University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Gerald Hayes Garnering National Attention
6/3/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
Gerald Hayes Garnering National Attention
6/3/2002
PITTSBURGH - One of the marquee defenders in the Big East Conference the last two years, University of Pittsburgh linebacker Gerald Hayes heads into his senior season garnering national attention.
The latest honor for Hayes (Paterson, N.J./Passaic County Technical Institute) comes from Collegefootballnews.com, which named him to its 2002 All-America Team. The 6-3, 245-pound middle linebacker was a second-team selection.
In addition to Hayes, Pittsburgh's junior tight end Kris Wilson (Lancaster, Pa./J.P. McCaskey) was listed as an Honorable Mention All-American.
Hayes has previously been named to the watch lists for such prestigious national awards as the Bronko Nagurski Trophy (top defensive player) and the Rotary Lombardi Award (top lineman or linebacker).
A two-time All-Big East performer, he headlines a Pittsburgh defense that gave up just 284.6 yards per game last year (seventh best in the country) and returns seven starters for 2002.
Hayes earned first team All-Big East and All-Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) last year after recording 104 tackles (62 solo). He added 15 tackles for losses and 6.5 sacks. As a sophomore in 2000, Hayes had a team-high 104 stops (59 solo) in earning second team All-Big East.
Hayes has been a starter for the Panthers' defense since the end of the 1999 season. With 269 tackles (including postseason games) he ranks 14th all-time at Pittsburgh.
The Panthers are coming off a 7-5 season, which included a 34-19 victory over NC State in the Visit Florida Tangerine Bowl. They will play 12 regular-season games in 2002 with seven home contests at Heinz Field. For season-ticket information contact the University of Pittsburgh Ticket Office at (800) 643-PITT or (412) 648-PITT.
