Eight Cardinals Named to 2002 All-Conference USA football team
December 04, 2002 | Football
Dec. 4, 2002
The University of Louisville football team will bring eight All-Conference USA selections, including a league-high six first members, to the GMAC Bowl on December 18 as selected by the league's 10 head coaches and media members in each conference city. Along with the eight all-league selections, the Cards placed three players on the C-USA All-Freshman team.
Senior quarterback Dave Ragone and senior tight end Ronnie Ghent were named to the all-conference first team for the third consecutive season, joining former Cardinal Ibn Green and Adalius Thomas of Southern Miss (both 1997-99) as the only players in C-USA history to earn first team honors in three consecutive years. Joining Ragone and Ghent on the first team were junior defensive end Dewayne White, freshman kick returner Broderick Clark and senior Damien Dorsey as both a wide receiver and punt returner, while senior safety Anthony Floyd and junior linebacker Rod Day were second team selections. Clark, Travis Leffew and Joshua Tinch were named to the league's all-freshman team.
Ragone, the two-time C-USA Offensive Player of the Year, has carried the load for the Cards on the offensive end despite playing behind a young and inconsistent offensive line which has surrendered the second-most sacks in the I-A ranks. A top prospect for the upcoming NFL Draft, Ragone has thrown for 2,739 yards, the fifth-highest tally in school history, and 23 scores, tied for the fourth-highest mark in school history, while completing 55 percent of his passes.
Ghent, who played only six games, was leading the Cards and all D-I tight ends with 25 receptions before suffering a season-ending knee injury in the fourth quarter of the Memphis game. At the time of his injury, Ghent was among the league leaders in catches per game (4.3), while also leading the Cards with 206 receiving yards and three scores. Despite not playing in the final six games of the regular season, Ghent still ranks third on the team in catches and touchdown receptions.
White, the 2001 C-USA Defensive Player of the Year, was named a first team selection for the second straight year after becoming the school and league all-time leader with 36.5 career sacks. White, who's 36.5 sacks ranks second nationally among active players, ranks second in the league with 10 quarterback takedowns this season.
Emerging as one of the league's most versatile players, the diminutive 5-7 Dorsey was a first team selection at wide receiver and punt returner, becoming the fourth player in league history to earn first honors at two positions. Dorsey led all C-USA receivers with seven receptions and ranked second in the league in receiving yards (68.5) and catches (4.7) per game. He also led the league and ranked No. 7 nationally with a 15.4 yard punt return average.
It didn't take the Cards long to find a replacement for Zek Parker, the U of L and C-USA all-time kick returner, as Clark, a redshirt freshman, emerged as one of the nation's most electrifying players. Clark matched both the school and league marks with a pair of returns for scores, including a league-record 100-yard scamper against Kentucky in the season opener, en route to first team and all freshman laurels as a return man. Leading the nation with a 31.8 yard return average, Clark heads into the GMAC Bowl needing only 74 yards to claim the school record for kick return yards in a season and 34 yards to claim the league mark.
Floyd, a two-time first team selection who is the nation's active leader with 18 career interceptions, added a second team all-league notch to his ledger in his final collegiate campaign. He ranks third on the squad with 91 tackles and four sacks in a season highlighted by a huge overtime interception in the Cards' upset of No. 4-ranked Florida State.
The only new starter on the defense from a year ago, Day stepped into the lineup and emerged as a force in the middle of the Cardinal defense. Garnering his first all-league selection, Day ranks second on the team with 101 tackles despite missing the final two games of the regular season with an injury.
Leffew, like older brother Bobby, garnered acclaim from around the league in his first collegiate season as he claimed the family's second all-freshman honor. The redshirt freshman, who started all 12 games, is being tabbed by Cardinal coaches as one of the building blocks of a young and talented offensive line.
Tinch, who will join Rick Pitino's team on the hardwood after the GMAC Bowl, emerged out of nowhere as one of Dave Ragone's favorite targets in the passing game. A large and physical receiver, Tinch ranks second on the team to Dorsey in catches (31), yards (406) and touchdown receptions (4). He enjoyed his finest game of the season in the Cards' overtime upset of Florida State when he pulled down four catches for a career-high 93 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown grab.
Conference USA will announce its Offensive, Defensive, and Special Teams Players of the Year, as well as the Freshman of the Year and Coach of the Year on Thursday, December 5.
