2002 SFA Season, Regular season
The fourth year of the SFA lasted eleven weeks from January 27, 2002 to April 7, 2002.


2002 SFA Season, Regular season, Week 1
January 27, 2002Bucs 36 - Rage 22Six-Pack 38- Rhinos 37Bandits 42 - Raiders 26Seminoles 20 - Thunder 6Wolf Pack 34 - Wolverines 24Mean Machine 31 - Outlawz 19


2002 SFA Season, Regular season, Week 2
February 3, 2002Bandits 27 - Rage 6Rhinos 30 - Thunder 24Wolverines 14 - Bucs 10Mad Dogs 35 - Raiders 6Wolf Pack 33 - Seminoles 19Mean Machine 35 - Six-Pack 18


2002 SFA Season, Regular season, Week 3
February 10, 2002Mad Dogs 24 - Rage 22Bucs 46 - Seminoles 20Wolf Pack 34 - Rhinos 13Outlawz 21 - Six-Pack 14Bandits 34 - Wolverines 20Mean Machine 38 - Thunder 14


2002 SFA Season, Regular season, Week 4
February 17, 2002Rhinos 51 - Raiders 6Bucs 30 - Six-Pack 24Bandits 18 - Outlawz 12Wolf Pack 33 - Thunder 6Rage 1(8) - Seminoles 0(32)Mean Machine 34 - Mad Dogs 27


2002 SFA Season, Regular season, Week 5
February 24, 2002Rhinos 28 - Bucs 18Rage 20 - Raiders 15Outlawz 40 - Thunder 33Bandits 46 - Seminoles 0Mad Dogs 40 - Wolverines 28Mean Machine 18 - Wolf Pack 14


2002 SFA Season, Regular season, Week 6
March 3, 2002Wolf Pack 13 - Rage 8Bandits 33 - Rhinos 6Mad Dogs 53 - Outlawz 47Raiders 43 - Bucs 37 (4OT)Seminoles 30 - Six-Pack 19Wolverines 32 - Thunder 30


2002 SFA Season, Regular season, Week 7
March 10, 2002Outlawz 31 - Rage 0Mad Dogs 1 - Thunder 0Seminoles 31 - Rhinos 25Raiders 26 - Six-Pack 12Bandits 21 - Wolf Pack 6Mean Machine 32 - Wolverines 12


2002 SFA Season, Regular season, Week 8
March 17, 2002Rhinos 8 - Rage 6Thunder 40 - Bucs 0Outlawz 41 - Mad Dogs 39Bandits 31 - Six-Pack 20Wolverines 30 - Seminoles 7Mean Machine 33 - Raiders 27


2002 SFA Season, Regular season, Week 9
March 24, 2002Outlawz 40 - Raiders 0Wolf Pack 19 - Bucs 18Bandits 38 - Thunder 22Mean Machine 33 - Rage 8Mad Dogs 51 - Six-Pack 6Rhinos 37 - Wolverines 12


2002 SFA Season, Regular season, Week 10
March 31, 2002Outlawz 54 - Bucs 6Mad Dogs 31 - Rhinos 6Wolverines 25 - Rage 14Raiders 20 - Seminoles 7Wolf Pack 19 - Six-Pack 6Bandits 45 - Mean Machine 33


2002 SFA Season, Regular season, Week 11
April 7, 2002Six-Pack 18 - Thunder 18Outlawz 22 - Wolf Pack 12Mad Dogs 32 - Seminoles 0Mean Machine 44 - Bucs 25Wolverines 25 - Raiders 14


2002 SFA Season, Playoffs
The fourth year of playoffs for the SFA consisted of the top 4 from the Southern Conference making the playoffs again with the top 5 from the Northern Conference making it with the two bottom seeds playing each other in a "Wild-Card" round.


2002 SFA Season, Playoffs, Conference Semi-Finals
April 21, 2002Bandits 45 – Bucs 0Outlawz 47 - Mean Machine 0Wolverines 34 - Rhinos 26Mad Dogs 33 - Raiders 8


2002 SFA Season, Playoffs, Conference Championships
April 28, 2002Bandits 24 – Outlawz 20Mad Dogs 20 – Wolverines 13


2002 Sacramento Monarchs season
The 2002 WNBA season was the 6th season for the Sacramento Monarchs. The team missed the playoffs for the first time in four years.


2002 Sacramento State Hornets football team
The 2002 Sacramento State Hornets football team represented Sacramento State University during the 2002 NCAA Division I-AA football season.


2002 Sacramento State Hornets football team
Sacramento State competed in the Big Sky Conference. The Hornets were led by eighth-year head coach John Volek and played home games at Hornet Stadium in Sacramento, California. They finished the season with a record of five wins and seven losses (5–7, 3–4 Big Sky). Sacramento State was outscored by its opponents 325–380 for the season. This was John Volek's last season as head coach at Sacramento State. He finished his eight seasons with a record of 31–57–1, which is a .354 winning percentage.


2002 Sacramento State Hornets football team, Team players in the NFL
No Sacramento State players were selected in the 2003 NFL Draft.


2002 Saint Francis Cougars football team
The 2002 Saint Francis Cougars football team represented the University of Saint Francis, located in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the 2002 NAIA football season. They were led by head coach Kevin Donley, who served his 5th year as the first and only head coach in the history of Saint Francis football. The Cougars played their home games at Cougar Stadium and were members of the Mid-States Football Association (MSFA) Mideast League (MEL). The Cougars finished in 1st place in the MSFA MEL division, and they received an automatic bid to the 2002 postseason NAIA playoffs.


2002 Saint Francis Red Flash football team
The 2002 Saint Francis Red Flash football team represented Saint Francis University as a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC) during the 2002 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Red Flash were led by Dave Opfar in his first year as the program's 26th head coach. The team played its home games at the Pine Bowl. They finished the season 2–8 overall and 0–7 in NEC play to place last.


2002 Saint Helena referendum
A referendum on building a new airfield or replacing RMS St Helena was held in Saint Helena between 21 January and 1 February 2002. Around 72% voted in favour of the airport, although critics claimed that the referendum was slanted in favour of this option.


2002 Saint Helena referendum, Background
RMS St Helena was the island's only connection with the outside world, but required replacing at an estimated cost of £26 million. The cost of the alternative option of a new airport was estimated at £50 million. The island's Executive Council initially rejected holding a referendum, but agreed to do so on 8 January 2002.


2002 Saint Helena referendum, Background
All Saint Helena citizens aged over 16 and based in Saint Helena, Ascension Island, the Falkland Islands and on board RMS St Helena were eligible to vote. Voters were given the options:


2002 Salford City Council election
Elections to Salford Council were held on 2 May 2002. One third of the council was up for election. The Labour Party kept overall control of the council. Overall turnout was 25.07%.


2002 Samoa National League
The 2002 Samoa National League, or also known as the Upolo First Division, was the 14th edition of the Samoa National League, the top league of the Football Federation Samoa. Strickland Brothers Lepea won their first title.


2002 San Diego Chargers season
The 2002 season was the San Diego Chargers' 33rd in the National Football League (NFL), their 43rd overall and their first under head coach Marty Schottenheimer. Their stadium, Qualcomm Stadium, hosted Super Bowl XXXVII at the end of the season, but the Chargers' failure to secure a playoff berth marked the 18th straight season that the Super Bowl did not include the team in whose region the game was being played. Their division was reduced to four teams at the start of the season, with the Seattle Seahawks moving to the NFC. Despite going into their bye week at 6–1, the Chargers won just two of their nine games after the break and missed the playoffs.


2002 San Diego Chargers season, Regular season, Schedule
In addition to their regular games with AFC West rivals, the Chargers played teams from the AFC East and NFC West as per the schedule rotation, and also played intraconference games against the Texans and the Bengals based on divisional positions from 2001.


