Dec. 7, 2002
LAS VEGAS - Three Rebel seniors earned MVP honors as the UNLV football awards were announced as part of the team's annual postseason banquet Friday at the Four Seasons Hotel.
With the voting done by their teammates, running back Joe Haro and quarterback Jason Thomas were named UNLV Co-Offensive Most Valuable Players.
Haro, out of Clifton, N.J., rushed for 813 yards and five touchdowns and became the fourth player in school history to reach 2,000 yards in a career (2,013) after posting four of his nine career 100-yard games this fall. His 5.3 yards-per-carry average was tops among the leading six rushers in the league. After also winning the award in 2001, Haro is the fourth repeat winner in school history. Thomas, a former USC transfer out of Compton, Calif., was a preseason member of the Davey O'Brien Award and Johnny Unitas Award watch lists and finished fifth at the school in career passing with 4,997 yards, second in total offense with 6,525 yards and third in rushing touchdowns with 24. He was named Mountain West Conference Player of the Week on November 4 after passing for a career-high 329 yards and rushing for a school-record three touchdowns in a single quarter during a 49-48 overtime win over Wyoming.
Former Iowa State transfer Tyrone Tucker made the most of his one season in Las Vegas and was tabbed UNLV Defensive MVP. The linebacker out of Miami, Fla., finished second on the team and third in the MWC with 9.0 tackles per game (108 overall). He ranked second for UNLV and eighth in the league with 4.5 quarterback sacks, finished third in the league with 14 tackles for loss and was named conference player of the week on October 7 after leading his team to a win over UNR.
A special teams player of the year was not named this season.
Other honors handed out Friday included tight end DeJhown Mandley receiving the Rene Arceneaux Scholarship Award, which is given to a player who has demonstrated exemplary improvement in academic progress, while senior safety Connie Brown won the Robert Cline Scholarship Award. Both honors are worth $2,000 toward assisting the players in completing their degrees.
The Bill "Wildcat" Morris Most Inspirational Award, which is voted on by Rebel players, again went to offensive lineman Tony Terrell - the only two-time winner in history. Terrell also earned the "Doc" Tobler Senior Award, which is given to the final-year player who brings the highest credit to himself and the university.
Senior offensive lineman Eddie Freas picked up the Jack Gilmore Coaches Award, which is given to a former walk-on player who excelled on the field.
The three permanent captains, who were voted on by their teammates before the final game of the season, were Haro, Terrell and Tucker. Wide receiver and Las Vegas native Toby Smeltzer was named the team's scholar-athlete of the year while Haro also was named the John Robinson Man of the Year, which is an award in its third year and is given to the student-athlete who possesses the highest integrity while aspiring for excellence.
2002 UNLV FOOTBALL AWARDSCo-Most Valuable Player - Offense Joe Haro, TB, Senior & Jason Thomas, QB, SeniorMost Valuable Player - Defense Tyrone Tucker, LB, SeniorRene Arceneaux Scholarship Award DeJhown Mandley, TE, SeniorRobert Cline Scholarship Award Connie Brown, DB, SeniorJack Gilmore Coaches Award Eddie Freas, OL, Senior"Wildcat" Morris Most Inspirational Tony Terrell, OL, SeniorJohn Robinson Man of the Year Award Joe Haro, RB, Senior"Doc" Tobler Senior Award Tony Terrell, OL, SeniorScholar-Athlete of the Year Toby Smeltzer, WR, SeniorCaptains Award Tony Terrell, OL, Senior Joe Haro, RB, Senior Tyrone Tucker, LB, Senior
