Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Represented in Senior Classics
January 08, 2001 | Football
Jan. 8, 2001
LUBBOCK, Texas - Collegiate careers for four Red Raiders will come to a close in the next two weeks in senior bowl games played in Florida and Hawaii. Two players will represent Texas Tech in the Gridiron Classic, while two will play at the Hula Bowl in Hawaii.
Receiver Derek Dorris and linebacker John Norman will compete for Team USA and head coach Buddy Ryan against Team Florida in the Gridiron Classic at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Fla., Sat., Jan. 13. Kickoff is set for Noon on ESPN2.
Defensive tackle Kris Kocurek and placekicker Chris Birkholz will lineup for the South in the 2001 Hula Bowl in Honolulu. The Hula Bowl will kickoff at 7 p.m. on Sat., Jan. 20. ESPN will carry the live broadcast. Florida State's Bobby Bowden will coach the South team.
Dorris finished the season second on the team with 56 catches for 574 yards, both personal single-season bests. He also set a school record with four touchdown receptions at Kansas midway through the season. Norman helped Texas Tech's defense secure top ten status much of the season. He posted a career-high 106 tackles and picked three interceptions for the Red Raiders in 2000.
Kocurek posted 81 tackles while anchoring Texas Tech's defensive line. He finished the season with three sacks and six tackles for loss. Chris Birkholz led the Red Raiders in scoring for the second-straight season with 71 points. He nailed 35-of-36 extra point attempts on the season and missed the only extra point attempt of his career against Oklahoma State.