2002 San Diego Chargers season, Playoffs
The Chargers did not make the playoffs, but they had a chance to clinch a wild card spot with victory over the Seahawks in Week 17, provided that the Browns lost to the Falcons; however, the Browns beat the Falcons, making the Chargers' loss to the Seahawks immaterial.


2002 San Diego City Council election
The 2002 San Diego City Council election occurred on November 5, 2002. The primary election was held on March 5, 2002. Four of the eight seats of the San Diego City Council were contested. Two incumbent council members stood for reelection after having previously been elected to partial terms.


2002 San Diego City Council election
Municipal elections in California are officially non-partisan, although most candidates do identify a party preference. A two-round system was used for the election, starting with a primary in June followed by a runoff in November between the top-two candidates if no candidate received a majority of the votes in the first round.


2002 San Diego City Council election
Three of the council seats filled in this election became vacant prior to the completion of the 2006 term end date. This led to three special elections to choose council members to complete these terms.


2002 San Diego City Council election, Campaign
The 2002 election was the first to use the eight district boundaries created by the 2000 Redistricting Commission. Seats in districts 2, 4, 6, and 8 were up for election.


2002 San Diego City Council election, Campaign
Donna Frye and Ralph Inzunza both were incumbents serving partial terms after winning special elections to fill the seats vacated by the resignations of Valerie Stallings and Juan Vargas respectively.


2002 San Diego City Council election, Results, District 2
District 2 consisted of the communities of Bankers Hill/Park West, Downtown San Diego, La Jolla/Mount Soledad, Little Italy, Midway/North Bay, Mission Beach, Mission Hills, Ocean Beach, Old Town, Pacific Beach, and Point Loma. Michael Zucchet and Kevin Faulconer received the most votes in the primary and advanced to the general election. Zucchet was elected to city council with the majority of votes in November.


2002 San Diego City Council election, Results, District 4
District 4 consisted of the communities of Alta Vista, Broadway Heights, Chollas View, Emerald Hills, Encanto, Jamacha, Lincoln Park, Lomita Village, Mount Hope, Mountain View, North Bay Terrace, Oak Park, O'Farrell, Paradise Hills, Ridgeview, Skyline Hills, South Bay Terrace, Valencia Park, and Webster. Incumbent council member Tony Young, who had previously been elected to a partial term in 2004 after the death of Charles L. Lewis, was reelected with a majority of the votes in the June primary.


2002 San Diego City Council election, Results, District 6
District 6 consisted of the communities of Bay Ho, Bay Park, Clairemont Mesa, Fashion Valley, Kearny Mesa, Linda Vista, Mission Valley, North Clairemont, and Serra Mesa. Incumbent council member Donna Frye won reelection with a majority of the votes in the June primary.


2002 San Diego City Council election, Results, District 8
District 8 consisted of the communities of San Diego along the Mexico–United States border, including the communities of Barrio Logan, Egger Highlands, Grant Hill, Golden Hill, Logan Heights, Memorial, Nestor, Ocean View Hills, Otay Mesa West, Otay Mesa East, San Ysidro, Sherman Heights, Southcrest, Stockton, and Tijuana River Valley. Incumbent council member Ben Hueso, who had previously been elected to a partial term in 2005 after the resignation of Ralph Inzunza, was reelected with a majority of the votes in the June primary.


2002 San Diego Padres season
The 2002 San Diego Padres season was the 34th season in franchise history.


2002 San Diego Padres season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


2002 San Diego Padres season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


2002 San Diego Padres season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


2002 San Diego Padres season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


2002 San Diego Padres season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


2002 San Diego State Aztecs football team
The 2002 San Diego State Aztecs football team represented San Diego State University in the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. They were coached by Tom Craft and played their home games at Qualcomm Stadium.


2002 San Francisco 49ers season
The 2002 San Francisco 49ers season was the team's 57th season, and 53rd in the National Football League.


2002 San Francisco 49ers season
The first season following divisional realignment, the 49ers won the new-look NFC West title with a 10–6 record; they swept their new division rivals, the Seattle Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals while splitting with the St. Louis Rams. In the Wild Card round, the 49ers fell behind the New York Giants 38–14 but erupted with 25 unanswered points and survived a chaotic last-second field goal attempt by the Giants; the 39–38 win was the 26th playoff win in the team's history and as of 2019, it is the fourth biggest comeback in NFL playoff history.


2002 San Francisco 49ers season
The 49ers lost the next week in the divisional round to the eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31–6 and head coach Steve Mariucci was fired, the result of a power struggle with owner John York and new general manager Terry Donahue. 2002 was the last winning season for the 49ers until 2011.


2002 San Francisco 49ers season, Regular season, Game Summaries, Week 1: at New York Giants
At Giants Stadium the 49ers clawed to a 13–6 lead on three Kerry Collins interceptions, but a late Tiki Barber score tied the game 13–13. Two Jeff Garcia passes for 45 yards and three Garrison Hearst runs for seven yards set up Jose Cortez's 36-yard field goal with ten seconds left and the 16–13 49ers win.


2002 San Francisco 49ers season, Regular season, Game Summaries, Week 2: vs. Denver Broncos
Despite an eight-yard touchdown to Terrell Owens (suffering from a season-long groin issue), Jeff Garcia struggled in San Francisco's home opener, fumbling in the third quarter then throwing an interception to Deltha O'Neal in the fourth. A late rushing score by Garcia made the final score 24–14 for the Broncos. |Weather= 68 °F (Sunny)


2002 San Francisco 49ers season, Regular season, Game Summaries, Week 3: vs. Washington Redskins
Jeff Garcia and Tim Rattay combined for just 125 passing yards as the Niners defeated the Redskins 20–10. Food poisoning forced Garcia out of the game. "I just didn't feel real crisp," Garcia said in the postgame press conference. |Weather= 71 °F (Sunny)


2002 San Francisco 49ers season, Regular season, Game Summaries, Week 5: vs. St. Louis Rams
The Rams' collapse following their loss in Super Bowl XXXVI continued as Jamie Martin started and was intercepted twice. Garrison Hearst and Kevan Barlow rushed for 166 yards as the Niners pummeled the Rams 37–13. |Weather= 84 °F (Sunny)


2002 San Francisco 49ers season, Regular season, Game Summaries, Week 6: at Seattle Seahawks
On Monday Night Football Terrell Owens caught two touchdowns, including what turned out to be the game-winner in the final eight minutes. After one touchdown Owens took out a magic marker and autographed the football before giving it to one of his assistants in the endzone grandstands, a maneuver that caused a stir in football circles. The win was only the second for the Niners over their former offensive coordinator Mike Holmgren as a head coach.


2002 San Francisco 49ers season, Regular season, Game Summaries, Week 7: at New Orleans Saints
The 4–1 49ers faced the 5–1 Saints for the first time since divisional realignment split the two clubs out of the NFC West and formed the new NFC South. The two clubs put up a combined 840 yards of offense; the Niners led 24–13 after three quarters but the Saints outscored San Francisco 22–3 in the fourth quarter; Jeff Garcia was intercepted with 2:30 to go and Aaron Brooks ran in a one-yard touchdown for the 35–27 Saints win.


2002 San Francisco 49ers season, Regular season, Game Summaries, Week 8: vs. Arizona Cardinals
Four rushing touchdowns (two of them from Marcel Shipp) were not enough for the Cardinals against the Niners as Jeff Garcia tossed four touchdowns and Jake Plummer was intercepted three times in a 38-28 San Francisco win. |Weather= 67 °F (Sunny)


2002 San Francisco 49ers season, Regular season, Game Summaries, Week 9: at Oakland Raiders
The two Bay Area teams clashed in an overtime grinder as Rich Gannon threw for 164 yards and a one-yard touchdown to Jerry Porter. Garcia threw for 282 yards and two scores and rushed for 46 yards, 21 of them in overtime following a missed 27-yard Jose Cortez field goal attempt at the end of regulation. Cortez nailed the 23-yard kick in overtime for the 23–20 49ers win.


