Aug. 24, 2000
LAS VEGAS - UNLV junior cornerback Kevin Thomas has been named to the 2000 Jim Thorpe Award Watch List, which was released Thursday by the governing body of the annual honor.
Thomas was one of 40 defensive backs to meet the criteria of the Jim Thorpe Association, which has awarded the trophy to the nation's top defensive back since 1986.
All players on the list have been named by at least two publications as candidates for All-American or all-conference honors. Thomas, a unanimous choice for preseason All-Mountain West Conference, was also the league's choice for preseason defensive player of the year in a vote by MWC coaches as well as The Sporting News. Thomas also was tabbed preseason second-team All-American by Athlon magazine.
The native of Sacramento, Calif., led the 1999 Rebels with five interceptions and broke the school record for pass breakups in a season with 24, which ranked first in the league. He also already holds UNLV's career pass breakup record with 31.
Thomas (5-11, 180) was one of three Mountain West Conference defensive backs to make the watch list, joining seniors Andre Dyson of Utah and Jared Lee of BYU.
Finalists for the Thorpe will be invited to ESPN's College Football Awards Show at Disney World in Orlando, Fla., where the winner will be announced December 7. A formal presentation will take place at a banquet in February in Oklahoma City, which is home to the Jim Thorpe Association.
Last year's winner was Tyrone Carter of Minnesota. Greg Myers of Colorado State, who took home the trophy in 1995, remains the only winner from a current Mountain West school.
PREVIOUS JIM THORPE AWARD WINNERS
1999 Tyrone Carter Minnesota1998 Antoine WinfieldOhio State1997 Charles Woodson Michigan1996 Lawrence Wright Florida1995 Greg Myers Colorado State1994 Chris Hudson Colorado1993 Antonio Langham Alabama1992 Deon Figures Colorado1991 Terrell Buckley Florida State1990 Darryll Lewis Arizona1989 Mark Carrier USC1988 Deion Sanders Florida State1987 (TIE) Bennie Blades Miami (Fla.) Rickey Dixon Oklahoma1986 Thomas Everett Baylor
2000 JIM THORPE AWARD PRESEASON WATCH LIST
Muhammad Abdullah,Jr. IllinoisHakim Akbar, Jr. WashingtonBennie Alexander, Jr. FloridaWill Allen, Sr. SyracuseLeo Barnes, Sr. Southern MississippiGary Baxter, Sr. BaylorCory Bird, Sr. Virginia TechRobert Carswell, Sr. ClemsonTay Cody, Sr. Florida StateJarrod Cooper, Sr. Kansas StateKeyuo Craver, Jr. NebraskaKevin Curtis, Jr. Texas TechDempsey Dees, Sr. Boise StateDaninelle Derricott, Sr.MarshallJason Doering, Sr. WisconsinTony Driver, Sr. Notre DameAndre Dyson, Sr. UtahJamar Fletcher, Jr. WisconsinCurtis Fuller, Sr. TCUDerrick Gibson, Sr. Florida StateJermaine Hampton, Sr. Northern IllinoisRenaldo Hill, Sr. Michigan StateErrol Hood, Jr. North CarolinaJared Lee, Sr. BYUChris Lepore, Sr. NavyAndre Lott, Sr. TennesseeDonald Malloy, Sr. New Mexico StateCarl Nesmith, Sr. KansasPig Prather, Jr. Mississippi StateEdward Reed, Jr. Miami (Fla.)Mike Rumph, Jr. Miami (Fla.)Antuan Simmons, Sr. Southern CaliforniaDwight Smith, Sr. AkronFred Smoot, Sr. Mississippi StateSyniker Taylor, Jr. MississippiKevin Thomas, Jr. UNLVLamont Thompson, Sr. Washington StateAnthony Vontoure, Jr. WashingtonRamon Walker, Soph. PittsburghDennis Weatherby, Sr. Oregon State
