AZTECS HONORED BY MWC
San Diego State placed 11 players on the All-Mountain West Conference first and second teams as selected by league coaches. No other team had as many players honored.
MALANO NAMED ALL-AMERICAN
As of press date, Aztec senior Mike Malano had been chosen a first-team All-America center by the Football Writers Association of America and second team All-American by the Sporting News. It is the sixth time in the 1990’s that San Diego State has had a football player earn first-team All-America recognition.
AZTECS GET DEFENSIVE
San Diego State led the Mountain West Conference in total defense, allowing just 304.5 yards per game. It is the first time an Aztec defensive unit has led its conference in total defense since 1975 when DSU was the stingiest in the PCAA (now Big West).
The Aztecs ranked 16th in the nation in total defense, the school’s best national rating since 1977.
GILBERT HANGS IT UP
San Diego State will lose nine starters off this year’s defensive unit in addition to its defensive coordinator. Assistant coach Claude Gilbert announced his retirement after 40 years in the coaching profession, including 19 seasons at SDSU (eight as head coach from 1973-80). The year before his return to Montezuma Mesa in 1995, the Aztec defense ranked 95th in the nation. He leaves having built a top 20 defense.
Ken Delgado, the Aztec defensive line coach for the past six years, will
take over defensive coordinator duties with Gilbert’s departure. Delgado has tutored a first-team all conference defensive lineman in each of his six years. In addition, he has coached three defensive linemen currently playing in the NFL -- former Aztecs La’Roi Glover and Jamal Duff plus Luther Ellis who was coached by Delgado while at Utah.
TURNOVERS PROVE COSTLY
With 28 seniors returning from a squad that went 7-5 in 1998, including a Las Vegas Bowl appearance, San Diego State was expected to challenge for the first Mountain West Conference championship. However, turnovers at critical times proved to be the Aztecs’ undoing. SDSU turned the ball over 22 times in its six losses. In its five victories, the Aztecs turned the ball over twice, one of which was a defensive fumble at the end of an interception return.
DYNAMIC DUO
San Diego State had the fifth-most prolific running back tandem in
college football in 1999. Junior Larry Ned rushed for 894 yards, 11 touchdowns and averaged 5.5 yards per carry this past year. Senior Jonas Lewis totalled 812 yards rushing, two tds and averaged 5.2 yards per attempt. Both players hail from Moreno Valley, California. It is the second year in a row that each has averaged better than 5.0 yards per rushing attempt. No previous Aztec running back duo, with at least 100 carries on a season, has had each ball carrier average at least five yards per carry.
Lewis finished his career ranked second on the San Diego State career
rushing chart behind Marshall Faulk. The 5’9”, 215 pounder wound up with 2,843 yards on the ground despite having to split time at running back for the past two seasons with Ned. Larry Ned figures to be one of the top running backs in college football in the year 2000 and is expected to get more of a work load with Lewis’ graduation.
RETURNING FIREPOWER
In addition to Ned, San Diego State will return the bulk of its skill position players on offense in 2000. Donning the red and black will be quarterback Jack Hawley, first team all-MWC tight end Gray McNeill and wide receivers Sean Pierce, Derrick Lewis and J.R. Tolver. The Aztecs will lose four of their five offensive line starters as only tackle Mike Houghton returns.
FOOTBALL FACELIFT
The Aztecs recently received an additional $11 million contribution from San Diego Padres owner John Moores to add football operations (offices, weight room, sports medicine, equipment room, team meeting rooms) to the previously planned Athletic Administration Building. Moores had contributed $7 million for the initial project. Construction is scheduled to begin in the spring of 2000 and be completed in the spring of 2001.
AZTECS MAKE THEIR MARK
Other players who completed their careers ranked among the top 10 all-time leaders at SDSU include Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila and Rico Curtis. Gbaja-Biamila’s 12 quarterback sacks this year brought his Aztec record career total to 33. Curtis, who was selected by his teammates as the Aztec MVP for 1999, wound up his four years at SDSU with 355 tackles, a figure that ranks second on the school’s career list.
