April 18, 1999

NEW YORK — A total of seven Notre Dame football players were selected in the 1999 National Football League Draft over the weekend. The seven players are the most Irish players taken in the NFL Draft since 10 Notre Dame selections were made in 1994.

The seven players taken were: offensive tackle Luke Petitgout by the New York Giants in the first round and the 19th pick overall; offensive guard Jerry Wisne by the Chicago Bears in the fifth round; offensive tackle Mike Rosenthal by the New York Giants in the fifth round; wide receiver Malcolm Johnson by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fifth round; punter Hunter Smith by the Indianapolis Colts in the seventh round; tailback Autry Denson by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the seventh round; and linebacker Kory Minor by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round.

Petitgout, a Georgetown, Del., native was the fourth offensive lineman taken in the 1999 draft. He was the first Notre Dame player to be taken in the first round of the draft since defensive lineman Renaldo Wynn was selected by Jacksonville in the first round of the ’97 draft as the 21st pick.

He is the highest picked Notre Dame player in the draft since ’94, when defensive end Bryant Young was taken by San Francisco as the seventh pick and offensive guard Aaron Taylor was taken by Green Bay as the 16th pick.

“I am very happy for Luke and very happy for his family,” said Notre Dame coach Bob Davie, after his team completed practice on Saturday. “You know, two years ago, some people didn’t think Luke could even play football here at Notre Dame and now he is the 19th pick in the NFL Draft. His pick says a lot about the hard work that he put in here at Notre Dame and the work of our assistant coaches.”

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Postseason Bio: #54 Luke Petitgout

OT, 6-6, 300, Senior, Georgetown, DE (Sussex Central)

AS A SENIOR: Notre Dame standout at offensive tackle in ’98 . . . an All-Independents selection by Football News . . . started all 11 games at quick tackle in ’98 . . . also made 45 special team appearances with PAT/field goal unit . . . a major reason why Irish running game returned to top form in ’98 . . . selected to play in Senior Bowl all-star game . . . started each of last 10 games in ’97 at offensive tackle following career-ending back injury suffered by Chris Clevenger . . . played impressively down the stretch in ’97, earning plaudits from Irish coaches despite the fact he was not expected to play such a major role coming into the season . . . started at offensive tackle vs. LSU in ’97 Independence Bowl . . . a sociology major in College of Arts and Letters.

        G-GS      Time1995    3-0       4:501996    7-0      65:431997    12-10   289:051998    11-11   303:01TOTAL   33-21   662:39

Postseason Bio: #71 Jerry Wisne

OG, 6-7, 298, Senior, Tulsa, OK (Jenks)

AS A SENIOR: Notre Dame offensive guard regular for ’98 . . . started in first nine games at quick guard before torn knee ligaments sidelined him . . . right knee injury vs. Navy kept him out of LSU and USC games, but he should be able to return for Gator Bowl . . . injury is similar to those suffered by Benny Guilbeaux vs. MSU and Jarious Jackson vs. LSU . . . selected to play in Senior Bowl all-star game . . . Irish starter at quick guard on Notre Dame offensive line for ’97 . . . started all 12 games in ’97, one of five offensive players to do so . . . made 52 special team appearances . . . ranked fourth in total playing time among all players on offense . . . brother Andrew is sophomore Irish nose guard . . . starter at guard in ’97 Independence Bowl vs. LSU . . . a sociology major in College of Arts and Letters.

        G-GS        Time1995    1-0        4:081996    9-3       97:561997   12-12     330:541998    9-9      249:06TOTAL  31-24     682:04

Postseason Bio: #79 Mike Rosenthal

OT, 6-7, 300, Senior, Granger, IN (Penn)

AS A SENIOR: Walter Camp Foundation first-team All-America pick for 1998 . . . also a second-team selection by Football News . . . an All-Independents selection by Football News . . . Notre Dame regular for ’98 at offensive tackle . . . joins Bobbie Howard and Kory Minor as Irish captains for ’98 season . . . started all 11 games at strong tackle as leader of improved Irish running attack . . . selected to play in Senior Bowl all-star game . . . first-team preseason All-America for ’98 by Football News and Athlon and second-team pick by Bob Griese’s College Football . . . rated one of top three candidates for Outland Trophy award by Lindy’s . . . rated fourth among offensive tackles by Lindy’s and ninth by The Sporting News . . . Irish starter at strong offensive guard for ’97 in all 12 games . . . ’97 Football News honorable mention All-America pick . . . starter at offensive guard in ’97 Independence Bowl vs. LSU . . . missed ’96 Orange Bowl vs. Florida State after spraining an ankle in pre-bowl workouts . . . a psychology major in College of Arts and Letters.