2002 San Francisco 49ers season, Regular season, Game Summaries, Week 10: vs. Kansas City Chiefs
The Niners faced former Rams coach Dick Vermeil, whose Chiefs had scored at least 34 points five times to that point of the season; they were held to 13 points and 256 yards of offense as the Niners ground out the 17–13 win. |Weather= 61 °F (Cloudy)


2002 San Francisco 49ers season, Regular season, Game Summaries, Week 11: at San Diego Chargers
At San Diego Terrell Owens caught two touchdowns, one a 76-yard bomb, but the Niners blew a 17–7 lead to the Chargers as Drew Brees' touchdown to Fred McCrary with 31 seconds to go tied the game, and former Buffalo Bill Steve Christie won it with 4:11 to go in overtime on a 40-yard field goal. The two teams combined for 908 yards of offense.


2002 San Francisco 49ers season, Regular season, Game Summaries, Week 12: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
Despite putting up 409 yards of offense the Niners were pounded by the Eagles 38-17 as Koy Detmer and A. J. Feeley combined for three touchdown throws; Detmer added a rushing score and Brian Mitchell ran back a 76-yard punt for a touchdown. Future Eagle Terrell Owens caught two touchdowns. |Weather= 68 °F (Clear)


2002 San Francisco 49ers season, Regular season, Game Summaries, Week 13: vs. Seattle Seahawks
The Niners raced to a 31–10 lead behind three Garrison Hearst touchdown runs and a punt return score. In the fourth quarter Matt Hasselbeck (who had 427 passing yards in all) scored twice on passes to Koren Robinson and Darrell Jackson but was intercepted with 1:31 to go, ending the 31–24 Niners win. |Weather= 60 °F (Sunny)


2002 San Francisco 49ers season, Regular season, Game Summaries, Week 14: at Dallas Cowboys
Though the championship rivalry of a decade past had cooled off with the fall of the Cowboys to sub-mediocrity, the game at Texas Stadium nonetheless resembled Cowboy-49er clashes of yore. Despite intercepting Chad Hutchinson twice, the 49ers saw the lead change four times before the Cowboys surged to a 27–17 lead in the fourth quarter. Jeff Garcia then stormed the 49ers to the win on touchdowns to Tai Streets and a bobbling eight-yard catch by Terrell Owens with fifteen seconds remaining. In the 31–27 49ers win the two teams combined for 35 fourth-quarter points.


2002 San Francisco 49ers season, Regular season, Game Summaries, Week 15: vs. Green Bay Packers
The Niners’ perennial struggles against the Packers since Green Bay's 1995 playoff win continued with San Francisco's tenth loss in eleven meetings. Terrell Owens caught a pass and bulled off a defender into the end zone; after scoring he took the pom poms of a Niners cheerleader and celebrated. On the Niners final drive Garcia drove to the Packers 14 (gaining a first down on a run and despite running into a Packers assistant coach on the sideline) but was stopped on fourth down.


2002 San Francisco 49ers season, Regular season, Game Summaries, Week 16: at Arizona Cardinals
The Niners held the Cardinals to just 184 yards of offense in a 17-14 Niners win. Terrell Owens did not play.


2002 San Francisco 49ers season, Regular season, Game Summaries, Week 17: at St. Louis Rams
Having clinched the NFC West, the Niners rested many starters against the Rams as Jeff Garcia threw only three passes and Tim Rattay threw a pair of touchdowns to Tai Streets. The Rams played to salvage a win in their disappointing season and exploded to 28 fourth-quarter points to win 31–20; the Rams thus finished 7-9 while the Niners were 10–6.


2002 San Francisco 49ers season, Playoffs, Game Summaries, NFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs. New York Giants
The Steelers' comeback earlier in the day (36–33 over the Cleveland Browns) was matched by San Francisco's similar late drive, overcoming a 38–14 deficit by scoring 25 unanswered points in the second half. A last-minute Giants drive collapsed when Trey Junkin botched a field goal snap, leading to a desperation heave to the endzone that fell short. There were two notable events in this game. The first one was when after the 49ers scored a touchdown, Terrell Owens caught a pass from Jeff Garcia for the two point conversion. After the catch, Owens did a little showboating.


2002 San Francisco 49ers season, Playoffs, Game Summaries, NFC Wild Card Playoffs: vs. New York Giants
Michael Strahan of the Giants went up to Owens and pointed to the scoreboard and mocked Owens. (At the time, the Giants led 38–22). This is significant because the 49ers came back to win. After the 49ers scored another touchdown and made it 38–30, Joe Buck replied "The scoreboard doesn't look so great to Strahan anymore". The second event in the game was that in the 3rd quarter, Jeremy Shockey dropped a touchdown pass that would've put the Giants up 42–14. Instead, the Giants had to kick, making it 38–14. Nobody at the time knew how big of a mistake this dropped pass would be for the Giants, and how big of a blessing for the 49ers. The win was the 26th in a playoff game for the club and last until the 2011 Divisional Playoffs.


2002 San Francisco 49ers season, Playoffs, Game Summaries, NFC Divisional Playoffs: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – January 12, 2003
The Buccaneers, with the league's top-ranked defense during the 2002 regular season, forced five turnovers, sacked quarterback Jeff Garcia four times, and limited the 49ers to only two field goals. Tampa Bay quarterback Brad Johnson, who had been sidelined for a month, returned to throw for 196 yards and two touchdowns. Fullback Mike Alstott scored two touchdowns, while the Buccaneers held onto the ball for 36:46 and held the 49ers to a season low 228 yards. This was San Francisco's first playoff game without a touchdown since 1986. Despite San Francisco's 10–6 record and their Wild Card playoff win against New York, coach Steve Mariucci was fired three days after this game. The 49ers would not return to the playoffs until 2011.


2002 San Francisco Board of Supervisors election
The 2002 San Francisco Board of Supervisors elections occurred on November 5, 2002, with runoff elections held on December 10, 2002. Five of the eleven seats were contested in this election. Three incumbents ran for reelection, while two sought another office.


2002 San Francisco Board of Supervisors election
Municipal elections in California are officially non-partisan, though most candidates in San Francisco do receive funding and support from various political parties. This was the last Board of Supervisors election in San Francisco to use the two-round system of elections.


2002 San Francisco Board of Supervisors election, Results, District 2
District 2 consists of the Marina, Pacific Heights, the Presidio, part of Russian Hill, and Sea Cliff. Incumbent supervisor Gavin Newsom ran for reelection.


2002 San Francisco Board of Supervisors election, Results, District 4
District 4 consists primarily of the Sunset district. Incumbent supervisor Leland Yee did not seek reelection, instead running for a seat in the California State Assembly.


2002 San Francisco Board of Supervisors election, Results, District 6
District 6 consists of Alcatraz Island, Civic Center, Mission Bay, South of Market, the Tenderloin, Treasure Island, and Yerba Buena Island. Incumbent supervisor Chris Daly ran for reelection.


2002 San Francisco Board of Supervisors election, Results, District 8
District 8 consists of The Castro, Diamond Heights, Duboce Triangle, Eureka Valley, Glen Park, and Noe Valley. Incumbent supervisor Mark Leno did not seek reelection, instead running for a seat in the California State Assembly.


