Dec. 19, 2001

LAS VEGAS - UNLV senior defensive back Sam Brandon has been added to the roster for the 64th Annual Blue Gray All-Star Football Classic on Christmas Day in Montgomery, Ala.

The game will kick off Tuesday at 9 a.m. PST and be carried live on ABC TV. Brandon will be only the third Rebel to play in the prestigious Blue Gray, joining defensive tackles Aaron Moog in 1984 and Tiger Townes in 1993.

The event, which is heavily scouted by the NFL, features head coaches for both teams' offense and defense. Brandon will be under the Blue's defensive head coach Bobby Wallace of Temple while Arizona State's Dirk Koetter lead's his squad's offense.

Brandon earned First Team All-Mountain West Conference honors as a safety this season after leading the Rebels in tackles for the second consecutive year (99 in 2001). The Riverside, Calif., also pitched in two interceptions this fall, including one he returned 70 yards for a touchdown. That gave the former wide receiver a score on both sides of the ball in his UNLV career.

Brandon is the latest in a growing list of Rebel seniors who will take part in postseason all-star games. Fellow defensive back Kevin Thomas will compete in two such games and defensive lineman Ahmad Miller will play in the Florida Gridiron Classic while six other teammates will play in the inaugural Paradise Bowl in St. George, Utah. The program had two players play in one game each after the 2000 season.

Previously, the most all-star game appearances for the school came after the 1981 season when quarterback Sam King played in the now-defunct Japan Bowl along with running back Michael Morton and then King also played in the Hula Bowl.