Jaime Mendez
Encyclopedia
Jaime Mendez was a collegiate football
free safety, who was an all-American at Kansas State University
. He is the Wildcats' all-time career leader in interceptions with 15.
and attended Cardinal Mooney High School.
and former defensive ends coach Mike Stoops
. His coach was Don Bucci. He helped high school team register eight shutouts in 1987 en route to a 13-1 record and the Division III state title. Jaime's greatest game was his only loss that year but was in double overtime against Elvis Grbac - 1988
Desmond Howard-1988.(both of Cleveland St. Joe's) Cardinal Mooney also captured the league title in 1988. Mendez was a sprinter on the high school track team along with serving as all seniors at Cardinal Mooney do as a football team captain.
in 1991, he earned first team All-Big 8 as well as being named third-team All-American. He finished third on the team with 79 tackles and fourth in the Big 8 with nine passes broken up. As a junior in 1992, he earned consensus first-team All-Big Eight honors as well as honorable mention all-America honors. He set a modern day Big 8 record and school record with four interceptions in a win over Temple , including three in the first half. As a senior in 1993, he again earned Consensus first-team All-American honors and earned first-team All-Big Eight once again. He was one of eight semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award
He was named team's co-MVP and Co-captained team to a 9-2-1 record and the school's first bowl victory in a 52-17 blowout against Wyoming in the 1993 Copper Bowl
.
on September 26, 2009.
The couple resides in Los Angeles. As of August 09, 2011 they expect their first child on Christmas Day.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
free safety, who was an all-American at Kansas State University
Kansas State University
Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...
. He is the Wildcats' all-time career leader in interceptions with 15.
Early life
Mendez was born in Youngstown, OhioYoungstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
and attended Cardinal Mooney High School.
High school
Mendez was an all-state selection at Cardinal Mooney, the same school that produced former Wildcat co-defensive coordinator Bob StoopsBob Stoops
Robert Anthony "Bob" Stoops is the head coach of the University of Oklahoma football team. During the 2000 season, Stoops led the Sooners to an Orange Bowl victory and a national championship....
and former defensive ends coach Mike Stoops
Mike Stoops
Michael J. Stoops is a former American football coach and former player. He was the head football coach at the University of Arizona, a position he held from 2003 until his firing in 2011. Stoops previously served as an assistant coach at the University of Iowa, Kansas State University, and the...
. His coach was Don Bucci. He helped high school team register eight shutouts in 1987 en route to a 13-1 record and the Division III state title. Jaime's greatest game was his only loss that year but was in double overtime against Elvis Grbac - 1988
Desmond Howard-1988.(both of Cleveland St. Joe's) Cardinal Mooney also captured the league title in 1988. Mendez was a sprinter on the high school track team along with serving as all seniors at Cardinal Mooney do as a football team captain.
College career
After redshirting in 1989, Mendez tied the K-State season record with six interceptions and broke the school standard for interception return yardage with 154 yards as a reshirt freshmen in 1990. He was an honorable mention All-Big 8, as well as newcomer of the year. He was ninth nationally in interceptions. As a sophomoreSophomore
Sophomore is a term used in the United States to describe a student in the second year of study at high school or university.The word is also used as a synonym for "second", for the second album or EP released by a musician or group, the second movie of a director, or the second season of a...
in 1991, he earned first team All-Big 8 as well as being named third-team All-American. He finished third on the team with 79 tackles and fourth in the Big 8 with nine passes broken up. As a junior in 1992, he earned consensus first-team All-Big Eight honors as well as honorable mention all-America honors. He set a modern day Big 8 record and school record with four interceptions in a win over Temple , including three in the first half. As a senior in 1993, he again earned Consensus first-team All-American honors and earned first-team All-Big Eight once again. He was one of eight semifinalists for the Jim Thorpe Award
Jim Thorpe Award
The Jim Thorpe Award, named in memory of multi-sport legend Jim Thorpe, has been awarded to the top defensive back in college football since 1986...
He was named team's co-MVP and Co-captained team to a 9-2-1 record and the school's first bowl victory in a 52-17 blowout against Wyoming in the 1993 Copper Bowl
1993 Copper Bowl
The 1993 edition to the Copper Bowl featured the Wyoming Cowboys and the Kansas State Wildcats.K-State capped off its most successful season in 83 years, with its first-ever bowl game victory...
.
Career statistics
| Year | Team | G | Tkl | Ast | Int |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season The 1990 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with a split championship and the ensuing controversy led to the creation of the Bowl Coalition, a precursor to the Bowl Championship Series. The title was split between the Colorado Buffaloes and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets... |
Kansas State 1990 Kansas State Wildcats football team The 1990 Kansas State Wildcats football team represented Kansas State University in the college football season of 1990. The team's head football coach was Bill Snyder. The Wildcats played their home games in KSU Stadium. 1990 saw the wildcats finish with a record of 5-6, and a 2-5 record in Big... |
11 | 40 | 20 | 6 |
| 1991 1991 NCAA Division I-A football season The 1991 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with a split champion for the second consecutive season. Both the Miami Hurricanes and the Washington Huskies finished the season undefeated and with the top ranking in a nationally recognized poll... |
Kansas State 1991 Kansas State Wildcats football team The 1991 Kansas State Wildcats football team represented Kansas State University in the college football season of 1991. The team's head football coach was Bill Snyder. The Wildcats played their home games in KSU Stadium. 1991 saw the wildcats finish with a record of 7-4, and a 4-3 record in Big... |
11 | 79 | 32 | 1 |
| 1992 1992 NCAA Division I-A football season The 1992 NCAA Division I-A football season was the first year of the Bowl Coalition, and ended with Alabama's first national championship in thirteen years—their first since the departure of Bear Bryant... |
Kansas State 1992 Kansas State Wildcats football team The 1992 Kansas State Wildcats football team represented Kansas State University in the college football season of 1992. The team's head football coach was Bill Snyder. The Wildcats played their home games in KSU Stadium. 1992 saw the wildcats finish with a record of 5-6, and a 2-5 record in Big... |
11 | 67 | 26 | 6 |
| 1993 1993 NCAA Division I-A football season The 1993 NCAA Division I-A football season saw Florida State crowned national champions, but not without controversy.Under the Bowl Coalition, undefeated Big 8 champ and #2 ranked Nebraska hosted ACC champ and #1 ranked Florida State in the Orange Bowl... |
Kansas State 1993 Kansas State Wildcats football team The 1993 Kansas State Wildcats football team represented Kansas State University in the college football season of 1993. The team's head football coach was Bill Snyder. The Wildcats played their home games in KSU Stadium. 1993 saw the wildcats finish with a record of 8-2-1, and a 4-2-1 record in... |
11 | 127 | 58 | 2 |
| Career Totals | 44 | 313 | 136 | 15 |
Personal life
Mendez married actress Essence AtkinsEssence Atkins
Essence Uhura Atkins is an American actress. She is best known for the roles of Dee Dee Thorne on the UPN sitcom Half & Half and as Yvette Henderson on the The WB sitcom Smart Guy...
on September 26, 2009.
The couple resides in Los Angeles. As of August 09, 2011 they expect their first child on Christmas Day.