2002 San Francisco Board of Supervisors election, Results, District 10
District 10 consists of Bayview-Hunters Point, McLaren Park, part of the Portola, Potrero Hill, and Visitacion Valley. Incumbent supervisor Sophie Maxwell ran for reelection unopposed.


2002 San Francisco Bowl
The 2002 San Francisco Bowl was the inaugural edition of the post-season college football bowl game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Air Force Falcons at Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco on December 31, 2002. The game was the final contest of the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season for both teams, and ended in a 20–13 victory for Virginia Tech.


2002 San Francisco Bowl
Virginia Tech was selected for the inaugural edition of the San Francisco Bowl (now the Redbox Bowl) after a 9–4 record during the 2002 college football season. Tech defeated several nationally ranked teams, including No. 14 LSU and No. 19 Texas A&M. Tech's opponent, Air Force, received its bid following an 8–4 regular season. Air Force faced several BCS-conference opponents during the regular season, including California and Northwestern.


2002 San Francisco Bowl
The 2002 San Francisco Bowl kicked off in clear, 69 °F (21 °C) weather, but the field was soggy after several days of rain. In the first seven minutes of the game, Air Force scored 10 consecutive unanswered points. The Tech defense eventually clamped down on the Falcons' offense, however, and only allowed three points for the remainder of the game. The Virginia Tech offense slowly climbed back from the initial 10-point deficit, scoring a touchdown in the first quarter and a field goal in the second. By halftime, the Hokies had equalized the score at 10–10.


2002 San Francisco Bowl
In the second half, defense continued to dominate as Tech gradually built a lead. The Hokies scored the only points of a third quarter as running back Lee Suggs ran into the end zone from one yard out, allowing Tech to take a 17–10 lead into the fourth quarter. The Falcons didn't give up easily, however. Air Force kicker Joey Ashcroft cut into the Tech lead with a 21-yard field goal. Tech matched the score later in the quarter to restore the one-touchdown lead.


2002 San Francisco Bowl
As time ran down, Air Force had one final chance to tie the game and send it into overtime. Beginning at its own 18-yard line with 4:11 left to play, the Falcons drove deep into Tech territory. With seven seconds remaining, Air Force quarterback Chance Harridge tried to scramble into the end zone, but was stopped before the goal line by Tech cornerback Ronyell Whitaker. The defensive stop preserved the 20–13 Hokie victory, and Tech quarterback Bryan Randall was named the game's most valuable player.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Team selection, Air Force
The Air Force Falcons began the 2002 season having gone 6–6 during the previous season, and hoping to put that disappointing showing behind them. On August 31, 2002, the Falcons did just that, defeating Northwestern in a blowout 52–3 victory. Following that win, the Falcons added five more in successive weeks, racing out to a 6–0 undefeated start. On October 19, the Falcons faced No. 19 Notre Dame, and in a close-fought game, suffered their first loss. In the five games that followed the loss to Notre Dame, the Falcons suffered three additional losses, culminating in a close regular-season defeat by the San Diego State Aztecs.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Team selection, Air Force
After starting with six straight wins, the Falcons finished with an overall regular-season record of 8–4 and a Mountain West Conference record of 4–3, putting them third in the conference. Air Force was one of three bowl-eligible teams in the Mountain West during the 2002 season. MWC champion Colorado State earned an automatic bid to the Liberty Bowl, and the Las Vegas Bowl, which had second pick of MWC teams, selected New Mexico. By default, this left Air Force to the San Francisco Bowl.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Team selection, Virginia Tech
The Virginia Tech Hokies football team began the 2002 season having gone 8–4 the previous season and having suffered a season-ending defeat to Florida State in the 2002 Gator Bowl. The Hokies began the season against the Arkansas State Indians, hoping to rebuild after the loss of 11 starters from the previous season's team. Against the Indians, Tech started the season with a record performance, scoring 56 first-half points en route to a 63–7 rout.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Team selection, Virginia Tech
That overwhelming start was just the beginning for the Hokies, who won their next seven games, racing to an 8–0 start and a No. 3 ranking in the national polls. In their ninth game of the season, however, the Hokies suffered their first loss, falling 21–28 to the Pittsburgh Panthers. The next week, Tech suffered an even closer loss, losing to Syracuse in triple overtime despite a record performance from Tech quarterback Bryan Randall, who accumulated 504 passing yards and five touchdown passes.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Team selection, Virginia Tech
In the three games following the loss to Syracuse, Tech lost two, taking it to a final regular-season record of 9–4 overall and a Big East conference record of 3–4, meaning Tech was the fourth ranked team in the Big East that season. Prior to the season, the Big East had signed an agreement with the new San Francisco Bowl, giving that bowl the fifth pick of bowl-eligible teams in the Big East.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Team selection, Virginia Tech
But with the Gator Bowl (second pick of Big East teams) selecting Notre Dame instead of a Big East team, all the Big East's selections were pushed back one slot. Second-place West Virginia University was pushed to the Continental Tire Bowl (third pick) and third-place Pittsburgh was selected by the Insight Bowl (fourth pick), leaving Virginia Tech to be selected by the San Francisco Bowl with the fifth pick.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Pregame buildup
On the day prior to the game, spread bettors favored Virginia Tech to win by 11.5 points. Despite that advantage, Tech head coach Frank Beamer warned his team and the public about the threat underdog Air Force posed to the Hokies' chances of winning. Both Beamer and Air Force head coach Fisher DeBerry were among the longest-tenured coaches in college football at the time. DeBerry had been a college coach for 19 years, while Beamer had coached for 16 years.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Pregame buildup
The game would be an opportunity for DeBerry to gain his 150th career win and defeat a ranked team for the first time since 1999. Ticket sales prior to the game were sluggish, as both teams failed to sell out their assigned allotments for the New Year's Eve clash, and local sales registered fewer than 8,000 tickets sold. In addition, local media coverage of the game was very sparse.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Pregame buildup, Offensive matchups, Air Force
Prior to the San Francisco Bowl, Air Force's offense was the No. 1-ranked rushing offense in the country, accumulating 314.5 rushing yards on average per game. Air Force quarterback Chance Harridge had 1,159 rushing yards and 22 rushing touchdowns, setting what was then an NCAA record for most rushing touchdowns in a single season by a quarterback. Through the air, he completed 60 of 125 passes during the regular season for 971 passing yards and 10 touchdowns. Heading into the San Francisco Bowl, he needed just 29 passing yards to become the 16th player in NCAA Division I-A history to run for 1,000 yards and pass for 1,000 yards in a single season.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Pregame buildup, Offensive matchups, Air Force
Air Force running back Leotis Palmer was having the best season of his career heading into the San Francisco Bowl. During the regular season, he accumulated 537 rushing yards, four rushing touchdowns and 113 passing yards for two touchdowns. Palmer and the Falcons had already clinched the season's rushing title, cementing their status as the No. 1 rushing team in the country after West Virginia—the second-place team—failed to gain sufficient yardage in its final game to pass the Falcons. Despite finishing with the top-ranked rushing offense, none of Air Force's offensive linemen received postseason honors. "It should give our players a lot of incentive for next year. Hopefully, if we repeat next year, maybe we'll get two or three on there. You certainly don't accumulate the number of yards we do unless you have people up front doing their job", DeBerry said at the time.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Pregame buildup, Offensive matchups, Air Force
Prior to the game, offensive tackle Blane Neufeld was pronounced unable to play due to a broken foot suffered two weeks prior to the San Francisco Bowl.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Pregame buildup, Offensive matchups, Virginia Tech
The Virginia Tech offense averaged 31.5 points per game during the regular season. In the weeks before the San Francisco Bowl, Virginia Tech running back Lee Suggs was cast as the key for that offense in the game. Suggs, for whom the game would be his last as a collegiate player, rushed for 1,255 yards and 20 touchdowns during the regular season. He needed just 149 more rushing yards to set the team's record for single-season rushing yards, which stood at 1,403. Even without the record, Suggs was predicted to be a high pick in that year's NFL Draft.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Pregame buildup, Offensive matchups, Virginia Tech
Suggs was supported by Virginia Tech center Jake Grove, who anchored a strong Tech offensive line. Though criticized as being too "nasty", Grove led the team in knockdown blocks and was graded as the team's most efficient lineman. About Grove, Suggs said, "He gets the blocking scheme straight. ... He gets us ready to go."


