bruce smith (top, with his mother), eugene chung (left) and jim

Bruce Smith (top, with his mother), Eugene Chung(left) and Jim Druckenmiller (above) are Hokies who

were selected in the first round of the NFL draft.

CLASS of 2000Five Hokies were drafted following

Tech’s outstanding 1999 football seasonand a total of 13 players from the

Hokies’ Sugar Bowl squad have beengiven a shot at making an NFL team.

Corey Moore3rd round

Buffalo

John Engelberger2nd round

San Francisco

Ike Charlton2nd round

Seattle

Anthony Midget5th round

Atlanta

Shyrone Stith7th round

Jacksonville

Carl Bradley

Shayne Graham

Michael Hawkes

Ricky Hall

Jimmy Kibble

Keith Short

Jamel Smith

CLASS of 2000

Nathaniel Williams

2000 Virginia Tech Football 279

Ken Brown

Tech Players in the ProsTech Players in the Pros The following former Hokies are

either presently playing or have played inthe National Football League or theUnited States Football League:

(players in bold wereactive as of June 23, 2000)

Antonio Banks ....... Minnesota Vikings

Ken Barefoot ....................... Detroit LionsWashington Redskins

Tom Beasley......... Washington RedskinsPittsburgh Steelers

Andy Bowling ................. Atlanta Falcons

Carl Bradley ... Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Gene Breen ..............Green Bay Packers

Cornell Brown......... Baltimore Ravens

Robert Brown ...........Green Bay Packers

Roger Brown ........ New England PatriotsNew York Giants

Green Bay Packers

Ken Brown..................... Denver Broncos

Phil Bryant ............... Philadelphia EaglesBuffalo Bills

Kansas City Chiefs

John Burke ............... Oakland RaidersSan Diego Chargers

New York JetsNew England Patriots

Keion Carpenter ............... Buffalo Bills

Al Chamblee ..... Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Ike Charlton .............Seattle Seahawks

