Team Enjoying Festivities at Holiday Bowl
Dec 25, 2002 | Football
Dec. 25, 2002
San Diego, Calif. - The sixth-ranked Kansas State football team continued its preparations for Arizona State in the 25th annual Pacific Life Holiday Bowl set for Friday at Qualcomm Stadium, as the Wildcats mixed daily practices with bowl festivities in San Diego this past week.
The Wildcats arrived in San Diego on Saturday, Dec. 21 to begin preparations for its 10th consecutive bowl game. After a two-hour mid-morning practice on the campus of UC-San Diego, the team enjoyed a reception and bar-b-que hosted by the famous 'Red Coats' of the Holiday Bowl at the team hotel. The 'Red Coats' are the bowl's famous volunteer staff, which are in charge of hospitality for both teams.
The team spent Sunday at the world-famous San Diego Zoo. The players spent several hours exploring the 100-acre park, which contains over 4,000 individual animals and 6,500 species of plants. Wildcat players QB Marc Dunn, OL Nick Leckey, CB-KR Terence Newman and WR Taco Wallace enjoyed some one-on-one interaction with some of the park's inhabitants. Dunn and Wallace played toss and catch with a sea lion named Cabo, while Leckey and Newman held a 65-pound boa constrictor named Squeeze.
The team enjoyed touring and conversing with the sailors of the USS Peleliu on Monday, as the crew hosted the Wildcats and Sun Devils for the Navy and Marine Corps Luncheon. The program included an official welcome from Captain Dennis D. DuBard of the USS Peleliu and President Lisa Richards of the Pacific Life Holiday as well as speeches by coaches and administrators from both schools.
During the lunch, two special awards were made by the participating schools with the naming of honorary captains and the presentation of the Admiral U.S. Grant Sharp Trophy. HTFN Nathan Reed of the USS Peleliu was given a team jersey in recognition of being named the Wildcats' honorary captain. The native of Hutchinson, Kan., Reed has spent the last 13 months in the Navy, including seven months aboard the USS Pelelu.
The Sharp Trophy is given to an individual from both football programs, which best exemplifies team success rather than personal glory. In a vote of the members of the football team, veteran equipment manager Jim 'Shorty' Kleinau and athletic trainer Jeff Ferguson were named co-winners of the award from Kansas State. A native of Geneseo, Ill., Kleinau has been with the Wildcats for 24 years and is the dean of equipment managers in the Big 12 Conference. Ferguson is in his sixth season as the team's primary trainer and recently was elevated to assistant athletics director for sports medicine.
The team enjoyed another can't-miss tourist site in San Diego on Christmas Eve, as they enjoyed an afternoon at Sea World. The players visited marine life from all over the world at the near-200 acre park, as several team members interacted with some of the park's many inhabitants.
After a mid-morning practice, the team will enjoy Christmas with a dinner at the hotel beginning at 7 p.m. On Thursday, the team will have its walk-through at Qualcomm Stadium before enjoying a pep rally beginning at 5:30 p.m. PST.
Kansas State and Arizona State will conclude bowl week on Friday, as the two teams participate in the 25th annual Pacific Life Holiday Bowl beginning at 5 p.m. PST. The game will be carried live on ESPN with Mike Tirico, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso and Dr. Jerry Punch forming the broadcast team.
