Kicker breaks barrier

Steve Guiremand

Thursday, Dec. 26, 2002 | 10:26 a.m.

Katie Hnida made college football history in Wednesday's Las Vegas Bowl. Only it wasn't quite the way she had hoped.

The 5-foot-9, 150-pound junior from Littleton, Colo., became the first female to play in a Division I-A football game when she attempted an extra point following New Mexico cornerback Desmar Black's 55-yard interception return with 8:30 left in the first quarter. But Hnida's history-making try was easily blocked by Bruin linebacker Brandon Chillar and UCLA went to to claim a 27-13 victory.

"I didn't get far enough under the ball," Hnida said of the PAT attempt which didn't elevate very high off the ground.

"I just wished she would have made it because she deserved to make it," New Mexico coach Rocky Long said.

Hnida, a third-string walk-on who actually began her career at Colorado in 1999 and even was in uniform for the Buffaloes in the 1999 Insight.com Bowl against Boston College, had suited up for all six of New Mexico's home games this season but never saw action until Wednesday's contest. She was an honorable mention all-Jefferson County pick her senior year at Chatfield High School in Littleton, Colo., after converting on all three of her field goal attempts while also going 27-of-28 on PATs.

Long said he told the former homecoming queen, whose long blonde ponytail stuck out from behind her helmet, just before the game of his decision to let her make history.

"I told her right before we went in after pregame warmups," Long said.

"Katie is a valuable member of our team just like anybody else on our team. I think it's a very unusual situation. She's put in a situation that a lot of times is very uncomfortable. She has to dress in different places. She has to join the team after everybody else has dressed. She has handled this better than anybody I would have ever anticipated and she handled it with a lot of class.

"I made the decision before the game that she was going to kick the first extra point of the game. No one else made that decision. I made that decision. And it was a great decision."

Hnida was asked afteward if she thought she laid the groundwork for other females to play in Division I-A college football?

"I have no idea," she said. "I guess we'll find out."

She went out of her way to praise her teammates and the New Mexico coaching staff for allowing her to be a part of their team.

"The players and coaches here are absolutely phenomenal," she said. "It takes a special group of men and women to handle a situation like this. This is not common. ... I have been so blessed and so honored to be a part of a team that has worked so well together, has accepted me and really has made me feel like I'm apart of what is going on."

Hnida said she thinks she'll be able to overcome the disappointment of missing the PAT.

"I've faced a lot of adversity in everything I've gone through," she said. "This is just going to be one more thing for me."

Long said Hnida will get an opportunity to atone for her PAT miss next season.

"I told her after the game she'll get another chance," he said.

Only four starters for the Lobos graduate, including none on offense. Of the 44 players on New Mexico's two-deep roster, only seven are seniors.

Bragg's punt return for a touchdown was the first allowed by the Lobos since UNLV's Troy Mason returned one for a score in 2000.