Newman, Snyder Among Big 12 Honorees
Nov 30, 2002 | Football
Nov. 30, 2002
MANHATTAN, Kan. - Terence Newman of Kansas State earned SBC Big 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors and Wildcat coach Bill Snyder was voted by his peers as the SBC Coach of the Year, as the league announced results of the coaches' vote for football special awards on Saturday.
Newman is a senior cornerback from Salina, Kan., and became the first Wildcat to win the honor as the Big 12's top defensive player since Mark Simoneau won the award in 1999. Newman is also a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy as the nation's top defensive player and is still the running for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the top defensive back in college football.
He is fourth nationally in punt returns with a 16.3 average, has five interceptions and has scored 26 points this season on two punt returns, a kickoff return, a pass reception and a defensive extra-point.
Snyder has earned his second selection as the Big 12 Coach of the Year, also winning the award in 1998. Snyder also won Big Eight Coach of the Year honors in 1990, 1991 and 1993. He was also a national Coach of the Year pick in 1991, 1994 and 1998.
He has guided the Wildcats to a four-win improvement already from the 2001 to the 2002 seasons, with Kansas State still awaiting a postseason bowl. The Wildcats, 10-2 overall this season, have posted their fifth 10-win season in the last six years and are one of only seven teams to have been to a bowl game in each of the last nine seasons.
Also earning top honors in voting by the coaches were Colorado running back Chris Brown, who was the SBC Offensive Player of the Year; Kansas quarterback Bill Whittemore, who was the Offensive Newcomer of the Year and Missouri quarterback Brad Smith, named the Offensive Freshman of the Year.
The other defensive honors went to Oklahoma linebacker Lance Mitchell, the Defensive Newcomer of the Year, and Texas defensive tackle Rodrique Wright, the Defensive Freshman of the Year.
Kansas State awaits an invitation to a bowl berth which should be announced on Sunday, Dec. 8.
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