November 23, 1999
Release: Upon Receipt

FURMAN'S BOBBY JOHNSON, JOHN KEITH
LAND SOUTHERN CONFERENCE AWARDS

GREENVILLE -- Furman University head football coach Bobby Johnson has been named Southern Conference Coach-of-the-Year and senior free safety John Keith has been honored as the league's defensive player-of-the-year in voting by the Southern Conference Sports Media Association, it was announced today.

Johnson, who owns a 39-29 record in six seasons as head coach at Furman, directed the Paladins to a 9-2 record and Southern Conference championship this season with a 7-1 league mark. Furman, which defeated North Carolina 28-3 earlier this year, will host Massachusetts this Saturday at 1:00 p.m. in NCAA I-AA first round playoff action. A Columbia native and 1973 Clemson graduate, Johnson joins former Paladins coaches Bob King (1961 & '63), Art Baker (1973), Dick Sheridan (1980 & '85), and Jimmy Satterfield (1986, '88, & '89) as the fifth Paladin mentor to garner Southern Conference Coach-of-the-Year honors.

John Keith's selection as Southern Conference Defensive Player-of-the-Year follows a brilliant regular season campaign that saw him post a team high 116 tackles and three interceptions. A 6-0, 204-pound product of Newnan, Ga., Keith twice earned league defensive player-of-the-week honors while helping the Paladins post their best regular season record since 1989. Last week Keith was named as one of 16 finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, which is given annually by the Sports Network to the top defensive player in NCAA I-AA football.

"I think John is very deserving of such a fine honor," said Johnson Tuesday afternoon. "There are a lot of great defensive players in the Southern Conference and John has showed he belongs in that class. I think it's the way he plays the game that the coaches and the media appreciate. He's full speed all the time and a true football player."

Keith is the fifth Furman player to garner league defensive player-of-the-year accolades. Previous award winners include Jeff Blankenship (1988), Kelly Fletcher (1989), Kevin Kendrick (1990), and Bryan Dailer (1997).