Eugene Chung ..... Philadelphia EaglesKansas City Chiefs

Indianapolis ColtsGreen Bay Packers

San Francisco 49ersJacksonville Jaguars

New England Patriots

ANTONIO BANKS

Minnesota Vikings

CORNELL BROWN

Baltimore Ravens

EUGENE CHUNG

Philadelphia Eagles

KEION CARPENTER

Buffalo BillsRobert Brown

Ken Barefoot Gene Breen

John Burke

280 2000 Virginia Tech Football

GENNARO DiNAPOLI

Oakland Raiders

Billy Conaty ...................... Buffalo Bills

Ray Crittenden ....... San Diego ChargersNew England Patriots

Carroll Dale ................ Minnesota Vikings Green Bay Packers

Los Angeles Rams

Gennaro DiNapoli ..... Oakland Raiders

Tyronne Drakeford .... Washington RedskinsNew Orleans SaintsSan Francisco 49ers

Jim Druckenmiller ...... Miami DolphinsSan Francisco 49ers

Bill Ellenbogen ............. New York Giants

John Engelberger ... San Francisco 49ers

Mike Faulkner ................... New York Jets

Mickey Fitzgerald ......... New York GiantsAtlanta Falcons

BILL CONATY

Buffalo Bills

JIM DRUCKENMILLER

Miami Dolphins

TYRONNE DRAKEFORD

Washington Redskins

Ray Crittenden

Bill Ellenbogen

Mickey Fitzgerald

Carroll Dale


Antonio Freeman... Green Bay Packers

Will Furrer ............... Jacksonville JaguarsSt. Louis Rams, Denver Broncos

Phoenix Cardinals, Chicago Bears

Shayne Graham ... New Orleans Saints

John Granby ................. Denver Broncos

Torrian Gray ........... Minnesota Vikings

Jay Hagood ...................... New York Jets

Ricky Hall ............ San Francisco 49ers

Billy Hardee .................... Baltimore StarsAtlanta FalconsNew York Jets

Waddey Harvey .................... Buffalo Bills

Michael Hawkes ..... Carolina Panthers

Vaughn Hebron ............. Denver BroncosPhiladelphia Eagles

Eddie Hunter .................... New York Jets

Waverly Jackson .... Indianapolis ColtsCarolina Panthers

TORRIAN GRAY

Minnesota Vikings

ANTONIO FREEMAN

WILL FURRER

Jacksonville Jaguars

Green Bay Packers

WAVERLY JACKSON

Indianapolis Colts

Bryan Jennings ...... San Diego ChargersNew England Patriots

Tennessee Oilers

Mike Johnson ...................... Detroit LionsCleveland Browns

Baltimore Stars

Steve Johnson .............. Dallas CowboysNew England Patriots

John Granby

Jay Hagood

Billy Hardee

Waddey Harvey

Mike Johnson


KEN OXENDINE

PIERSON PRIOLEAU

San Fransisco 49ers

Atlanta Falcons

Jock Jones .............. Philadelphia EaglesPhoenix CardinalsCleveland Browns

Joe Jones ................... Indianapolis Colts

Victor Jones ........................Detroit LionsTampa Bay Buccaneers

Jimmy Kibble .... New England Patriots

Kenny Lewis ..................... New York Jets

Doug McDougald ...New England Patriots

Anthony Midget ........... Atlanta Falcons

Corey Moore ...................... Buffalo Bills

Buzz Nutter .................... Baltimore ColtsPittsburgh Steelers

Don Oakes ........... Boston (N.E.) Patriots

Ken Oxendine ............. Atlanta Falcons

Tony Paige ..................... Miami DolphinsDetroit Lions

New York Jets

Jesse Penn ................... Dallas Cowboys

George Preas ................. Baltimore Colts

Pierson Prioleau ... San Francisco 49ers

Jim Pyne ................. Cleveland BrownsDetroit Lions

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Rick Razzano ............ Cincinnati Bengals

Bill Renner ................Green Bay Packers

Jimmy Richards................ New York Jets

George Roberts ............. Atlanta FalconsSan Diego Chargers

Miami Dolphins

Damien Russell ...... San Francisco 49ers

Doug McDougald

George Preas

Tony Paige

George Roberts

Ricky Scales .................... Houston Oilers

Shawn Scales .......... Pittsburgh SteelersSan Francisco 49ers

JIM PYNE

Cleveland Browns

SHAWN SCALES

Pittsburgh Steelers

Victor Jones


Following is a list of former Virginia Tech

players who were drafted by or went to

camp with NFL teams:

Marcus Parker • Cincinnati Bengals

Michael Stuewe • Detroit Lions

Brian Edmonds • Seattle Seahawks

Myron Newsome • Carolina Panthers

J.C. Price • Carolina Panthers

Cornelius White • Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Jim Baron • Detroit Lions

Mike Bianchin • New York Jets

Jermaine Holmes • Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Atle Larsen • Phoenix Cardinals

Dwayne Thomas • Tampa Bay Buccaneers

William Yarborough • Miami Dolphins

Hank Coleman • Philadelphia Eagles

George DelRicco • Cincinnati Bengals

Robbie Colley • San Francisco 49ers

DeWayne Knight • Philadelphia Eagles

Steve Sanders • Chicago Bears

Bernard Basham • New England Patriots

Chris Barry • Philadelphia Eagles

P.J. Preston • San Francisco 49ers

Bo Campbell • Miami Dolphins

Tony Kennedy • Dallas Cowboys

Jerome Preston • N.Y. Giants

William Boatwright • Philadelphia Eagles

Greg Daniels • Philadelphia Eagles

Marcus Mickel • Chicago Bears

Michael Sturdivant • Seattle Seahawks

Nick Cullen • Philadelphia Eagles

Sean Lucas • Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Randy Cockrell • Miami Dolphins

Skip Pavlik • Pittsburgh Steelers

Carter Wiley • Atlanta Falcons

Earnie Jones • Pittsburgh Steelers

Curtis Taliaferro • Atlanta FalconsDonald Wayne Snell • Seattle SeahawksMaurice Williams • Tampa Bay BuccaneersAllan Thomas • New England PatriotsAshley Lee • Atlanta FalconsBilly Leeson • Dallas CowboysVincent Johnson • Dallas CowboysNigel Bowe • Dallas CowboysLeon Gordon • New York GiantsTom Hartman • Washington RedskinsDerek Carter • Philadelphia EaglesJake Clarke • Dallas CowboysJames Patterson • Washington RedskinsAlonzo Smith • Denver BroncosTony McKee • Dallas CowboysBilly Hite • Dallas CowboysPadro Phillips • Seattle SeahawksCyrus Lawrence • Seattle SeahawksWally Browne • Washington RedskinsRob Purdham • Kansas City ChiefsMike Scharnus • Chicago BearsMike Kovac • Dallas CowboysLarry Fallen • New Orleans SaintsJames Johnson • L.A. RamsHenry Bradley • Atlanta FalconsRoscoe Coles • Pittsburgh SteelersPaul Adams • New England PatriotsPhil Rogers • St. Louis CardinalsMike Burnop • Buffalo BillsJerry Green • Buffalo BillsKenny Edwards • Buffalo BillsTerry Smoot • Pittsburgh SteelersFrank Loria • Denver BroncosTommy Francisco • Denver BroncosDonnie Bruce • Oakland RaidersBilly Edwards • Dallas CowboysSonny Utz • Dallas CowboysMike Zeno • Boston Patriots

