By Dan Peters * Host Communications

It’s a striking contradiction. An intense, 264-pound defensive lineman who makes life miserable for opposing quarterbacks. Yet, all his friends and teammates call him “Sweet Pea.”Meet Vincent “Sweet Pea” Burns, a junior defensive end for the Kentucky Wildcats.

How did such a fierce player get tagged with “Sweet Pea?” Why not “Mad Dog” or “Bruiser?”His mother, Lavern Gardner, started calling Vincent “Sweet Pea” when he was a baby and it has followed him ever since, through childhood and all the way through his college life.In addition to being known as “Sweet Pea,” Burns now has another moniker to go by – captain. As in team captain.

Elected as one of two permanent team captains by his teammates for this season (Jared Lorenzen is the other), Burns is recognized as one of the leaders of the Wildcats’ defensive unit. In fact, Burns is the leading returning tackler from last year.

Burns’ role as a team leader was evident when he was voted captain unanimously. His work ethic has not gone unnoticed by his teammates.

“Definitely, that’s why he was elected team captain – because of his work ethic,” said fellow defensive lineman and close friend Ellery Moore. “He’s the type of person who doesn’t want to be a team captain … he doesn’t need that title for him to keep working hard. A lot of people need a title to say, ‘Now I gotta push more.’ He doesn’t need it to go out there and try to win every gasser or try to win every sprint or try to beat everybody on every play.

“Even when he gets tired, he runs hard every play. You can see that from last year. Every snap he was going hard. You could just tell by watching film and see he’s running to the ball, he’s beating somebody, he’s on the tackle, he’s jumpin’ on the pile. That’s the type of player he is.”

Burns, who is in his second year as a Wildcat starter, is being counted on for a big year in 2003. In his first year playing at the Division I-A level, he made 65 tackles in 2002, including a team-leading 14.5 tackles for loss. Burns was at his best at the end of the year, as he recorded three quarterback sacks in the last four games of the season.

Burns is looking to pick up where he left off in 2002. He was named second-team All-Southeastern Conference by the Associated Press last year, and was recognized as a preseason second-team All-SEC selection for 2003.

“We’re looking for a solid year from ‘Sweet Pea’,” defensive line coach Michael Gray said. “He works hard, and good things come to guys up front (on the defensive line) who work hard.

“He’s intense and has a great work ethic. He’s the kind of guy you want to coach.”

Burns arrived in Lexington in 2001 as a transfer from Northern Arizona, a DivisionI-AA school. While the lure of playing Division I-A football did factor into his decision to transfer to UK, the main reason was family.

Burns has a 4-year-old daughter, Jodi, who lives in Georgia. The distance between his hometown of Valdosta, Ga., and the Northern Arizona campus in Flagstaff, Ariz., would allow Burns only twice a year to spend time with his family and daughter. Moving to Lexington now affords him the opportunity to drive home and spend more time with Jodi.

“Every time we get a break, I get to go home,” Burns said. “When I was out at Northern Arizona, I wasn’t getting to go home but twice a year, Christmas and the end of the (school) year.”

When Burns decided to transfer from Northern Arizona, some of the schools he first looked at were Georgia and Central Florida.

Then one of his former coaches at Northern Arizona, Brent Pease, was hired as UK’s offensive coordinator in 2001. Burns became interested in Kentucky and Pease recommended him to former head coach Guy Morriss.

Burns has made the most of the opportunity at UK. On the practice field, he quickly made a name for himself while redshirting in 2001 with his all-out hustle and non-stop drive.

The transition from I-AA to I-A was aided by his teammates’ belief in him, Burns said.

“It was just having the confidence, and the players around me like Ellery, (Jeremy) Caudill and Dewayne (Robertson), and the rest of the guys who believed in me. If your teammates believe in you, then you have to go out and play hard.”

Now with one year of major college football under his belt, a new challenge facing Burns (and his teammates) this year is learning the new 3-4 alignment that first-year defensive coordinator Mike Archer has installed.

“He’s learning,” Gray said. “He’s had a few mental mistakes, but he gets in his playbook and is learning. He’s got a good feel for it. I think he has a good grasp.”

Burns made two tackles for a loss in the Louisville game and he is focused on being a leader of this Wildcat defense.

“It means a lot when your teammates look up to you as a captain,” Burns said. “I think a captain is a person who goes out every day and gives it his all in practice. That’s why they elected me to be captain, and I’m very thankful.

“A captain is also a leader. It takes a lot of hard work because you have to keep team unity together. Not only on defense, but offense as well. That’s what my job title is, so that’s what I’m going to do to the best of my ability.”