Dec. 5, 2001
LAS VEGAS - Despite a disappointing 4-7 record in 2001, UNLV football earned two major awards Wednesday as All-American cornerback Kevin Thomas was named Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of Year and running back/kick returner Dominique Dorsey was tabbed the league's freshman of the year.
Thomas, who is tied for third in the nation with a school- and league-record seven interceptions this season, is only the second Rebel to ever win such an honor and the first outright as Aaron Moog was the Big West Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year in 1984. Named third-team All-America by Football News, Thomas leads the league with 17 passes defended and set seven UNLV records this season, including returning three picks for touchdowns. The Sacramento, Calif., native also leads the NCAA with 213 interception return yards.
Dorsey, a five-foot-six-inch true freshman from Tulare (Calif.) Union High School, was sensational as both a runner and returner despite missing much of the season because of ankle injuries. He finished third on the team with 379 yards and four touchdowns, including rolling up a team-leading 6.6 yards per carry. He set the MWC freshman record for yards in a game when he earned 180 on just 18 carries to help his team defeat UNR in Reno for the first time since 1979. He also led the nation in kick returns for nearly half of the season and his school-record 34.6-yard average would have finished second in the NCAA with only two more attempts to make him eligible. Dorsey joined former quarterback Jon Denton (1996) and linebacker James Sunia (1998) in winning conference freshman-of-the-year honors at UNLV.
MWC champion BYU took the other two awards as running back Luke Staley was named offensive player of the year and Gary Crowton was tabbed the league's coach of the year.
Thomas also was named First Team All-MWC in the vote by the league's eight head coaches and select members of the media, which made him the first three-time all-conference performer in UNLV football history. He was joined on the first team by free safety Sam Brandon, a converted wide receiver who led his team in tackles for the second consecutive season with 99 in 2001.
Three Rebels were named to the league's second team: junior running back Joe Haro, who turned in the fourth-best rushing season in school history with 1,107 yards and 10 touchdowns, center Peter Tramontanas, who helped lead an offensive line that allowed only 12 sacks this season, and senior defensive end Anton Palepoi, who despite missing half the season with an injury, led the league in sacks per game with .75 (4.5 overall).
Interestingly, UNLV's total of five all-conference honorees in 2001 was actually higher than last year's Las Vegas Bowl champion squad's four selections. Earning honorable mention from UNLV were senior tackle Brandon Bair, junior defensive end Ahmad Briggs, sophomore linebacker Ryan Claridge, kick returner Dorsey, junior tight end DeJhown Mandley, junior punt returner Troy Mason, senior defensive lineman Ahmad Miller, and senior linebacker Shanga Wilson.
The team was the second to be released in as many days. On Tuesday, the second annual Media All-Mountain West Conference Team Presented by the Las Vegas Review-Journal was announced.
2001 ALL-MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE FOOTBALL TEAM
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Kevin Thomas, DB, UNLVOFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR Luke Staley, RB, BYUFRESHMAN OF THE YEAR Dominique Dorsey, RB/KRCOACH OF THE YEAR Gary Crowton, BYU
FIRST TEAM
OFFENSE
Pos. Player Year SchoolQB Brandon Doman Sr. BYUWR Reno Mahe Jr. BYUWR Ryan McGuffey So. WyomingRB Luke Staley Jr. BYURB Larry Ned Sr. San Diego StateTE Doug Jolley Sr. BYUOL Doug Kaufusi Sr. UtahOL David Moreno Sr. San Diego StateOL David Shohet Sr. Colorado StateOL Adam Goldberg Jr. WyomingOL Jason Scukanec Sr. BYUPK Vladimir Borombozin Sr. New MexicoPR/KR Pete Rebstock Sr. Colorado State
DEFENSE
DL Ryan Denney Sr. BYUDL Garrett Smith Jr. UtahDL Jason Kaufusi So. UtahDL Brian Johnson Sr. New MexicoLB Gary Davis Sr. New MexicoLB Justin Ena Sr. BYULB Sheldon Deckart Jr. UtahDB Kevin Thomas Sr. UNLVDB Will Demps Sr. San Diego StateDB Sam Brandon Sr. UNLVDB Jernaro Gilford So. BYUP Joey Huber Jr. Colorado State
SECOND TEAM
OFFENSE
QB Casey Bramlet So. WyomingWR J.R. Tolver Jr. San Diego StateWR Cliff Russell Sr. UtahRB Dameon Hunter Sr. UtahRB Joe Haro Jr. UNLVTE Jose Ochoa Sr. Colorado StateOL Ben Miller Sr. Air ForceOL Peter Tramontanas Sr. UNLVOL Jeremy Sorenson Sr. New MexicoOL Ben Archibald Jr. BYUOL Broc Finlayson Sr. Colorado StatePK Jarvis Wallum So. WyomingPR/KR Dexter Wynn So. Colorado State
DEFENSE
DL Jerome Haywood Sr. San Diego StateDL Lauvale Sape Sr. UtahDL Anton Palepoi Sr. UNLVDL Zach Johnson Sr. Air ForceLB Eric Pauley So. Colorado StateLB Leo Caires Sr. WyomingLB Drew Wood So. Colorado StateDB Jason Gallimore Sr. Colorado StateDB Antwoine Sanders So. UtahDB Stephen Persley Sr. New MexicoDB Justin Gallimore Sr. Colorado StateP Brian Simnjanovski Jr. San Diego State
HONORABLE MENTION
Air Force: Keith Boyea, QB, Wes Crowley, DB, Ryan Fleming, WR, Paul Mayo, DB,Justin Pendry, DL, Andy Rule, LB, Brian Strock, OL.
BYU: Aaron Edmonds, P, Brett Keisel,DL, Isaac Kelley, LB, Levi Madarieta, DB, Aaron McCubbins, OL,Spencer Nead, TE, Mike Rigell, KR, Dustin Rykert, OL, Dustin Staley, DB,Paul Walkenhorst, LB, Teag Whiting, OL.
Colorado State: Dallas Davis, WR/KR, Joel Dreessen, TE, Geoff Graue, DL,Peter Hogan, DL, Broderick Lancaster, OL, Kent Naughton, PK, Erik Pears, OL,Pete Rebstock, WR, Lucas Smith, DL, Aaron Sprague, DB, Bradlee Van Pelt, QB,Dexter Wynn, DB.
New Mexico: Jarrod Baxter, RB, Dwight Counter, WR, Scott Gerhardt, DB,Mohammed Konte, LB, Jason Lenzmeier, OL, Charles Moss LB.
San Diego State: Andrew Bringham, DL, Jomar Butler, LB, Donte Gamble, KR,Johnathan Ingram, OL, Gray McNeill, TE, Kirk Morrison, LB, Garret Pavelko, DB,Chester Pitts, OL, Dylan Robles, LB, Ricky Sharpe, DB.
UNLV: Brandon Bair, OL, Ahmad Briggs, DL, Ryan Claridge, LB, Dominique Dorsey, KR,DeJhown Mandley, TE, Troy Mason, PR, Ahmad Miller, DL, Shanga Wilson, LB.
Utah: Jordan Gross, OL, Ma'ak Kemoeatu, DL, Brian Lewis, P, Josh Lyman, WR,Dustin McQuivey, OL, Arnold Parker, DB, Michael Richardson, TE,Morgan Scalley, PR, Ed Ta'amu, OL,Adam Tate, RB.
Wyoming: Malcom Floyd, WR, Eric Lee, DB, Guy Tuell, DB
