University of Tennessee Athletics
Four Vols Picked for All-SEC First Team
December 08, 2004 | Football
Dec. 8, 2004
Tennessee placed a combined four members on the All-SEC first teams for 2004, as selected by Associated Press and the league coaches. Seniors Kevin Burnett and Michael Munoz joined juniors Jason Allen and Jesse Mahelona as UT's first-team representatives.
Burnett received first-team recognition at linebacker from both the writers and coaches after a season in which he had 114 tackles. The two-time captain stands second in Division I-A with 86 solo tackles and ranks behind only teammate Jason Allen in the conference race for overall hits.
Allen, also a team captain, claimed first-team honors from the coaches after leading the SEC with 118 tackles. The versatile defensive back stands third in Division I-A with 84 solo stops, had three tackles for loss, two interceptions, seven passes defensed, two forced fumbles and one recovery.
AP tabbed Munoz, who had 59 knockdown blocks before his season was cut short by injury. The offensive tackle and two-time captain played a key role this year in the development of Tennessee's freshman starting quarterbacks. Tuesday, he won the National Football Foundation's Draddy Trophy recognizing the nation's top scholar athlete.
Another writers' choice was Mahelona, who made an immediate impact at defensive tackle after transferring from Orange Coast (Calif.) College. He leads the SEC and is tied for seventh nationally with 18.5 tackles for loss. The Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, native has seven quarterback hurries and five sacks among his 42 tackles.
Six additional Vols claimed second-team or honorable mentions.
Senior punter Dustin Colquitt was a second-team pick by both the coaches and AP, while senior tailback Cedric Houston and junior linebacker Omar Gaither joined Munoz on the coaches' second team. The writers tabbed junior defensive end Parys Haralson and Allen for second team, and then included senior center Jason Respert and junior tailback Gerald Riggs Jr. for honorable mention.