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Pregame buildup, Offensive matchups, Virginia Tech
Also benefiting from the offensive line's strength was Tech quarterback Bryan Randall. Randall finished the regular season with 1,957 passing yards and 12 passing touchdowns, completing 140 of his 225 passes during the process. He also was successful running the ball, carrying it for 527 yards and three touchdowns during the regular season.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Pregame buildup, Defensive matchups, Air Force
During the 2002 season, Air Force allowed an average of 360.7 yards per game, fourth in the Mountain West and 57th nationally. This was an improvement over the 2001 season, when the Falcons allowed 452.7 yards per game on average. Air Force also was allowing far fewer points per game. In 2002, the Falcons allowed an average of 23.6 points per game, down from more than 32 per game in 2001. Air Force was successful in its kicking defense as well. Between 1990 and 2002, Air Force ranked second in terms of blocked kicks with 79. Virginia Tech was first, with 85. In the starting lineup, Air Force sophomore Joel Kurzdorfer replaced Mark Marsh at strong safety who was pronounced doubtful for the game due to a lower leg injury he suffered in the days leading up to the San Francisco Bowl.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Pregame buildup, Defensive matchups, Virginia Tech
The Virginia Tech defense looked to recover from its slide during the last five games of the regular season. During the Hokies' first eight games (all wins), Tech gave up averages of 10.5 points, 267.5 total yards and 40.8 rushing yards per game. In the final five games (in which Tech went 1–4), the Hokie defense allowed averages of 32.8 points, 446.7 total yards and 229.4 rushing yards per game. This led to doubts about Tech's ability to stop the Falcons' top-ranked rushing attack.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Pregame buildup, Defensive matchups, Virginia Tech
Head defensive coach Bud foster said, "... right now you just kind of have a question mark: Are we going to do what we're taught to do?" That late-season falter still saw Tech ranked as the No. 20 rushing defense in the country heading into the San Francisco Bowl, allowing an average of just 113.31 yards per game.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Pregame buildup, Defensive matchups, Virginia Tech
One of the keys for the Hokie defense would be linebacker Brandon Manning, who attended the Air Force Academy's preparatory school before deciding to walk on to Virginia Tech's football team instead of attending the Academy. Manning was Tech's No. 3 tackler in terms of statistics, accumulating 70 tackles during the course of the regular season. Virginia Tech defensive tackle Jimmy Williams injured his ankle two days prior to the game, causing him to be unable to play. Tech's Richard Johnson was also listed as injured and unlikely to play.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Game summary
The 2002 San Francisco Bowl kicked off at 7:30 p.m. PST on December 31, 2002, in San Francisco, California. The weather at kickoff was clear and cool, with an air temperature of 69 °F (21 °C). Rain showers had fallen earlier in the day and throughout the week leading up to the game, causing the field to become slippery for players. The game was broadcast on ESPN2, and Pam Ward, Chris Spielman, and Rob Stone were the sportscasters. The broadcast earned a television rating of 1.6, meaning an estimated 1.69 million people watched the game on television. The game's attendance was given as 25,966, but the actual attendance was far lower than that figure.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Game summary, First quarter
Virginia Tech kicked off to Air Force to begin the game. The Falcons returned the kickoff to their 20-yard line, where the game began. On the game's first play, running back Leotis Palmer ran for a short gain out of the Falcons' triple option offense, which Air Force used throughout the game. After the short gain, Falcons quarterback Chance Harridge completed a 47-yard pass to junior wide receiver Anthony Park. This was a surprise because the Falcons had been ranked among the least-proficient teams in the country in terms of passing offense.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Game summary, First quarter
The pass drove the Falcons offense deep into Virginia Tech territory, and Air Force continued to advance the ball with a series of short rushes that resulted in a first down. Then, on the sixth play of the Air Force drive, freshman running back Matt Ward ran a reverse for 15 yards and the game's first touchdown. Air Force kicker Joey Ashcroft successfully completed the extra point, and Air Force took a 7–0 lead with 12 minutes remaining in the first quarter.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Game summary, First quarter
Virginia Tech received the post-touchdown kickoff and returned it to their 31-yard line, where the Tech offense took over on its first possession of the game. Tech running back Lee Suggs ran for a three-yard gain, and quarterback Bryan Randall completed a 15-yard pass to take the Hokies to near midfield, earning Virginia Tech a first down in the process. But on the third play after taking possession, the Hokies turned the ball over as Tech running back Lee Suggs fumbled the ball.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Game summary, First quarter
Air Force recovered the turnover and returned it to the Tech 35-yard line, where the Falcons offense returned to the field. Despite gaining possession of the ball deep inside Virginia Tech's side of the field, Air Force was unable to move the ball forward with much success. After a quick first down provided by a penalty against Virginia Tech, the Hokie defense stiffened and denied the Falcons another. Air Force was forced to attempt a 45-yard field goal, which Ashcroft converted with 7:36 left in the quarter to give the Falcons a 10–0.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Game summary, First quarter
Air Force's post-score kickoff went out of bounds, resulting in a penalty that allowed Tech to automatically start its second offensive possession of the game at its 35-yard line. On his first play, Randall completed a 19-yard pass that drove the Hokie offense into Air Force territory for the first time and gained Tech another first down. Two plays later, Randall completed another pass, this time a 16-yard toss that pushed Tech to the Air Force 30-yard line. Though the Hokies gained several more yards on short plays, they were unable to earn another first down. Tech kicker Carter Warley was sent into the game to attempt a 41-yard field goal, but the kick bounced off the right upright and Tech was denied three points. With 4:59 remaining in the first quarter, Air Force still held a 10–0 lead.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Game summary, First quarter
Following the missed field goal, Air Force's offense began operations at its 24-yard line. Running back Anthony Butler broke free for an 18-yard gain on the third play of the drive, giving Air Force a first down. Two plays later, however, Harridge threw a pass that was intercepted by Tech linebacker Vegas Robinson. At the end of the play, Air Force committed a 15-yard personal foul penalty, which allowed the Tech offense to take over at the Air Force 15-yard line. Tech needed just two plays to drive the 15 yards and earn a touchdown, its first of the game. With 2:26 remaining in the quarter, Air Force's lead had been cut to 10–7.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Game summary, First quarter
After Tech's kickoff, Air Force went three and out and was forced to punt. The Hokies took over at their 34-yard line after the kick. Bryan Randall completed two quick passes to wide receiver Shawn Witten for a total of 26 yards before time in the quarter ran out. At the end of the first quarter, Air Force had a 10–7 lead, but Virginia Tech was in possession of the ball and driving deeper into Air Force territory.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Game summary, Second quarter
The Hokies began the second quarter in possession of the ball and facing a second down and one yard. After the Tech offense picked up one first down, it was unable to gain another. Facing a fourth down and needing five yards for a first down at the Air Force 29-yard line, Tech head coach Frank Beamer elected to try to gain the first down instead of trying a long field goal. Bryan Randall was sacked for a loss of 10 yards, however, and the Hokies turned the ball over to Air Force after failing to gain the first down.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Game summary, Second quarter
Air Force began its offensive possession at its 39-yard line, and like Virginia Tech, soon found itself facing a fourth down. Like Virginia Tech, it elected to try to convert the down, but unlike Virginia Tech, the Falcons were successful in gaining the needed yardage. Two plays later, however, Harridge threw his second interception of the game to the Tech defense. Tech's offense took the field, and gained a first down, but was forced to punt after failing to gain a second. Air Force likewise gained a first down on offense and did gain a second, but could not gain a third.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Game summary, Second quarter
