Omar Stewart

TCU

Oct 4 (Sat)

5:30 p.m.

Position:
Safety
Height:
5-11
Weight:
200
Class:
Senior
Hometown:
Northridge, Calif.
High School:
Monroe/College of the Canyons

AT COLORADO: 2003 (Sr.)?He saw action in five games overall, including three games on defense, where he had one assisted tackle in 37 plays from scrimmage. He missed spring practice rehabilitating from a second ACL surgery (on the same knee) after injuring it in October 2002.

2002 (Sr.-RS)?He suffered a nasty knee injury in the spring game, tearing both his anterior and medial cruciate ligaments and his meniscus. He had surgery in April, and it was thought at one time that he could possibly return by midseason. However, he reinjured the knee in October and had to have a second surgery. He had a redshirt year available to him and was able to use it maintain his eligibility.

2001 (Jr.)?He was moved from corner to safety early in fall camp, so there was an adjustment period to learn his new position. He didn’t get into a game on defense, but he did play on special teams for 10 games, including the Fiesta Bowl, making two tackles and a knockdown block. He was selected as the Scout Team Defense Award winner twice, for the Fresno State and Missouri games. He did not participate in spring drills, as he did not arrive on campus until fall camp.

AT COLLEGE OF THE CANYONS: 1999-2000 (Fr./Soph.)?He was named an All-American by Rivals.com as a sophomore, and was also a two-time first-team all-Western States Conference performer at College of the Canyons, located in Santa Clarita, Calif. He had 48 tackles as a soph, to go with 23 pass deflections, four interceptions and two forced fumbles. He allowed seven completions in 11 games, all on underneath slant routes, as he was never beaten long. As a freshman, he was in on 35 tackles, with 19 passes broken up, an interception and a blocked kick. Top games included a 21-14 win over rival Hancock in 2000, when he had seven tackles, an interception and a forced fumble. C-of-the-C was 9-2 his sophomore year, claiming the Western Conference title, and was 7-4 his frosh year under coach Chuck Lyon.

HIGH SCHOOL?He was an all-West Valley Conference selection at cornerback his senior year, when he had 60 tackles, 20 pass deflections and six interceptions (two returned for touchdowns). He was easily one of the strongest defensive backs in the area; because of his strength (he was bench pressing well over 300 by the time he was a sophomore), he played man all four years in high school and excelled at bumping techniques at the line of scrimmage. How strong was he? Despite being just 5-11, 175 as a junior and senior, he was the second tight end in Monroe’s double wing formation; he caught 20-plus passes for about 750 yards both years, scoring a combined 15 touchdowns. He was actually ranked as the seventh best tight end in the Southern California area at one point. He had 45 tackles, three picks and 15 passes broken up as a junior. He was a four-year starter at cornerback, and he played some wide receiver as a freshman and sophomore. One of his top prep games came in a win against Canoga his senior year, when he had five tackles, three pass deflections and an interception he returned for a score. Monroe was 3-7 his senior year and 4-6 his junior campaign under coach Jason Kamp. He also lettered in track, participating in sprints, relays and jumps.

ACADEMICS? He is majoring in sociology at Colorado. He graduated with his A.A. degree from College of the Canyons in May 2001.

PERSONAL? Born March 18, 1981 in Philadelphia, Pa. His father is Muslim, thus the origin of his unique first name. Hobbies include weightlifting and raising his dogs (Rottweilers). (First name pronounced oh-mar.)