DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Gerald McCoy
Defensive end, Southeast, Oklahoma City, 6-5, 285
The numbers: Made 80 tackles, including 28 solo, and 18 sacks. Forced 11 fumbles, recovering five, one for a TD. Recorded two safeties. First team all-state.
Favorite NFL players: Defensive tackles Tommie Harris and Warren Sapp.
In the classroom: Has a 3.7 grade-point average, with math being his favorite subject. Has qualified academically to play in college. He'll major in child psychology. "I love working with kids."
Why do you wear No. 97: "Originally I wanted 99 (Sapp's number) but settled for 97, which is Tommie Harris'."
Pregame routine: "The morning of the game, my parents rub blessed oils on all my joints, then onto my forehead and neck. Afterwards they pray over me."
Last book read: Frankenstein.
What do you drive: 1989 Chevrolet Celebrity. "I'm not complaining. It gets me around."
Would you want Terrell Owens as a teammate: "Of course. He runs his mouth, but the boy's a gifted receiver."
Something people might not know about me: "My favorite movie is Little Mermaid, and I have a doll of Ariel (the mermaid) in my room."
Tattoos: None. "The Bible says not to mark up your body."
College choices: LSU, Miami (Fla.), Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Southern California, Virginia Tech.
In 10 years, I want to be where, doing what: "Playing in the NFL for a Super Bowl champion and having opened a children's center."
If my house burns down, this is what I'm taking: My Bible and brush. "I've taken that brush everywhere since the eighth grade."
Gerald McCoy
Defensive end, Southeast, Oklahoma City, 6-5, 285
The numbers: Made 80 tackles, including 28 solo, and 18 sacks. Forced 11 fumbles, recovering five, one for a TD. Recorded two safeties. First team all-state.
Favorite NFL players: Defensive tackles Tommie Harris and Warren Sapp.
In the classroom: Has a 3.7 grade-point average, with math being his favorite subject. Has qualified academically to play in college. He'll major in child psychology. "I love working with kids."
Why do you wear No. 97: "Originally I wanted 99 (Sapp's number) but settled for 97, which is Tommie Harris'."
Pregame routine: "The morning of the game, my parents rub blessed oils on all my joints, then onto my forehead and neck. Afterwards they pray over me."
Last book read: Frankenstein.
What do you drive: 1989 Chevrolet Celebrity. "I'm not complaining. It gets me around."
Would you want Terrell Owens as a teammate: "Of course. He runs his mouth, but the boy's a gifted receiver."
Something people might not know about me: "My favorite movie is Little Mermaid, and I have a doll of Ariel (the mermaid) in my room."
Tattoos: None. "The Bible says not to mark up your body."
College choices: LSU, Miami (Fla.), Notre Dame, Oklahoma, Southern California, Virginia Tech.
In 10 years, I want to be where, doing what: "Playing in the NFL for a Super Bowl champion and having opened a children's center."
If my house burns down, this is what I'm taking: My Bible and brush. "I've taken that brush everywhere since the eighth grade."