After another Falcon punt, the Hokies took over on offense at their 49-yard line with 4:12 remaining before halftime. Tech began advancing the ball, and was aided by a 15-yard penalty against Air Force that pushed the Hokies deep into Falcons territory. Running backs Kevin Jones and Lee Suggs advanced the ball on the ground with short rushes, and Randall contributed short passes at times, gaining needed first downs when required. Tech advanced the ball inside the Air Force 10-yard line, gaining a first down at the nine-yard line. There, the Air Force defense stiffened.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Game summary, Second quarter
Virginia Tech gained four yards on three plays, but was unable to cross the goal line for another touchdown. Virginia Tech kicker Warley entered the game to attempt his second field goal try of the game. The 23-yard kick was more successful than his first try, and with 25 seconds remaining in the first half, tied the game at 10–10.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Game summary, Second quarter
Air Force received the kickoff and ran one quick rushing play to allow the first half to come to an end with the score tied at 10.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Game summary, Third quarter
Because Air Force received the ball to begin the game, Virginia Tech received the ball to begin the second half. Tech returned the kickoff to its 25-yard line, where the Hokie offense began the first drive of the second half. The Tech offense used rushes by Lee Suggs and passes by Bryan Randall to pick up several first downs and drive into Air Force territory. But once on the Falcons' side of the field, Tech proved unable to gain another first down and was even pushed back into its own territory by a penalty. Tech was forced to punt, and Air Force began its first offensive possession of the second half at its 20-yard line after a touchback.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Game summary, Third quarter
On the first Air Force play of the second half, quarterback Chance Harridge ran up the middle of the field for a 21-yard gain. The Falcons followed that first-down play with a series of rushes that resulted in another first down, this time in Virginia Tech territory. But as the Hokies had done before them, the Falcons faltered inside opposition territory. Instead of punting the ball, however, Air Force head coach Fisher DeBerry kept his offense on the field to attempt to gain the needed two yards on fourth down. The attempt was unsuccessful, and Tech's offense returned to the field with 7:40 remaining in the quarter.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Game summary, Third quarter
The Hokies took over at their 39-yard line, and immediately found success. Randall connected on two 10-yard passes to take the Hokies into Air Force territory. The two passes were followed by a 16-yard run by Tech fullback Doug Easlick for another first down at the Air Force 24-yard line. From there, the Tech ground game continued to eat up yards and result in first downs. Kevin Jones ran the ball twice for 11 yards, then Lee Suggs ran the ball three times for 13 yards, the last carry also resulting in a touchdown. The score and subsequent extra point gave Tech its first lead of the game, 17–10, with 4:45 remaining.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Game summary, Third quarter
Following the post-touchdown kickoff, the two teams traded punts. Air Force gained a first down before punting, Tech was forced into a three and out, and as the quarter came to an end, Air Force was facing a third down and seven yards at the Tech 29-yard line. Tech still held a 17–10 lead, but the Falcons appeared to be in striking distance.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Game summary, Fourth quarter
Air Force began the final quarter of play in possession of the ball and facing a third down at the Virginia Tech 29-yard line. Needing seven yards for a first down, the Falcons picked up six. Instead of attempting a field goal on fourth down, DeBerry ordered another fourth-down conversion, which was successful. Three plays later, Tech's defense again forced a fourth down, and again DeBerry ordered a fourth-down conversion. The try was again successful, and Air Force earned another first down.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Game summary, Fourth quarter
Virginia Tech's defense continued to prevent Air Force from gaining a big play or a touchdown, however, and forced another fourth down. Considering his third fourth-down conversion in the same drive, coach DeBerry instead sent in kicker Joey Ashcroft, who kicked a 21-yard field goal to cut Virginia Tech's lead to 17–13 with 9:50 to go in the quarter.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Game summary, Fourth quarter
Tech returned the post-touchdown kickoff to its 34-yard line, where the Hokies began their first offensive drive of the fourth quarter. Randall ran for nine yards, Suggs for three, then Randall completed two passes for 16 yards to push the Hokies into Air Force territory. Once there, Tech continued to grind forward as Suggs ran the ball on five consecutive plays for 15 yards and a first down. After Randall was sacked for a loss of eight yards, however, Tech sent in Warley, who kicked a 37-yard line to restore Tech's seven-point lead, 20–13, with 4:03 to go in the game.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Game summary, Fourth quarter
With time running out, Air Force seemingly had one last opportunity to drive down the field and send the game into overtime with a touchdown and extra point or to win it outright with a touchdown and two-point conversion. The Falcons began their drive at their 18-yard line after Tech's kickoff. At the start, Air Force was aided by a 15-yard penalty against Virginia Tech. From there, the going was less easy, as Air Force used short rushes by Anthony Butler, Harridge, and Steve Massie to gain two first downs and advance the ball into Virginia Tech territory.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Game summary, Fourth quarter
Then, facing third down at the Virginia Tech 47-yard line, Harridge completed an 18-yard pass to tight end Adam Strecker. It was just Harridge's second completion of the game—the first having taken place in the second play of the game. Following the pass, the Falcons were hampered by a 10-yard illegal blocking penalty, but a 19-yard pass to James "JP" Waller erased that deficit and gave Air Force a first down at the Virginia Tech 10-yard line. Time was rapidly running out, but there was still time for Air Force to attempt a few plays. Harridge threw two passes that fell incomplete, then attempted a desperation run towards the end zone. He was tackled five yards short of the goal line, however, and time expired.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Game summary, Fourth quarter
Virginia Tech escaped with the 20–13 victory thanks to the defensive stop.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Statistical summary
Thanks to his performance during the game, Air Force quarterback Chance Harridge became just the fifth player in Air Force history and the 16th player in NCAA Division I-A history to rush for 1,000 yards and pass for 1,000 yards in the same season. Despite that performance, Virginia Tech quarterback Bryan Randall was named the game's most valuable player for his winning effort. Randall finished the game having completed 18 of his 23 passes for 177 yards. Harridge completed four of his 19  passes for 91 yards and two interceptions. After completing a pass on the second play of the game, Harridge did not complete another pass until there were less than five minutes remaining in the game, throwing 11 consecutive incomplete passes in the intervening period.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Statistical summary
The 2002 San Francisco Bowl was the final collegiate game of Tech running back Lee Suggs, whose two touchdowns allowed him to finish his collegiate career with 336 points, the second-most career points scored by a player in the Big East. Suggs also extended his NCAA-record streak of consecutive games with a rushing touchdown to 27. That record still stands today. Suggs finished the game with 19 carries for 70 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Tech wide receiver Ernest Wilford, who caught five passes for 50 yards, set what was then a school record for receptions in a season with 51. This broke the record of 46, set by Mike Burnop in 1971.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Statistical summary
Air Force finished the game with 227 rushing yards and 318 total yards on offense. The Falcons also committed four 15-yard personal foul penalties in addition to other, more minor, penalties accumulated during the game. Air Force's leading rusher was Anthony Butler, who carried the ball 17 times for 75 yards. Anthony Park was the Falcons' leading receiver, catching Harridge's second-play 47-yard throw for his only reception of the game.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Postgame effects
Virginia Tech's win took it to a final 2002 record of 10–4, while Air Force's loss dropped it to a final record of 8–5. Tech finished with its third 10-win-or-more season in four years, and secured a spot in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll of the season for the fifth consecutive season.


