Billy Yates Named Aggie Heart Award Winner at 2002 Texas A&M Football Banquet
Dec 14, 2002 | Football
December 14, 2002
Billy Yates, a senior offensive lineman from Corsicana High School, was named the Aggie Heart Award winner, the highest honor for a Texas A&M senior football player. The award was presented by former Texas A&M Head Coach R.C. Slocum at the annual Texas A&M football banquet held Saturday evening in The Zone Club at Kyle Field to honor the 2002 Aggie senior class.
The Heart Award is presented to a senior who has completed his eligibility and the criteria includes intangibles such as effort, desire, determination, competitiveness, leadership and courage. All of awards, including the Heart Award, are voted upon by the players of the football team.
"Billy Yates is an excellent example of the type of young man you want in your football program," Slocum said. "I have never had any problems with Billy, on the field or off. He took care of his business in the classroom and on the field. He was a team leader and someone you could always count on. "
Despite missing the first two games of his senior season with an injury, Yates was a solid performer up front for the Aggies. The Corsicana High School product started a total of 24 games in his career on the offensive line. His teammates thought so much of Yates, they also voted him the offensive team captain.
The offensive MVP is technically a walkon, senior tight end Greg Porter. The Keller High School product led the Aggies with 48 receptions. Porter played professional baseball in the World Series Champion Anaheim Angels' organization this past spring and summer before returning for his senior season in football. Porter earned All-Big 12 honors and ranked among the nation's top tight ends and ended up second on the list of season tight end reception leaders in Aggie history. Rod Bernstine holds the record with 65 catches for a tight end.
The offensive most valuable lineman was senior guard Taylor Whitley from Sudan High School. Whitley was the iron man among the offensive unit leading the way with 36 career starts on the offensive front. Whitley also was named the Senior Academic Achievement Award winner. He earned All-Big 12 mention and along with fellow senior guard Billy Yates provided strength up the middle for the Aggie offense.
The defensive MVP is another senior, safety Terrence Kiel from Lufkin High School. Kiel led the Aggie Wrecking Crew with 95 tackles on the season including 5.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses of 28 yards. He recorded 1.5 sacks for losses of 17 yards and picked off three passes and broke up six others, as well as causing one fumble. Noted for his hard-hitting skills, Kiel was rated the #3 assassin in the country by ESPN's Kirk Herbstreit.
The defensive captain was none other than senior inside linebacker Brian Gamble from Alto High School. Gamble was a high school quarterback who stepped into the Aggie lineup as a redshirt freshman and never left. He made 47 career starts and called signals every season for the Wrecking Crew. This past year, he was second on the squad with 86 stops and always had a knack for getting the football with three fumble recoveries and picking off one pass. He caused two fumbles as well as breaking up seven passes.
The defensive most valuable lineman was senior Ty Warren from Bryan High School. Warren missed two games his senior season and was limited in several others due to injuries. He bounced back to start his final senior game and gave a gutty performance. Despite missing some action, Warren was named a second-team All-Big 12 member. He ended his senior campaign with 52 tackles and recorded 12.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, including 4.5 sacks for losses of 21 yards. He recorded six quarterback hurries and blocked two field goals during the season.
For the second consecutive year, the special teams MVP and captain was junior punter and kickoff specialist, Cody Scates from Lee High School in Tyler, Texas. Scates averaged 43.7 yards per punt this season and killed 22 punts inside the 20-yard line. His season average was the fourth best in Aggie history behind two seasons by All-Pro Shane Lechler and one by David Davis.
The 12th Man MVP was Anthony Squillante, a sophomore from Southlake Carroll High School. Squillante recorded four tackles during the season going down and covering kicks as the 12th Man and he participated on several other special teams units as well. Squillante also blocked a punt this season.
The 12th Man captain for the 2002 season was sophomore Blake Kendrick from Willis High School. Kendrick was also a fixture on several special teams units and ended the season with six tackles.
The defensive most valuable scout team member was walkon Wade Lightsey, a 6-0, 232-pound true freshman linebacker from Converse Judson High School near San Antonio. Lightsey worked hard to improve each week and gave the offensive coaches a good look on the defensive scout team.
The offensive most valuable scout team member was another true freshman, a 6-2, 187-pound quarterback Ty Branyon from Bowie High School in Austin, Texas. Branyon gave the Wrecking Crew excellent looks at what the defensive unit would see on Saturdays.
The annual banquet honors the seniors of the football team. The senior class of 2002 will look back on their careers with a great deal of pride. The overall record for the past five years was 40-22, a winning percentage of .645 including a Big 12 South and overall Big 12 Championship in 1998. They've had the opportunity to play in four consecutive bowl games.
This group put the finishing touches on the most successful decade of any football team in the state of Texas. The Texas A&M football program won 94 games in the 1990s, more than any other team from the state of Texas, from any decade. These seniors are to be thanked for closing out that decade in style, and beginning a new decade with two consecutive bowl trips.
This senior class upheld the Kyle Field winning tradition with a 24-7 home record which is a .774 winning percentage. The group defeated seven ranked teams at Kyle Field including the #2-ranked team in the country, the Nebraska Cornhuskers in 1998. For the first time in school history, an Aggie football team knocked off the Associated Press #1-ranked team, the Oklahoma Sooners this past fall.
The 15-member senior class has the unique honor of every senior starting at least one game, including senior deep snapper Chance Pearce from Brownwood High School who started 46 straight games. Eleven of the 15 members have started at least 10 games in their career led by Gamble's 47 career starts. Nine of the 15 members are fifth-year seniors.
Combined overall record of 40-22 (.645)
- 1998: 11-3, Sugar Bowl/Big 12 South & Big 12 Overall Champs
- 1999: 8-4, Alamo Bowl
- 2000: 7-5, Independence Bowl
- 2001: 8-4, Galleryfurniture.com Bowl
- 2002: 6-6
HONOREES:
Heart Award: Billy Yates, Sr., Corsicana, TX
Senior Academic Achievement Award: Taylor Whitley, Sr., Sudan, TX
Offensive MVP: Greg Porter, Sr., Keller, TX
Offensive Most Valuable Lineman: Taylor Whitley, Sr., Sudan, TX
Offensive Captain: Billy Yates, Sr., Corsicana, TX
Defensive MVP: Terrence Kiel, Sr., Lufkin, TX
Defensive Most Valuable Lineman: Ty Warren, Sr., Bryan, TX
Defensive Captain: Brian Gamble, Sr., Alto, TX
Special Teams MVP: Cody Scates, Jr., Tyler, TX
Special Teams Captain: Cody Scates, Jr., Tyler, TX
12th Man MVP: Anthony Squillante, So., Southlake, TX
12th Man Captain: Blake Kendrick, So., Willis, TX
Offensive Scout Team MVP: Ty Branyon, Fr., Austin, TX
Defensive Scout Team MVP: Wade Lightsey, Fr., San Antonio, TX
