For the first time in league history, a school has swept the league’s Freshman of the Year and Newcomer of the Year honors. QB Joel Sambursky becomes the first Saluki to win the four-year-old Gateway Freshman of the Year honor, while teammate RB Muhammad Abdulqaadir ran away with the league’s Newcomer of the Year honor. Western Illinois had the most honorees of any Gateway school as the Leathernecks had seven (1/4 of the entire team) on the first-team unit.

The Saluki duo head a list of 28 student-athletes named to the 2002 Gateway All-Newcomer Team. Gateway coaches, sports information directors and a media panel selected the team. The top 11 vote-getters (plus ties) on offense and defense were named to the team. Sambursky started all 12 games for the Salukis, completing 55 percent of his passes, with 10 TD passes, four TD runs, and five interceptions. Abdulqaadir missed four games due to injury, but had 1,331 yards and was a four-time national player of the week winner. He set SIU single-season record for points (128), rushing TDs (20) and total TDs (21).

OFFENSE
RB - Mo Abdulqaadir, Southern Illinois, Jr.
WR - Courtney Abbott, Southern Illinois, Jr.
OL - Stafford Davis, Illinois State, Fr.
RB - Travis Glasford, Western Illinois, Fr.
WR - Reggie Gray, Western Illinois, Fr.
WR - Terrence Hall, Western Illinois, Jr.
RB - Jeremi Johnson, Western Kentucky, Sr.
TE - R.J. Luke, Western Illinois, Sr.
QB - Aaron Marshall, Youngstown State, Fr.
WR - Casey Rooney, Western Kentucky, Jr.
QB - Joel Sambursky, Southern Illinois, Fr.
OG - Will Sanders, Youngstown State, Jr.
WR - Dwayne Smith, Illinois State, Jr.
QB - Michael Souza, Illinois State, Jr.

DEFENSE
DB - Brandon Allen, Illinois State, Fr.
DB - Victor Campbell, Western Illinois, Jr.
LB - Brandon Chambers, SMS, Jr.
LB - Jonathan Harrell, UNI, Jr.
CB - Sherod Holmes, Youngstown State, Jr.
LB - T.J. Jackson, Illinois State, Sr.
DL - Jon Kowalyshen, Western Illinois, Jr.
P - Troy Maskel, Illinois State, Fr.
DE - Kyle Mitchell, Indiana State, Fr.
SS - Jarvis Phillips, UNI, Jr.
LB - Darryl Robinson, SMS, So.
LB - Benny Sapp, UNI, Jr.
DB - Travis Washington, Western Illinois, Jr.
LB - Royal Whitaker, Southern Illinois, Fr.