Temple Lands Two Players On All-Big East Conference Team

PHILADELPHIA (November 29) -- Senior linebacker LeVar Talley and junior defensive

tackle Russell Newman were named to the All-BIG EAST Conference team as

announced today by the BIG EAST Conference. Talley and Newman were both

second team selections. The Philadelphia natives anchored a Temple

defense that finished the season ranked 33rd in the country.

Talley, a graduate of Bishop McDevitt High School, is a two-time team

captain. Talley ended his career with 348 tackles, a total that ranks

him 5th all-time at Temple. Talley's 208 unassisted tackles also rank

him 4th all-time in school history. This season he accumulated 135

tackles (66 solo) the eighth-highest single-season total in program

history. It was the second consecutive season he recorded more than 130

tackles; he had 131 tackles in 1999. Talley ranked in the top 10

nationally and either first or second in the BIG EAST Conference in

tackles per game throughout the 2000 season. He had double-digit tackles

in all but two games.

Talley's efforts have also been noticed nationally. He was named to the

2000 Butkus Award Watch List as selected by The Downtown Athletic Club

of Orlando, Inc. (DACO) this past August along with fellow Temple

linebacker Taylor Suman. The Owls were the only BIG EAST team to place

two players on the watchlist. Talley was also selected for the American

Football Coach's Association 2000 Good Works Team. The team honors those

who show exceptional dedication to community service and to the

betterment of the communities in which they live. Talley is one of 11

Division I-A football players across the country selected.

Russell Newman

Newman, a graduate of Northeast High School, returned to the starting

lineup this season after starting the first two games of 1999. In 11

games this season, he made 47 tackles (32 solo) and ranked among the

conference leaders in four defensive categories. His tackle total was

the eighth highest total of all Conference defensive linemen. Newman

ranked tied for fourth in the Conference in tackles for a loss with 15,

sixth in total sacks with 5.5 and tied for first in fumbles forced with

three.

The Owls finished the season with a 4-7 overall record and 1-6 in BIG

EAST Conference play. Head coach Bobby Wallace, who will be entering his

fourth season with the Owls in 2001, is expected to return all but two

players from this year's squad next year, Talley being one of the two.

Temple University Athletics