TODD WASHINGTON

Tampa Bay Bucaneers

T.J. WASHINGTON

St. Louis Rams

BRUCE SMITH

Washington Redskins

Bob Schweickert .............. New York Jets

Mike Shaw................. Pittsburgh Maulers

Keith Short .....................New York Jets

Dave Smigelsky ... Washington RedskinsAtlanta Falcons

Bruce Smith ..... Washington RedskinsBuffalo Bills

Derek Smith ..... Washington Redskins

Gary Smith ................ Cincinnati BengalsBaltimore Colts

Jamel Smith ...... New England Patriots

Bryan Still .....................Chicago BearsSan Diego Chargers

Shyrone Stith ..... Jacksonville Jaguars

Don Strock ................. Cleveland BrownsMiami Dophins

Mark Udinski ............. Pittsburgh Maulers

Dwight Vick ................ Baltimore Ravens

T.J. Washington ........... St. Louis RamsPittsburgh Steelers

Tennessee OilersDallas Cowboys

Todd Washington ... Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Nathaniel Williams ............ Buffalo Bills

Mike Shaw Don Strock

BryanStill


Former Hokies in theSuper Bowl & Pro Bowl

Tech Players in the Super BowlName Pos. Team Super Bowl Champion

Carroll Dale WR Green Bay I YesGreen Bay II YesMinnesota VIII No

Tyronne Drakeford CB San Francisco XXIX YesAntonio Freeman WR Green Bay XXXI Yes

Green Bay XXXII NoVaughn Hebron RB Denver XXXII Yes

Denver XXXIII YesTom Beasley DT Pittsburgh XIII Yes

Pittsburgh XIV YesRoger Brown CB New York Giants XXV YesJohn Burke TE New England XXXI NoKen Oxendine RB Atlanta XXXIII NoRick Razzano LB Cincinnati XVI NoJim Richards S New York Jets III YesBruce Smith DE Buffalo XXV No

Buffalo XXVI NoBuffalo XXVII NoBuffalo XXVIII No

Don Strock QB Miami XVII NoMiami XIX No

Tech Players in the Pro BowlName Pos. Team Year

Carroll Dale WR Green Bay 1969Green Bay 1970Green Bay 1971

Antonio Freeman WR Green Bay 1999Mike Johnson LB Cleveland 1991Buzz Nutter C Pittsburgh 1963Don Oakes T Boston 1968Bruce Smith DE Buffalo 1988

Buffalo 1989Buffalo 1990Buffalo 1991Buffalo 1993Buffalo 1994Buffalo 1995Buffalo 1996Buffalo 1997Buffalo 1998Buffalo 1999

Former Hokies in theSuper Bowl & Pro Bowl

Jimmy Richards

Vaughn Hebron played on two SuperBowl championship teams with theDenver Broncos, in 1998 and 1999.

