Rebels’ Thomas picked for East-West game

Friday, Dec. 14, 2001 | 11:39 a.m.

UNLV senior cornerback Kevin Thomas, the 2001 Mountain West Conference defensive player of the year, has been selected to play in the East-West Shrine Game on Jan. 12 at Pac Bell Park in San Francisco.

Thomas is only the seventh player in UNLV football history to be picked for the game, which benefits the Shriners Hospital for Children and is closely watched by NFL scouts. He joins Oregon's Rashad Bauman and Nebraska's Keyou Craver as the only corners chosen for the West team, which will be coached by Oregon's Mike Bellotti.

Thomas, who had seven interceptions and three defensive touchdowns as a senior, is one of only five Mountain West players chosen to play in the contest. The others are BYU linebacker Justin Ena, Air Force defensive tackle Zack Johnson, New Mexico fullback Jarrod Baxter and San Diego State offensive lineman Chester Pitts.

archive