University of Tennessee Athletics
Henderson Presented Outland Trophy at Annual Omaha Banquet
January 11, 2001 | Football
OMAHA, Neb. -- Tennessee's John Henderson was presented with the Outland Trophy recognizing him as the nation's most outstanding interior lineman for the 2000 season in Omaha, Neb. Jan. 10. The trophy was presented to the junior defensive tackle at Omaha's fourth annual Outland Trophy Dinner.
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| John Henderson was named the winner of the 2000 Outland Trophy as the nation's top interior lineman. |
Henderson's mother, Bridgett, and his father, John Smith, along with his high school coach, Maurice Fitzgerald, were also in attendance at the Doubletree Hotel in Omaha.
Henderson, who announced last month that he will return for his senior season, has a chance to become the first two-time winner of the award in 2001 since Nebraska's Dave Rimington won it in back-to-back seasons in 1981-82.
"I still think I can reach the top," said Henderson. "There's more to accomplish.It's a great honor." "This award is the result of a lot of hard work and dedication."
The Outland Trophy is the most prestigious in a series of honors received by Henderson, who has been named a first-team All-America by three different sources and was named the Associated Press SEC Defensive Player of the year.
The Nashville native finished the season with an SEC-leading 12 sacks and 21 tackles for loss and ranked third on the Vol defense with 71 total tackles. His 12 sacks are third on the Tennessee single-season list, trailing only Reggie White's 15 in 1983 and Jonathan Brown who had 13.5 in 1997. Henderson was a key factor in the UT rush defense which ranked third nationally, allowing just 74.3 yards per game.
``I personally think he can be as good as anybody we've had at Tennessee,'' Fulmer said. The coach added that includes White, the NFL's career sacks leader.
Henderson becomes Tennessee's second Outland Trophy winner, joining middle guard Steve DeLong, a College Football Hall of Famer, who won the award in 1964. DeLong's son, Keith, was an All-America linebacker at Tennessee in the late 1980s.
The Outland Trophy, presented since 1946, is the third oldest award in major college football. It is awarded annually to the best interior lineman in college football and named after the late Dr. John Outland, an All-America lineman at Penn.