Tom Beasley

Roger Brown

Rick Razzano Madison “Buzz” Nutter

DonOakes


Hokies in the NFL DraftHokies in the NFL DraftYear Player Pos. Rnd. Pick Overall Team1937 Herman “Foots” Dickerson B 7th Chicago Cardinals1944 John Maskas T 12th Boston *1948 Frank Ballard G 15th 95 Buffalo (AAFC)1951 Sterling Wingo B 28th L.A. Rams1953 Madison “Buzz” Nutter C 12th Washington1954 Tom Hughes T 25th Cleveland1955 George Preas G 5th Baltimore1955 Johnny Dean B 7th San Francisco1955 Howie Wright B 21st Chicago Cardinals1955 Jim Locke T 27th Baltimore1955 Tom Petty E 30th Washington1957 Bobby Wolfenden B 13th L.A. Rams1957 Hilmer Olson C 16th Detroit1957 Tom Datzell T 22nd Chicago Bears1958 Russ Moon T 24th Chicago Bears1959 Jim Burks T 26th Philadelphia1960 Carroll Dale E 8th L.A. Rams #1961 Don Oakes T 3rd Philadelphia &1961 Mike Zeno G 16th L.A. Rams @1961 Bernie Vishneski T 16th N.Y. Giants1963 Gene Breen T 15th Green Bay ^1964 Jake Adams E 13th St. Louis $1965 Bob Schweickert B 3rd San Francisco †1965 Sonny Utz FB 6th Dallas !1967 Andy Bowling LB 4th 105 St. Louis1967 Tommmy Francisco HB 14th 347 Denver1967 Donnie Bruce G 16th 409 Oakland1968 Ken Barefoot TE 5th 113 Washington1968 Jim Richards DB 8th 210 N.Y. Jets1969 Jim “Waddey” Harvey T 8th 183 Buffalo1969 Rick Piland G 13th 335 Kansas City1970 Ken Edwards RB 6th 134 Buffalo1971 Jack Simcsak P 17th 425 Denver

Year Player Pos. Rnd. Pick Overall Team1973 Don Strock QB 5th 111 Miami1975 Ricky Scales WR 13th 327 Houston1975 Ken Lambert DB 16th 402 Houston1976 Phil Rogers RB 7th 21 203 St. Louis1977 Tom Beasley DT 3rd 4 60 Pittsburgh1980 Doug McDougald DE 5th 14 124 New England1980 Kenny Lewis RB 5th 15 125 Oakland1982 Robert Brown LB 4th 15 98 Green Bay1984 Mike Johnson LB 1st supplemental Cleveland1984 Tony Paige FB 6th 9 149 N.Y. Jets1985 Bruce Smith DE 1st 1 1 Buffalo1985 Jesse Penn LB 2nd 16 44 Dallas1985 Ashley Lee DB 8th 5 201 Atlanta1985 Joe Jones TE 10th 18 270 Dallas1985 Al Young DB 11th 19 299 N.Y. Giants ††1987 Eddie Hunter RB 8th 1 196 N.Y. Jets1987 Curtis Taliaferro LB 8th 13 208 Atlanta1988 Steve Johnson TE 6th 17 154 New England1988 Carter Wiley DB 12th 1 306 Atlanta1988 Victor Jones LB 12th 5 310 Tampa Bay1990 Jock Jones LB 8th 19 212 Cleveland1990 Roger Brown DB 8th 22 215 Green Bay1991 Al Chamblee LB 12th 8 314 Tampa Bay1992 Eugene Chung OT 1st 13 13 New England1992 Will Furrer QB 4th 23 107 Chicago1992 Damien Russell DB 6th 11 151 San Francisco1992 William Boatwright G 7th 19 187 Philadelphia1992 John Granby DB 12th 26 334 Denver1994 Tyronne Drakeford CB 2nd 33 62 San Francisco1994 John Burke TE 4th 18 121 New England1994 Jim Pyne C 7th 6 200 Tampa Bay1995 Antonio Freeman WR 3rd 26 90 Green Bay1995 Ken Brown LB 4th 26 124 Denver1996 Bryan Still WR 2nd 11 41 San Diego1996 J.C. Price DT 3rd 27 88 Carolina1997 Jim Druckenmiller RB 1st 26 26 San Francisco1997 Torrian Gray S 2nd 19 49 Minnesota1997 Antonio Banks CB 4th 17 113 Minnesota1997 Cornell Brown DE 6th 31 194 Baltimore1998 Todd Washington C 4th 12 104 Tampa Bay1998 Gennaro DiNapoli G 4th 17 109 Oakland1998 Ken Oxendine FB 7th 12 201 Atlanta1998 Marcus Parker RB 7th 13 202 Cincinnati1999 Pierson Prioleau S 4th 15 110 San Francisco1999 Derek Smith OT 5th 32 165 Washington2000 John Engelberger DT 2nd 4 35 San Francisco2000 Ike Charlton CB 2nd 21 52 Seattle2000 Corey Moore LB 3rd 27 89 Buffalo2000 Anthony Midget CB 5th 5 134 Atlanta2000 Shyrone Stith RB 7 37 243 Jacksonville

* — Maskas was also drafted by the Buffalo franchise of the All-America FootballConference (AAFC) in the 10th round with the 74th overall pick in 1947.

