Smith, Snedegar, Whalen chosen for Birmingham News All-SEC Team.
Football News Honors Mumme, Sixbery: University of Kentucky Coach Hal Mumme and offensive guard Kip Sixbery have received honors from Football News magazine.
Mumme was chosen as the South/Southwest Coach of the Year. The South/Southwest region includes 15 states and covers the Southeastern Conference, Big 12 Conference, and Conference USA.
Despite the loss of 20 seniors from last season, along with the early departure of quarterback Tim Couch, the NFL’s No. 1 draft pick, Mumme guided his team to a 6-5 record. UK will play in the HomePoint.com Music City Bowl and the Wildcats are making back-to-back bowl appearances for only the third time in school history. In addition to rampant inexperience, Mumme also had to contend with numerous injuries to his receivers and defensive backs. Richard Scott, columnist for Football News, wrote this regarding the choice of Mumme:
“Kentucky was supposed to return to the land of the lost with the departure of Tim Couch and wide receiver Craig Yeast, but Kentucky coach Hal Mumme made the most of a new, inexperienced quarterback, Dusty Bonner, and the Wildcats overcame a multitude of key injuries (especially at wide receiver) to earn a second consecutive bowl for the first time since 1983-84.”
Meanwhile, Sixbery was chosen second-team Freshman All-America. Sixbery started all 11 games at left guard and played every offensive down of the season. His blocking helped the Wildcats average 28.6 points and 374.5 yards of total offense per game, fifth best in the SEC in both categories. The Wildcats led the SEC and ranked 13th in the nation in passing offense with 299 passing yards per game. Kentucky also set a school record by scoring 30 or more points in four consecutive SEC games.
At 17 years old, Sixbery was the youngest Division I-A player in the nation who started every game. He did not turn 18 years old until after the completion of the regular season.
Sixbery also has been named first-team Freshman All-America by The Sporting News and Freshman All-SEC by the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
Smith, Snedegar, Whalen Chosen for Birmingham News All-SEC Team: Three Kentucky Wildcats, punter Andy Smith, linebacker Jeff Snedegar, and tight end James Whalen, have been picked for the Birmingham News All-SEC team. The News chose only a first team, with no second-team selections.
Whalen and Smith are consensus first-team All-SEC selections, also having been picked by The Associated Press, SEC Coaches, and Football News.
Whalen caught 90 passes for 1,019 yards and 10 touchdowns during the 1999 season, leading the nation’s tight ends in all three categories. He set NCAA records for most receptions in a season by a tight end and most receptions per game (8.2) by a tight end. His 90 catches also broke UK’s single-season record for receptions, eclipsing Craig Yeast’s mark of 85 set a year ago.
With 1,019 receiving yards, Whalen became the second Wildcat to surpass the 1,000-yard receiving mark in a season. His 10 TD catches also are the second-best single-season mark in UK history.
Whalen had four games with double-digit receptions during the 1999 season. With 10 catches against Indiana and 12 against Florida, he became the first player in school history to have double-digit receptions in consecutive games. He duplicated that feat later in the season with 10 catches at Georgia, followed by 11 at Mississippi State.
Whalen had five 100-yard receiving games, topped by 151 yards at Georgia. He also caught four touchdown passes against the Bulldogs, tying a school record.
Whalen’s top individual play came in the season opener vs. Louisville. His 57-yard touchdown catch-and-run, capped by a dive into the end zone, was named the Compaq “Best Hustle Play of the Week in College Football.”
Like Whalen, Smith rose to stardom in his first season as a starting player. A senior from Franklin, Ky., Smith averaged 42.7 yards per punt, third best in the league, but it was his excellent hang time and punt placement that caught the eye of the league coaches. UK allowed only 53 punt return yards during the entire season. UK’s team mark of 39.92 net yards per punt led the SEC and ranked fifth in the nation in that category, and also set a school record. Smith placed 18 punts within the opponent 20-yard line.
Snedegar, a senior from Salesville, Ohio, has been a three-year starter for the Wildcats at outside linebacker. He led the team in tackles with 84, including five tackles for loss (-13 yards) and four quarterback sacks (-32). He also has two interceptions, three pass breakups, and caused one fumble. He had a career-high 14 tackles at Mississippi State. He was a candidate for the Butkus Award that goes to the nation’s top linebacker.
Snedegar also was named first-team All-SEC by the SEC Coaches.
“Mummeball” Making UK Coaches Attractive: The exciting and successful brand of football taught by Coach Hal Mumme is drawing attention to the team and to the UK football staff.
Two proteges of “Mummeball,” Mike Leach and Chris Hatcher, have ascended to head coaching positions within the last week. Leach, UK’s offensive coordinator in 1997-98, was named head coach at Texas Tech today. Hatcher, who coached the UK quarterbacks as a graduate assistant in 1997-98 and as a full-time assistant in 1999, returned to his alma mater last week when he was named head coach at Valdosta State University.
