Taylor & Winslow Named To Football Writers Association All-America Team
Nov. 26, 2003
CORAL GABLES, Fla. (www.hurricanesports.com) – Two University of Miami football players – junior safety Sean Taylor and junior tight end Kellen Winslow – have been named First Team All-Americans by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), it was announced Tuesday evening.
Despite missing a game with an injury, Taylor leads the BIG EAST Conference and ranks fifth nationally in interceptions per game (0.70) with seven, a total that ranks fifth for interceptions in a season at Miami. He ranks second on the Hurricanes in total tackles with 71 (44 solos). He has produced a team-best 13 pass breakups this season along with 7 tackles for losses, one quarterback sack and one quarterback hurry. Taylor also has been a force on special teams, having blocked a punt, taken back four punts for a total of 52 yards (13.0 avg.) and returned three kickoffs for 86 yards (28.7 avg.), including a 68-yard return against Florida. Additionally, Taylor has returned interceptions for an average of 25.3 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown return at Boston College, a 50-yard scoring runback at Florida State, and a 44-yard scoring runback this past Saturday against Rutgers. His three TD returns of interceptions this season is a Miami single-season record. He has done all of this while playing the entire season with an injured shoulder that was surgically repaired in mid-October, causing him to miss one game and forced him to play in constant pain since. Taylor was recently rated college football’s top player by ESPN The Magazine in a midseason ranking, as he has become more than just a burgeoning star in the secondary. Named a Thorpe Award finalist on Tuesday, Taylor is a standout in the tradition of former UM safeties Edward Reed and Bennie Blades, Taylor earned BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week honors for his play against Florida State (Oct. 11).
Rated among college football’s top players by ESPN The Magazine in a recent mid-season ranking, Winslow leads the team in receptions and has made several crucial catches in close games. Winslow recorded 100 yards receiving for two consecutive weeks for the first time in his career against West Virginia and Florida State. His 18-yard reception on fourth-and-13 against West Virginia kept the Hurricanes’ game-winning drive alive. Winslow’s numbers from the tight end position are comparable to the top wide receivers in the nation as he is on a pace to challenge Miami’s single-season receptions mark of 66. He also is a key performer on special teams for Miami and recently blocked a punt against Syracuse.
2003 Football Writers Association All-America Team
OFFENSE
WR – Mark Clayton, OklahomaWR – Mike Williams, Southern CaliforniaWR – Larry Fitzgerald, PittsburghTE – Kellen Winslow, MiamiOL – Robert Gallery, IowaOL – Shawn Andrews, ArkansasC – Jake Grove, Virginia TechOL – Alex Barron, Florida StateOL – Jacob Rogers, Southern CaliforniaQB – Jason White, OklahomaRB – Kevin Jones, Virginia Tech
DEFENSE
LB – Teddy Lehman, OklahomaLB – Derrick Johnson, TexasLB – Grant Wiley, West VirginiaE – Dave Ball, UCLAT – Tommie Harris, OklahomaT – Chad Lavalais, LSUE – Kenechi Udeze, Southern CaliforniaDB – Derrick Strait, OklahomaDB – Sean Taylor, MiamiDB – Will Allen, Ohio StateDB – Keiwan Ratliff, Florida
SPECIAL TEAMS
K – Nick Brown, TCUP – Dustin Colquitt, TennesseeRS – Antonio Perkins, Oklahoma