# — Dale was also drafted by the Minneapolis franchise of the AFL in 1960.& — Oakes was also drafted by the Boston franchise of the AFL in the 21st round

of the 1961 draft.@ — Zeno was also drafted by the Boston franchise of the AFL in the fourth round

of the 1961 draft.^ — Breen was also drafted by the San Diego franchise of the AFL in the 16th

round of the 1963 draft.$ — Adams was also drafted by the Kansas City franchise of the AFL in the 12th

round of the 1964 draft.† — Schweickert was also drafted by the New York Jets of the AFL in the fourth

round of the 1965 draft.! — Utz was also drafted by the New York Jets of the AFL in the 13th round of the

1965 draft.†† — Young only played basketball at Virginia Tech.Steve Johnson

Herman “Foots”Dickerson

Jesse Penn

Damien Russell


Bruce SmithPro Bowl Starter 78

Washington Redskins

Defensive endHeight: 6-4Weight: 273Born: 6/18/63

Widely regarded as one of the game's most dominating defensive players ever, Smith is one of a very select few who canchange the complexion of a game by himself. The Norfolk, Va., native has been selected to the Pro Bowl 11 times and wasthe game's MVP in 1987. With the Buffalo Bills, he led the AFC in sacks two of the past four seasons with 13.5 sacks in '96and 14 in '97. Smith was one sack shy of the AFC leader in 1989, '90 and '93 and just 1/2 sack shy in '86, '87 and '88. He isthe Bills' all-time sack leader (171.0) and trails only Reggie White (192.5) for the NFL's all-time lead in that category. Thisseason, he will make his home in the nation’s capital as a new member of the Washington Redskins.

Statistics Games Starts Tackles Solo Ast. Sacks Fum. Rec. TD

Career Totals 217 213 1,174 859 315 171.0 14 1Playoff Totals 20 20 71 60 11 12.0 0 0

Career Highlights* Named a starter on the 1999 AFC Pro Bowl squad, the 11th time

he's been selected to the squad. He trails only Reggie White(13) and Jerry Rice (12) in selections.

* Earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for the eighthtime in his career following a six-tackle, six-QB pressure,one-sack and one-forced fumble performance against SanFrancisco in 1998.

* Earned first-team All-Pro honors from AP, Sports Illustrated, andCollege and Pro Football Weekly; All-NFL selections by Pro

Football Weekly and Football Digest; All-Pro selection byUSA Today, The Sporting News; and All-AFC honors fromFootball News in 1997.

* Named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year by AP, UPI, Pro

Football Weekly, Football Digest and College & Pro Football

Newsweekly in 1996.* Won the Mackey Award as the defensive lineman of the year by

the NFLPA for the third consecutive season in 1996.* Led the AFC with 13.5 sacks in 1996.* Was named to the PFWA's All-Interview Team for Best Stand-Up

Quote-First Team in 1994.* Won the George Halas Trophy as the Newspaper

Enterprise Association's Defensive Player of the Yearin 1993.

* Named Defensive Player of the Year by Pro Football Weekly

in 1993.* Was named Defensive Player of the Year by AP, UPI,

Football News, Pro Football Weekly, 101 Club in1990.

* Had a fantastic season that included being selected to thefollowing post-season honors: Pro Bowl; first team units onAP All-Pro, PFWA All-Pro, UPI All-AFC, The Sporting News

All-Pro, College and Pro Football Weekly All-Pro, Pro

Football Weekly All- Pro, Pro Football Weekly All-AFC,Sports Illustrated All-Pro, Football News All-AFC and World

Almanac All-Pro teams; UPI AFC Co-Defensive Player-of-the-Year in 1988.

* Had an outstanding season which ended with a trip to the ProBowl where he won the Dan McGuire Award as the gameMVP in 1987.

* Was voted the AFC Defensive Rookie-of-the-Year in ballotingdone by the NFLPA in 1985.

