Herd Opens Camp With Pair of Sessions
Marshall Ranked 19th In Preseason AP Poll

8/10/2002

The first day of the 2002 training camp for the Marshall Thundering Herd was a good news, bad news kind of day.

The Thundering Herd opened full squad camp without sophomore defensive tackle Josh Cordell, who informed coaches Friday evening that he is giving up football.

“Josh decided to give up football for personal reasons,” Marshall coach Bob Pruett said. “It was not an easy decision for him, and we wish him nothing but the best in whatever he decides to do in the future.”

Cordell, a native of Apple Grove, WV, was to have come into camp as the starter at nose tackle for the Herd. He recorded 58 tackles in 2001 as a redshirt freshman, including 12 for loss.

The defensive news got even worse once practice started when junior defensive end Maurice McKinney (District Heights, MD) went down on the turf at Marshall Stadium with a left knee injury. McKinney will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of the injury.

The good new on Saturday came late in the day when the Associated Press preseason top 25 poll was released. The Thundering Herd, which was 26th in the final AP poll last year, debuted at 19th in the new poll, the highest ever preseason ranking for a Marshall team in one of the major polls.

“All of the preseason accolades we have received and continue to receive are an honor to me, this program and to this University,” Pruett said. “There are some fantastic things happening here and I want to savor it and keep pushing the envelope because I don’t think we have reached our potential yet.”

More positives on the first day of training camp included the performance of senior quarterback and Heisman Trophy Candidate Byron Leftwich (Washington, D.C.). Leftwich looked sharp delivering passes all over the field to his stable of receivers, including senior Demetrius Doss (Virginia Beach, VA) who made several eye-catching receptions during the afternoon session.

The Herd will return to practice Sunday afternoon at 4:30 p.m.

Marshall is slated to open the 2002 season on August 31 at home against Appalachian State. Tickets for that game, and all Marshall games, are available through the Marshall Athletic Ticket Office, which will open Ticket Booth A at Marshall Stadium Monday through Saturday from noon until 7 p.m. until the start of the season.

The AP Top 25