Briggs named preseason All-American
In a good sign for next year's defense, Arizona junior linebacker Lance Briggs was named second team preseason All-American by Football News last Thursday. It marks the second time in two weeks that Briggs has garnered preseason accolades - he had also been named honorable mention for Street & Smith's College Football 2001 All-America team. Three other Wildcats were named honorable mention along with Briggs - sophomore cornerback Michael Jolivette, senior defensive tackle Keoni Fraser and junior kicker Sean Keel.
The 6-foot-1 Briggs will return as the Pacific 10 Conference's leading returning tackler after making 113 stops last season, numbers that earned him first-team All-Pac-10 honors. Jolivette joined him last year with a second team All-Pac-10 award. Jolivette was also named to the freshman All-America team after intercepting five passes and making 42 tackles.
Wildcats going coast-to-coast
The rest of the U.S. is going to have an opportunity to see how John Mackovic and his new passing-oriented offense will perform at least four times this upcoming season, provided they have cable.
ESPN2 will carry the Wildcats' first game of the season against San Diego State, on Aug. 30 in San Diego as one of their Thursday night games.
Fox Sports Net will then broadcast UA's games against Oregon (Oct. 6), Oregon State (Oct. 13), and the annual showdown with Arizona State (Nov. 23).
The UA volleyball team will also be making appearances on national television, as Fox Sports has agreed to pick up at least three of their matches, with the possibility of a fourth, to be shown on tape delay. Those matches will be against UCLA, USC and Washington, with the fourth possibly being against California.
Mazel tov! Former UA player inducted into Jewish Sports Hall of Fame
Former UA punter Josh Miller is among a group of nine athletes to be inducted into the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Induction ceremonies for the Class of 2002 are scheduled for March 24.
Miller, who plays for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers, is considered to be one of the top punters in the league. Since joining the Steelers in 1996, Miller has averaged no less than 41.0 yards per punt. Last season, Miller ranked eighth in the league with a 43.8-yard punting average.
Miller, a native of East Brunswick, N.J., was a two-year letterman for the Wildcats from 1990-92. He was named first team All-Pac-10 and first team All-American by The Sporting News and the Football Writers Association of America after averaging 42.7 yards per punt as a senior in 1992.