Bruce Smith

Photo by Tom Wolf


Antonio Freeman 86Pro Bowl Starter

Green Bay Packers

Wide receiverHeight: 6-1Weight: 198Born: 5/27/72

One of the National Football League's superstars at the wide receiver position, sixth-year pro Antonio Freeman hasmade a name for himself with the Green Bay Packers. He had a career-season in 1998 with an NFL-leading 1,424 yards on84 receptions. Freeman was selected as a starter on the NFC's 1999 Pro Bowl squad. A tremendous runner after the catchwho sees the field well, Freeman brings an element of style and showmanship to his performance. From his flanker spot, hehas led Green Bay in receptions and receiving yards each of the last four years, including one of the top seasons in clubhistory in 1998. In 1997, he had 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns on 81 receptions. Freeman had 1,074 receiving yards ayear ago, allowing him to join James Lofton (5) and Sterling Sharpe (5) as the only players in club history to have as manyas three such years. He also joined Lofton (7) and Sharpe (7) as the only players in club annals to have at least fourseasons of 50-or-more receptions.

Antonio Freeman

Photo by Harmann Studios

Pro Career Receiving StatisticsYear Games Starts Rec. Yds. Avg. Long TD

1999 16 16 74 1074 14.5 51 61998 15 15 84 1424 17.0 84t 141997 16 16 81 1243 15.3 58t 121996 12 12 56 933 16.7 51t 91995 11 0 8 106 13.3 28 1Totals 70 59 303 4780 15.8 84t 42

Playoff Totals 11 9 38 675 17.8 81t 9

Career Highlights* Led the team in receiving yards in 1999 with

1,074 and was tied for the team lead inreceptions with 74.

* Named a starter on the NFC's 1999 ProBowl squad.

* Topped a stellar 1997 season with a better'98 season, catching 84 passes for1,424 yards and 14 TDs.

* Led the NFL in reception yards with 1,424and finished second in receptions with84.

* In 1997, led Green Bay in receiving duringthe regular season for the secondstraight year, posting then career-highnumbers in receptions (81), receivingyards (1,243) and touchdownreceptions (12).

* Joined Sterling Sharpe and Robert Brooksas the only players in team history tocatch 80-or-more passes in one seasonas he registered the sixth-highest,one-season reception total in clubrecord books.

* Earned NFC Offensive Player ofthe Month honors forDecember of 1996.

* His 81-yard touchdown receptionin Super Bowl XXXI is thelongest in Super Bowl history.

* Set a rookie record with 37 puntreturns for 292 yards.


Jim Pyne

Former Hokie Jim Pyne will always beremembered for being the first unanimous All-American in Virginia Tech football history. Hewill also be remembered for two other things —generously donating money back to the athleticdepartment and being the first player selectedin the 1998 expansion draft.

A native of Milford, Mass., Pyne capped a greatTech football career at the center position by makingevery major All-America team in the nation in 1993. Hewas selected on the first team by The AssociatedPress, Walter Camp, United Press International, The

Jim PyneOne of the Hokies’All-Time Greats

Football Writers of America and The FootballCoaches’ Association.

Still an active member of the Virginia Tech family,Pyne donated a $100,000 gift earmarked for athleticconstruction in 1998. Pyne asked that the gift beadded to the fund for the Merryman Center, Tech’ssparkling all-purpose facility.

“Everything about the experience at Virginia Techwas very special to me,” Pyne said. “This is my wayof saying ‘thanks,’ for the football coaching and theeducation.”

Pyne’s gift was applied to the fund that was raisedfor the memorabilia area in the new facility, which isbeing constructed this season. To show appreciationfor the gift, Tech now has a position meeting room inthe Merryman Center named for the former Hokiegreat. The Pyne Room is designated for the Hokies’offensive linemen.

When the National Football League returned toCleveland last year in the form of the Browns, theorganization made former Virginia Tech standout JimPyne their chosen one. The 6-foot-2, 297-poundPyne was plucked off the board in a hurry by theBrowns’ new regime. Introduced as the first overallpick in the expansion draft, Pyne stepped out ontothe stage to a standing ovation supplied by the4,000-plus rabid fans that had been lucky enough toacquire one of the draft’s tickets.

“I never expected a standing ovation,” laughedPyne, a six-year veteran. “Cleveland is a great place.It’s a great opportunity for me.”

Now entering his seventh season as a pro, Pynehas played for Tampa Bay, Detroit and now theBrowns. He has started 70 games over that span andhas played in 74 games. Last season, Pyne startedall 16 games for Cleveland in its inaugural season.

Jim Pyne on the day the Cleveland Browns made him thefirst selection overall in the NFL’s expansion draft.

Jim Pyne talks with members of the media while visiting a Techpractice in New Orleans before the 2000 Nokia Sugar Bowl.

bruce smith (top, with his mother), eugene chung (left) and jim

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