches
for 786 yards (16.4 average) and 10 TDs his junior year...also had 11
interceptions as a junior to go along with 39 tackles...chose Cal after
considering offers from Arizona State, Ohio State, Oregon and Arizona,
among others.