2002 San Francisco Bowl, Postgame effects
Attendance was low, in part due to Tech fans' reluctance to travel across the country and pay high prices for the chance to do so. Travel agents indicated low business in the weeks leading up to the game, and Tech sold approximately 5,000 tickets—a far lower total than the Hokies' two previous bowl games, when 25,000 tickets each were sold to games in Florida and Louisiana.


2002 San Francisco Giants season
The 2002 San Francisco Giants season was the 120th in franchise history, the franchise's 45th season in San Francisco, and their third in Pacific Bell Park. The season ended with the Giants winning the National League pennant but losing to the Anaheim Angels in the 2002 World Series.


2002 San Francisco Giants season
The Giants finished the regular season with a record of 95–66, 2+1⁄2 games behind the Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West standings. By virtue of having the best record among second-place teams in the National League, they won the NL wild card to earn a postseason berth.


2002 San Francisco Giants season
In the postseason, the Giants faced the Atlanta Braves in the National League Division Series. After being brought to the brink of elimination, the Giants won Games 4 and 5 to clinch the series, three games to two. They went on to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Championship Series by a series score of four games to one to win the franchise's 17th NL championship and its third in San Francisco. Then, in the World Series, they brought the Angels to the brink of elimination before the Angels came from behind to win Games 6 and 7.


2002 San Francisco Giants season
2002 was manager Dusty Baker's tenth and final season managing the Giants. Following the season he departed to manage the Chicago Cubs.


2002 San Francisco Giants season, Player stats, Batting, Starters by position
Note: Pos = Position; G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


2002 San Francisco Giants season, Player stats, Batting, Other batters
Note: G = Games played; AB = At bats; H = Hits; Avg. = Batting average; HR = Home runs; RBI = Runs batted in


2002 San Francisco Giants season, Player stats, Pitching, Starting pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


2002 San Francisco Giants season, Player stats, Pitching, Other pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; IP = Innings pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


2002 San Francisco Giants season, Player stats, Pitching, Relief pitchers
Note: G = Games pitched; W = Wins; L = Losses; SV = Saves; ERA = Earned run average; SO = Strikeouts


2002 San Francisco Giants season, World series, Game 1
October 19, 2002 at Edison International Field of Anaheim in Anaheim, California


2002 San Francisco Giants season, World series, Game 1
San Francisco won 4-3 at Edison International Field of Anaheim (now Angel Stadium of Anaheim) to take a 1-0 lead. Barry Bonds hit a home run in his first career World Series at-bat. He was one of three Giants to homer in the game (the other two were Reggie Sanders and JT Snow). Troy Glaus hit 2 home runs for the Angels.


2002 San Francisco Giants season, World series, Game 2
October 20, 2002 at Edison International Field of Anaheim in Anaheim, California


2002 San Francisco Giants season, World series, Game 2
Anaheim won 11-10 at home in a game where the lead kept fluctuating between the two teams, tying up the series. Bonds again hit a mammoth homer with 2 outs in the 9th inning, off of Troy Percival. The biggest home run of the night, however, was hit by Tim Salmon, a longtime Angel, with 2 outs and one on in the bottom of the 8th. The dramatic blast won the game for the Angels.


2002 San Francisco Giants season, World series, Game 3
October 22, 2002 at Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco


2002 San Francisco Giants season, World series, Game 3
Anaheim won 10-4 in the first game at Pacific Bell Park (now Oracle Park). The Angels batted around twice without a home run in either of their 4-run innings. Barry Bonds hit another home run, becoming thefirst man to homer in his first 3 World Series games.


2002 San Francisco Giants season, World series, Game 4
October 23, 2002 at Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco


2002 San Francisco Giants season, World series, Game 4
San Francisco scored a 4-3 victory to tie the series. NLCS MVP Benito Santiago tied the game with a single in the 5th inning after the Angels walked Barry Bonds with a runner on second and two outs. David Bell put the Giants ahead with an RBI single in the bottom of the 8th. The run was unearned due to Anaheim catcher Bengie Molina's passed ball during the previous at-bat, allowing J. T. Snow to move to second.


2002 San Francisco Giants season, World series, Game 5
October 24, 2002 at Pacific Bell Park in San Francisco


2002 San Francisco Giants season, World series, Game 5
San Francisco took a 16-4 blowout win in a game in which the Angels never led. The most well-known moment in this game occurred when Giants first baseman J. T. Snow scored off a Kenny Lofton triple. 3-year-old batboy Darren Baker, son of Giants manager Dusty Baker, ran to home plate to collect Lofton's bat before the play was completed and was quickly lifted by the jacket by Snow as he crossed the plate, with David Bell close on his heels. Had Snow not acted quickly, Darren could have been seriously injured.


2002 San Francisco Giants season, World series, Game 6
October 26, 2002 at Edison International Field of Anaheim in Anaheim, California


2002 San Francisco Giants season, World series, Game 6
The turning point in the series came in Game 6. Leading 5-0 with one out in the bottom of the 7th inning, 8 outs away from the Giants' first World Series title in San Francisco, Giants manager Dusty Baker pulled starting pitcher Russ Ortiz for setup man Félix Rodríguez after Ortiz gave up consecutive singles to third baseman Troy Glaus and designated hitter Brad Fullmer. In a widely publicized move, Baker gave Ortiz the game ball as he sent him back to the dugout.


2002 San Francisco Giants season, World series, Game 6
During the pitching change the Rally Monkey came on the JumboTron, sending 45,037 Angels fans into a frenzy. Angel first baseman Scott Spiezio came to the plate and fouled off pitch after pitch before finally hitting a 3-run home run that barely cleared the wall in right field. The rally continued in the 8th inning, as Angel center fielder Darin Erstad hit a leadoff line-drive home run, followed by consecutive singles by Tim Salmon and Garret Anderson. (Chone Figgins pinch ran for Salmon.) When Bonds misplayed Anderson's shallow left field bloop single, Figgins and Anderson took third and second respectively.


2002 San Francisco Giants season, World series, Game 6
With no outs, two runners in scoring position and now only a 5-4 lead, Baker brought in closer Robb Nen to pitch to Glaus, hoping that Nen could induce a strikeout that might yet preserve the Giants' slim lead. However, Glaus slugged a double to the left-center field gap over Bonds' head to drive in the tying and winning runs. In the 9th inning, Angels closer Troy Percival struck out Rich Aurilia to preserve the 6-5 victory in front of the jubilant home crowd.


2002 San Francisco Giants season, World series, Game 7
October 27, 2002 at Edison International Field of Anaheim in Anaheim, California


2002 San Francisco Giants season, World series, Game 7
Game 7 proved to be somewhat anticlimactic after the drama of Game 6. The Giants scored the first run on a sacrifice, but the Angels responded with a run-scoring double from catcher Bengie Molina and a 3-run double to right field from left fielder Garret Anderson to open a 4-1 lead. Rookie starting pitcher John Lackey maintained that lead. In the 9th inning, closer Troy Percival provided some tense moments as he opened the inning by putting two Giants on base, with only one out.


2002 San Francisco Giants season, World series, Game 7
But Tsuyoshi Shinjo – the first Japanese player in a World Series game – struck out swinging, and Kenny Lofton, also representing the tying run, flied out to Darin Erstad in right-center field to end the Series. The Angels won Game 7, 4-1, to claim their franchise's first and so far only World Series Championship. John Lackey became the first rookie pitcher to win a World Series game 7 since 1909.