        G-GS      Time1995    10-3      100:141996    7-7       168:471997    12-12     337:321998    11-11     306:11TOTAL   40-33     913:44

Postseason Bio: #6 Malcolm Johnson

SE, 6-5, 215, Senior, Washington, DC (Gonzaga)

AS A SENIOR: Notre Dame starter at split end in ’98 . . . played in all 11 games, starting in all but Michigan Strate and Arizona State games when Irish used double tight end to to start the game . . . finished with nearly three times as many receptions in ’98 as any other Irish receiver (43 to 15) while far and away leading Irish in both receptions and receiving yards . . . scored touchdowns in six straight games in ’98, making him only receiver in Notre Dame history to accomplish that feat (Tim Brown held record with five straight in 1986) . . . ranks seventh on Notre Dame career list for receptions with 110 . . . led Irish with four catches for 65 yards vs. MSU . . . added five more catches vs. Purdue for 56 yards, four of them in second half as Irish put together comeback win . . . tied his career high with seven catches vs. Stanford, good for 113 yards (including season-long 37-yarder), including one reception that came while he was laying on the ground . . . caught seven-yard scoring pass from Jarious Jackson for first Irish points vs. Arizona State . . . top Irish receiver vs. Army with six for 82 . . . also credited with a TD reception vs. Army on fumble recovery in end zone after Bobby Brown made 38-yard grab . . . had 24-yard TD grab for 17-3 Irish lead vs. Baylor . . . had 150 receiving yards vs. Boston College, most by an Irish player since 163 by Derrick Mayes in ’94 vs. Air Force, including season-best 68-yarder plus eight-yarder for TD . . . led Irish with 61 yards on four catches vs. Navy, including 16-yard third-period TD reception . . . grabbed four for 61 vs. LSU, including eight-yard third-period TD pass . . . top Irish receiver vs. USC, with two for 36 . . . Irish leader in receiving yards in 1997 . . . starter at split end for Irish in ’97, opening in 10 games . . . Notre Dame’s leading receiver in ’97 Independence Bowl vs. LSU with five catches for 49 yards . . . made two special team appearances in ’96 Orange Bowl vs. Florida State . . . earned his degree in May ’98 as marketing major in College of Business Administration . . . took graduate business courses during ’98 fall semester.

        G-GS     Time   Rec.    Yds.    Avg.  TD  LG1995    11-0     20:50  0       0      0.0    0   01996    11-10   160:02  25      449   18.0    2   481997    12-10   202:57  42      596   14.2    2   451998    11-9    196:24  43      692   16.1    6   68TOTAL   45-29   580:13  110     1737  15.7    10  68
'98 Game by Game Rec. Yds. TD '98 Game by Gm Rec. Yds. TD*Michigan 1 24 0 *Baylor 2 31 1MSU 4 65 0 *Boston College 6 150 1*Purdue 5 56 0 *Navy 4 61 1*Stanford 7 113 0 *LSU 4 62 1Arizona State 2 12 1 *USC 2 36 0*Army 6 82 1*- games started

Postseason Bio: #17 Hunter Smith

P, 6-2, 218, Senior, Sherman, TX (Sherman)

AS A SENIOR: Irish punter for ’98 as well as handling kickoffs and holding chores and working as number-three quarterback for several weeks . . . an All-Independents selection by Football News . . . his three punts vs. Stanford came from the Cardinal 35, 45 and 44 . . . hit 79-yarder out of end zone vs. Arizona State that ranked as longest for Irish in 63 years and third longest all-time . . . third-team preseason All-America for ’98 by Bob Griese’s College Football Yearbook . . . Notre Dame’s punter throughout ’97 season, ranking 34th in NCAA stats for punting. . . named to ’97 Football News All-Independents team . . . . ranks second on Notre Dame career list with 41.2-yard average . . . only Blair Kiel (259) and Joe Restic (209) have punted more for Irish on career basis . . . averaged 45.0 yards on five kicks in ’97 Independence Bowl vs. LSU . . . averaged 42.4 yards on five punts in ’96 Orange Bowl vs. Florida State . . . a sociology major in College of Arts and Letters.

