Football Names 2003 Team Captains
4/11/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
April 11, 2003
Columbia, Mo. - One the eve of the annual Black and Gold Game, the University of Missouri football team has named its captains for the upcoming 2003 season, as announced today by Head Coach Gary Pinkel.
The four Tigers honored include senior center A.J. Ricker and sophomore quarterback Brad Smith on offense, and senior cornerback Terrence Curry and junior linebacker James Kinney on defense.
"This is a tremendous honor because it is voted on by the team, and to be selected a captain means you have the respect and admiration of your teammates," said Pinkel, who will complete his third spring practice session with Saturday's Black and Gold Game (2 p.m. at Faurot Field).
Ricker is entering his fourth year as a starter for the Tigers, and is a pre-season all-American candidate. A second-team All-Big 12 selection last year, Ricker has started every game of his Tiger career, and with 34 consecutive starts entering this season, he needs nine more to break the current Mizzou record of 42 co-held by former Tiger greats Rob Riti (1996-99) and Mike Bedosky (1990-93). Ricker was a captain for the 2002 season, as well.
Smith burst onto the national scene last year as a redshirt freshman, when he led the Tigers to one of the best offensive seasons in school history. Smith made history by becoming only the second player in NCAA Division I-A history to throw for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a season. His total offense output of 3,362 yards smashed the previous MU record of 2,545, and Smith earned first-team freshman All-American honors, in addition to numerous Big 12 freshman and newcomer of the year awards.
Curry is a senior cornerback who has missed the last two seasons due to a serious knee injury, after playing in 22 games during the 1999 and 2000 seasons. The St. Louis, Mo. native has worked his way back into the lineup, and is expected to challenge for a starting position this fall.
Kinney is a junior linebacker who earned first team All-Big 12 honors last season after he ranked 9th in the NCAA with 148 tackles. The top returning tackler in the Big 12 Conference from a year ago, Kinney was MU's top playmaker last season, as he recorded 11 tackles for loss and six quarterback sacks. He led the team with three recovered fumbles, and scored two defensive touchdowns - one on a fumble return and one on an interception return.
