Illini Honor 12 Seniors at Annual Banquet
December 2, 2002 | Football
Dec. 2, 2002
Illinois head football coach Ron Turner, the Fighting Illini football team and family and friends gathered to honor 12 seniors and the season's award winners Monday night at the annual team banquet sponsored by the Rotary Club and held at the Illini Union.
The following are the Illini award winners from the 2002 Illinois Football Banquet:
Most Valuable Player: Antoineo Harris, running back
Antoineo Harris earns Illinois' Most Valuable Player award after setting the Illinois single-season rushing record with 1,330 yards in 2002, breaking the record set by Robert Holcombe in 1996. He carried the ball 278 times, the second-most for an Illinois single-season. He was named honorable mention All-Big Ten in the process. His 2,985 career yards and 676 attempts rank second, respectively, on the Illinois all-time rushing list. His contributions allowed the Illinois rushing game to pass the 1,900-yard mark for the season and add to the school-record 5,356 yards of total offense.
Offensive Player of the Year: Walter Young, wide receiver
Walter Young was named one of the team's four captains and had tremendous receiving numbers in Illinois' stretch run when the squad won four of its last six games. During that six-game stint, Young posted 458 yards on 34 catches. Those numbers include 144 yards against No. 2 Ohio State. Young, who came to Illinois as a quarterback, finishes his career ranked third on Illinois' all-time receiving yards list with 2,382 yards and touchdown reception list with 15. He ranks fifth with 147 career receptions. Young had his best game in the 2002 Nokia Sugar Bowl with six catches for 178 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensive Players of the Year: Jerry Schumacher, linebacker
Jerry Schumacher earns the award for the second straight year after leading the team with 122 total tackles. The middle linebacker ranked second in the Big Ten with an average of 10.2 tackles per contest. The senior, team captain posted this third consecutive 100-plus tackle season and broke into the career Top-10 in tackles at eighth with 370. He led the team this season with 12 tackles for loss and five sacks. The two-time All-Big Ten selection started in 35 games and will end his career with 33 tackles for loss and 11 sacks.
Special Teams Player of the Year: Eugene Wilson, punt returner
Eugene Wilson has been one of the most exciting punt returners in Illinois history. This season he broke the school record for career punt return yardage on a 21-yard return against San Jose State. One week prior, Wilson broke free for a 70-yard return for a touchdown which was the second of his career (65 yard TD vs. Arkansas State in 1999). Wilson dominates the record books for both the season and single-game with three of his four collegiate seasons ranked in the Top-10 and five games among Illinois' 10 best. In addition to his contributions to the punt return team, he also returned four kickoffs for 73 yards.
Rookie of the Year: Travis Williams, safety
Travis Williams was named the Illinois rookie of the year after starting six games as a true-freshman at safety. Williams took off his redshirt to get his first collegiate start against Michigan as a free safety. He finished the season with 38 tackles and two passes broken up. He recorded his first career interception and returned the pick for 30 yards in Illinois' 37-20 win over Wisconsin. Williams' biggest highlight of the season came against Purdue when he took a handoff at the six yardline from Eugene Wilson on the game's opening kickoff and returned it 94 yards for a touchdown.
Bruce Capel Award: Tony Pashos, offensive tackle
The Bruce Capel Award is given to the Illini player who displays the most courage, dedication and accomplishment throughout the season. Playing one of the most grueling positions on the field, senior offensive tackle Tony Pashos accomplished the astounding feat of 47 consecutive starts, every game of his Illini career. He tied the school record set by Tim Simpson in 1991. The two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection helped contribute to Illinois offenses that have continued to out-perform itself year after year. In 1999, Illinois broke the school's scoring record only to set a new high in 2001. The 2002 school record total offense was only the second 5,000-plus mark in the school's history - the first was in 2001.
Scholar-Athlete Award: JJ Tubbs, placekicker
Tubbs is the Illini's Scholar-Athlete with a 3.89 cumulative GPA. Last spring, he accepted an award for the highest GPA for all junior male athletes. Tubbs was the team's holder for an extra point unit that was a perfect 40 of 40 and a field goal squad that made 14 of 19 attempts.
Wright Commitment to Excellence Award: David Diehl, offensive guard
The Wright Commitment to Excellence Award is presented to the individual who has dedicated themselves to academic excellence despite obstacles faced during his collegiate career. David Diehl is a fifth-year senior who has taken full advantage of his time at the University of Illinois. After waiting in the wings for three seasons, backing up at both guard and tackle positions, Diehl was rewarded with second-team All-Big Ten honors in 2002, following his first season as a full-time starter. Diehl also excelled in the classroom, carrying a 3.10 GPA through undergraduate school, in which he received his degree in three-and-a-half years. He is currently finishing a master's degree in human resource education.
Monsignor E. Duncan Award: Jack Trudeau
The Monsignor Edward J. Duncan Award, the Illini team chaplain since 1943, was initiated in 1994 in recognition of the more than 50 years of service the director of the Newman Foundation has provided the football team and Division of Intercollegiate Athletics. The award is presented annually to the University of Illinois football letterman who has displayed exemplary integrity and dedication to this community /state/country/church through public service and citizenship. This year's recipient is 1986 graduate and former quarterback Jack Trudeau, who led the Illini to a Big Ten title in 1983, defeating every Big Ten team in the process. Trudeau was a two-time All-Big Ten performer in 1983 and 1984 and still owns the school record for passing yardage with 8,725. He currently is a resident of Zionsville, Ind., where he is the CEO and Chairman of Board of Wolf Run Golf Course. Trudeau has also been a long-time contributor to many organizations that are dedicated to charitable work with children. For the last 10 years, he has been involved in the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which funds Cystic Fybrosis research. He also is an active member of the Indiana Children's Wish Foundation, a subsidiary of The Make A Wish Foundation. Annually, he holds a golf outing, which raises money for the Indianapolis area sponsorship of the organization. Trudeau also volunteers as a youth football coach in Zionsville.
Scout Team Players of the Year: Melvin Bryant, tight end; Cyrus Garrett, linebacker; John Young, tight end.
2002 Team Captains: Tony Pashos, offensive line; Jerry Schumacher, linebacker; Eugene Wilson, cornerback; Walter Young, wide receiver.