        G-GS     Time   Punts    Yds.    Avg.    Long1995    11-0     ---     38      1382    36.4    581996    11-0     4:00    44      1906    43.3    651997    12-0     ---     50      2132    42.6    641998    11-0     ---     42      1750    41.7    59TOTAL   45-0             174     7170    41.2    65
'98 Game by Game Punts Yds. Avg.Michigan 2 88 44.0MSU 5 225 45.0Purdue 4 177 44.3Stanford 3 82 27.3Arizona State 5 261 52.2Army 3 108 36.0Baylor 3 151 50.3Boston College 5 188 37.6Navy 4 134 33.5LSU 1 48 48.0USC 7 288 41.1

Postseason Bio: #23 Autry Denson

TB, 5-10, 202, Senior, Lauderhill, FL (Nova)

AS A SENIOR: Notre Dame’s all-time leading groundgainer with 4,318 rushing yards, thanks to his third straight 1,000-yard rushing season in ’98 . . . with his 107-yard effort Nov. 14 vs. Navy, he broke Notre Dame career rushing record held by Allen Pinkett at 4,131 from 1982-85 and recorded third straight 1,000-yard season (1,176 in ’98) . . . rushed for 100 or more yards 22 times in his career, breaking Pinkett’s career record (21) . . . in ’98 finished two rushing scores short of Irish season record of 17 set by Pinkett (’84) and Vagas Ferguson (’79) . . . named Notre Dame National Monogram Club MVP (by vote of teammates) for third straight year, making him the first to accomplish that since Pinkett . . . a ’98 honorable mention All-America pick by Football News . . . also an All-Independents selection by Football News . . . his 251 rushing attempts in ’98 rank as sixth highest single-season total in Irish history . . . his 854 career attempts stand second on career list behind Pinkett’s 889 . . . finished second in career yards per game at 96.0, behind only Pinkett at 96.1 . . . his 43 career rushing touchdowns rank only after Pinkett’s 49 . . . his 47 overall TDs trailed only Pinkett’s 53 . . . finished with 5,327 all-purpose yards (including receptions and all kick returns) to break Pinkett’s career record of 5,259 . . . ranked 19th nationally in rushing in ’98 NCAA statistics at 106.91 yards per game . . . finished tied for 26th nationally in scoring in ’98 at 8.18 points per game . . . a semifinalist for Doak Walker Award, given to top running back in the nation . . . selected to play in Senior Bowl all-star game . . . started all 11 games at tailback for Irish in ’98 . . . started ’98 season with a bang by gaining then-career-high 162 rushing yards in season-opening win over fifth-ranked Michigan, scoring on fourth-period runs of three and one yards . . . ran 58 yards, his longest career gain, on Notre Dame’s first play from scrimmage vs. Michigan . . . named NBC Sports/Chevrolet Notre Dame MVP vs. Michigan . . . led Irish in rushing vs. MSU, with 62 yards on 15 carries, including two-yard, third-period run for first Irish touchdown . . . led Irish with 143 yards on 31 carries vs. Purdue (second most carries in a game in his career), including 106 in first half . . . added touchdown runs of 14 and five yards vs. Boilers while moving past Vagas Ferguson into second on Notre Dame career rushing chart, on his way to being named NBC Sports/Chevrolet Notre Dame MVP . . . added 88 yards on 20 carries vs. Stanford as Irish as a team rushed for 309 yards, including two-yard first-period Denson TD run that made it 14-0 for Irish . . . scored twice vs. Arizona State on second-half one-yard TD runs, while adding 84 yards overall . . . led Irish with 87 rushing yards and first TD vs. Army . . . also returned punts for first time in ’98 vs. Army with Joey Getherall bothered with hamstring . . . gained career-high 189 rushing yards vs. Baylor on 24 carries, including two-yard second-period TD run . . . those 189 yards tied for 11th-highest single-game rushing total in Irish history . . . named NBC Sports/Chevrolet Notre Dame MVP vs. Baylor . . . added 128 yards on 28 carries vs. Boston College, including TD runs of one in first period and two in fourth period . . . led Irish with 107 yards on 25 carries vs. Navy, including TD runs of eight and 18 yards . . . tied Jarious Jackson for team lead in rushing vs. LSU with 80 yards each, including a three-yard third-perod scoring run that cut LSU lead to 21-20 . . . ranked among top 12 top backs nationally in ’98 preseason listings by The Sporting News and among top 14 by Lindy’s . . . rushed 20 times for 101 yards and caught three passes for 32 yards as starting tailback in ’97 Independence Bowl vs. LSU . . . also started at tailback in ’96 Orange Bowl vs. Florida State, carrying 11 times for 67 yards, including 48-yard run on first play from scrimmage . . . enrolled in College of Business Administration, with major in management information systems.

