The University of Kentucky Commencement held last Sunday was a big day in Wildcat football as 18 seniors from the 2004 team have now received their diplomas or will be finishing their degrees during the summer.
The new graduates include linebacker Kamaal Ahmad, quarterback Trey Barclay, safety Dominick DeVastey, linebacker Justin Haydock, offensive guard Matt Huff, safety Eric Ogletree, offensive guard Jason Rollins, safety Claude Sagaille, linebacker Keith Shelton, linebacker Jon Sumrall, safety Adam Tom, and wide receiver DeMarcus Wood. They join other seniors from the 2004 team who had graduated previously, including quarterback Shane Boyd, wide receiver Gerad Parker, kicker Clint Ruth, punter Sevin Sucurovic, punter Anthony Thornton, and safety Russ Throckmorton.
2005 Seniors Get Head Start on Graduation: Kentucky?s 2005 football senior class has a good start on graduation, as seven players on this year?s team have graduated or will be finishing their degrees in summer school. Here are the seven grads who will compete for the Wildcats this season, along with their undergraduate degrees and their academic plans for the fall semester:
Taylor Begley, K – Electrical Engineering – Will work on master?s in Electrical Engineering
Alexis Bwenge, RB – Political Science – Working on master?s in Public Administration
Tommy Cook, WR – Kinesiology – Adding a second major
Jeremiah Drobney, TE – Finance – Will add a second major
Antoine Huffman, CB – Telecommunications – Working on master?s in Mass Communications
Hayden Lane, OT – Classics/Anthropology (double major) – Will begin master?s in History
Lamar Mills, DT – Marketing – Accepted to Patterson School of Diplomacy and International Commerce
Lane and Mills deserve special mention, as they completed their bachelor?s degrees in just three years.
Dawson, Schnellenberger to be Inducted into Hall of Distinguished Alumni: Former Wildcat football players Dermontti Dawson and Howard Schnellenberger will be among 19 inductees into the UK Hall of Distinguished Alumni Friday night in a dinner at the Radisson Plaza Hotel in Lexington.
Dawson was an offensive lineman at UK from 1984-87 under Coach Jerry Claiborne, earning second-team All-Southeastern Conference honors as a senior. He blocked for three of the top six rushers in school history, Mark Higgs, Marc Logan, and George Adams. He enjoyed a 13-year career with the Pittsburgh Steelers and became one of the greatest centers in National Football League history, earning seven consecutive Pro Bowl selections from 1992-98. Following his retirement from pro football, Dawson has returned to the Lexington area and works as a businessman. Dawson also is a member of the UK College of Education Hall of Fame and is a UK football retired jersey honoree.
Schnellenberger was an offensive and defensive end from 1952-55 under coaches Paul ?Bear? Bryant and Blanton Collier. He led UK in pass receiving as a junior and senior, was named first-team All-SEC both seasons, and was chosen first-team All-America as a senior. Schnellenberger began his coaching career as an assistant under Collier in 1959-60. He went on to be a head coach with the NFL?s Baltimore Colts and in the collegiate ranks at Miami (Fla.), Louisville, and Oklahoma, winning a national championship with the Hurricanes in 1983. Currently, he is the head coach at Florida Atlantic University.
Moore Signs With Cleveland: Former Wildcat defensive lineman Ellery Moore has signed a free-agent contract with the Cleveland Browns.
Moore was a four-year letterman for the Wildcats, playing defensive end, defensive tackle, and nose tackle. He played in 43 games, starting 18. He totaled 139 tackles as a Wildcat, including 20 tackles for loss (-92 yards) and 9.5 quarterback sacks (-73).
Signing with the Browns is a dream come true for Moore, who is from Massillon, Ohio, less than an hour?s drive from Cleveland. Moore joins defensive end Sweet Pea Burns, a third-round draftee of the Indianapolis Colts, and quarterback Shane Boyd, a free-agent signee of the Tennessee Titans, as 2004 Wildcat seniors who will attempt to earn a spot in the National Football League this year.