        G-GS   Time     TC     Yds.    Avg.   TD  LG1995    11-3    131:21   137    695     5.1    8   251996    11-9    193:36   202    1179    5.8    8   471997    12-11   233:59   264    1268    4.8    12  501998    11-11   250:36   251    1176    4.7    15  58  TOTAL   45-34   809:32   854    4318    5.0    43  58
Rec. Yds. Avg. TD LG 1995 6 65 10.8 0 151996 11 111 10.1 2 341997 30 175 5.8 1 471998 6 81 13.5 0 33TOTAL 53 432 8.1 3 34 KO Ret. Yds. Avg. TD LR1995 4 39 9.8 0 221996 7 141 20.1 0 281997 5 93 18.6 0 24TOTAL 16 273 17.1 0 28
Pt. Ret. Yds. Avg. TD LR1996 18 196 10.9 1 741997 7 68 9.7 0 131998 4 40 10.0 0 13TOTAL 29 304 10.5 1 74
'98 Game by Game TC Yds. TD Rec. Yds. TD *Michigan 24 162 2 0 0 0 *MSU 15 62 1 2 30 0 *Purdue 31 143 2 1 6 0 *Stanford 20 88 1 0 0 0 *Arizona State 18 84 2 1 4 0*Army 24 87 1 1 33 0*Baylor 24 189 1 0 0 0*Boston College 28 128 2 0 0 0*Navy 25 107 2 0 0 0*LSU 23 80 1 0 0 0*USC 19 46 0 1 8 0 *- games started

Postseason Bio: #4 Kory Minor

OLB, 6-1, 245, Senior, LaVerne, CA (Bishop Amat)

AS A SENIOR: Notre Dame starter at outside linebacker for ’98 in 10 of 11 games . . . led team with 12 quarterback hurries (twice as many as any other player recorded) five sacks and three forced fumbles . . . joined Bobbie Howard and Mike Rosenthal as Irish captains for ’98 . . . preliminary candidate for Butkus Award in ’98 as top linebacker nationally . . . selected to play in Senior Bowl all-star game . . . finished with 21 career tackles for losses, 22 1/2 sacks, nine fumbles caused and five interceptions . . . sat out MSU game after suffering turf toe vs. Michigan, after missing much of preseason contact work with ankle sprain . . . forced a fumble, had a sack and a tackle for loss and six tackles overall vs. Stanford . . . made five tackles and a sack vs. Arizona State . . . made 11 stops vs. Baylor . . . had two sacks, another tackle for loss and forced a fumble vs. LSU to go with 14 overall tackles . . . named ABC Sports/Chevrolet Notre Dame MVP vs. USC, thanks to his six tackles, interception, tackle for loss and pass broken up . . . second-team preseason All-American for ’98 by Football News and third-team by Bob Griese’s College Football . . . rated third among outside linebackers nationally in ’98 preseason evaluations by The Sporting News and fourth by Lindy’s . . . Irish starter at outside linebacker in ’97 in all 12 games and team leader in sacks with three and a half . . . played more minutes than any other defensive player in ’97 . . . ’97 Football News honorable mention All-America . . . started vs. LSU in ’97 Independence Bowl and had eight tackles, including four for losses of 13 yards and two sacks for 10 . . . made five tackles as freshman starter in ’96 Orange Bowl vs. Florida State . . . enrolled in College of Business Administration as marketing major.

         G-GS   Time    S-A    Tot.  TL   Sacks    FC   Int. PBU1995    11-10   239:38  27-20   47   2-6   6-30     3   0-0   01996    11-11   231:54  32-21   53   7-20  8-56     3   1-17  51997    12-12   322:06  59-26   85   8-16  3.5-32   0   3-50  51998    10-10   227:26  33-27   60   4-6   5-29     3   1-7   2TOTAL   44-43  1021:04 151-94  245  21-48  22.5-147 9   5-74  12