2002 San Jose Earthquakes season
The 2002 San Jose Earthquakes season was the seventh season of the team's existence.


2002 San Jose Earthquakes season, Squad, Current squad
As of August 18, 2009. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2002 San Jose Earthquakes season, Competitions, Overall
Source: Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd head-to-head record; 3rd goal difference; 4th number of goals scored. (SS) = MLS Supporters' Shield; (E1) = Eastern Conference champion; (W1) = Western Conference championOnly applicable when the season is not finished:(Q) = Qualified for the MLS Cup Playoffs, but not yet to the particular round indicated; (E) = Eliminated from playoff-contention.


2002 San Jose State Spartans football team
The 2002 San Jose State Spartans football team represented San Jose State University in the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. Members of the Western Athletic Conference (WAC), the Spartans were led by second-year head coach Fitz Hill and played their home games at Spartan Stadium. The Spartans finished the season 6–7, 4–4 in WAC play, to finish in fourth place. Although they improved from a 3–9 season in 2001, the Spartans did not participate in a bowl game, despite finishing with a 6-7 record.


2002 San Jose mayoral election
The 2002 San Jose mayoral election was held on March 5, 2002 to elect the mayor of San Jose, California. It saw the reelection of Ron Gonzales.


2002 San Jose mayoral election
Because Gonzales won an outright majority in the initial round of the election, no runoff election needed to be held.


2002 San José mayoral election
The mayoral election of San José of 2002 were the first democratic elections of the modern era to choose the newly created figure of Mayor and two deputy mayors (following the reform to the Municipal Code made in 1998), of the municipality of San José, capital of Costa Rica as with other municipalities. Syndics and District Councilmen were also elected for each of the canton's districts.


2002 San José mayoral election
The winner was then the Municipal Executive of San José (until then appointed by the City Council of San José) Johnny Araya Monge of the National Liberation Party with 36% of the votes. Other candidates were Fernando Zumbado of San José Alliance, Luis Marino Castillo of the Social Christian Unity Party and Benjamín Odio of the Citizen Action Party.


2002 San Marino Grand Prix
The 2002 San Marino Grand Prix (formally the XXII Gran Premio di San Marino) was a Formula One motor race held on 14 April 2002 at the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari, Imola, Emilia-Romagna, Italy. The race, contested over 62 laps, was the fourth race of the 2002 Formula One season and was won by Michael Schumacher driving a Ferrari. Schumacher's teammate Rubens Barrichello finished second, and his brother Ralf Schumacher finished third in a Williams-BMW. It was the first one-two finish of the season for Ferrari and the first one-two for the team at Imola since 1982.


2002 San Miguel Beermen season
The 2002 San Miguel Beermen season was the 28th season of the franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).


2002 San Miguel Beermen season, National team
Four members of the San Miguel Beermen namely Danny Seigle, Olsen Racela, two-time MVP Danny Ildefonso and newly acquired Dondon Hontiveros from the defunct Tanduay ballclub were chosen to comprised the 15-man lineup of the Philippine national team that will participate in the Asian Games in Busan, South Korea in October. SMB coach Jong Uichico was given the tasks to handle the nationals. Assistant coach Siot Tanquingcen takes over the coaching chores of the Beermen on an interim basis. During the Governor's Cup, Danny Seigle, Olsen Racela and Dondon Hontiveros played for Philippine team-Selecta while Danny Ildefonso played for Philippine team-Hapee Toothpaste.


2002 San Miguel Beermen season, Occurrences
The July 11 game between San Miguel and Red Bull at the Cuneta Astrodome had a bench-clearing incident in which 13 players of San Miguel and 11 from Red Bull were fined P10,000 by the Commissioner's office, the melee started during the third quarter when Beermen import Art Long threw a punch on Red Bull import Tony Lang, who retaliated with a shove, both imports were thrown out and when Lang was ushered out, he confronted the SMB import upon entering the locker room but was stopped by a female security officer.


2002 San Miguel Beermen season, Occurrences
Danny Seigle never played a single game for the Beermen in the season after his stint with the national training pool when he suffered a torn right Achilles tendon.


2002 Sandown 500
The 2002 Sandown 500 was an Australian motor race for Production Cars  which drew its entries from those competing in the Australian Nations Cup Championship and Australian GT Production Car Championship. It was the second Sandown 500 since the former touring car endurance race was revived for production cars and would be the last as Sandown would regain the rights to the 500 kilometre V8 Supercar race the following year.


2002 Sandown 500
The race, which was the 35th Sandown 500 endurance race  was held at Sandown Raceway in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia over the weekend of 8 September 2002. It was won by  Paul Stokell and Anthony Tratt driving a Lamborghini Diablo GTR.


2002 Sandown 500, Sandown 500 Top Gun Challenge
After qualifying was completed the fastest ten cars competed in a one-lap runoff for the top ten grid positions. Runoff results as follows:


2002 Sandown 500, Official results
Cars failing to complete 75% of winner's distance marked as Not Classified (NC). Race results as follows:


2002 Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council election
The 2002 Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council election took place on 2 May 2002 to elect members of Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council in the West Midlands, England. One third of the council was up for election and the Labour Party stayed in overall control of the council.


2002 Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council election, Campaign
Before the election the Labour Party controlled the council with 55 seats, compared to 8 Conservatives, 7 Liberal Democrats and 1 independent. A further seat was vacant after the recent death of Labour councillor Fred Smith.


2002 Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council election, Campaign
Candidates in the election included five independents who were standing in protest at a decision by the council to close a swimming pool in Tipton and a nearby leisure centre. The Tipton area also saw 2 candidates from the British National Party standing in the wards of Princes End and Tipton Green.


2002 Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council election, Election result
The results saw Labour easily keep its strong majority on the council after winning 19 of the 24 seats contested. Neither the British National Party, nor the candidate from the Freedom Party managed to win a seat on the council, but the British National Party did win 24% in Princes End ward.


2002 Santos FC season
The 2002 season was Santos Futebol Clube's ninety season in existence and the club's forty-third consecutive season in the top flight of Brazilian football.


2002 Santos FC season
This season marked the new Meninos da Vila generation, where Robinho, Diego, Elano, Léo, Alex, Renato and others, helped Santos win their 6th Campeonato Brasileiro title, in which the club had not won since 1968.


2002 Santos FC season, Players, Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2002 Sarasota Clay Court Classic
The 2002 Sarasota Clay Court Classic was a women's tennis event played on outdoor green clay courts in Sarasota, Florida in the United States that was part of the Tier IV category on the 2002 WTA Tour. It was the inaugural edition of the tournament and was held from April 1 through April 7, 2002. First-seeded Jelena Dokić won the singles title.


2002 Sarasota Clay Court Classic, Finals, Doubles
Liezel Huber /   Elena Likhovtseva defeated  Els Callens  /  Conchita Martínez, 6–7(5–7), 6–3, 6–3


2002 Saskatchewan Roughriders season
The 2002 Saskatchewan Roughriders finished in 4th place in the West Division with an 8–10–0–2 record in the final season where overtime losses counted in the standings. They crossed over to the East Division and played against the Toronto Argonauts and lost in the East Semi-Final 24–12. It was the first time they had made the playoffs since their Grey Cup run in 1997.


2002 Saskatchewan Scott Tournament of Hearts
The 2002 Saskatchewan Scott Tournament of Hearts women's provincial curling championship, was held January 23–27 at the Melfort Northern Lights Palace in Melfort, Saskatchewan. The winning team of Sherry Anderson, represented Saskatchewan at the 2002 Scott Tournament of Hearts in Brandon, Manitoba, where the team finished round robin with a 9–2 record, before losing to Team Canada's Colleen Jones.


2002 Saudi Crown Prince Cup
The 2002 Crown Prince Cup was the 27th season of the Saudi premier knockout tournament since its establishment in 1957. The main competition started on 1 February 2002 and concluded with the final on 24 April 2002.


2002 Saudi Crown Prince Cup
In the final, Al-Ahli defeated defending champions Al-Ittihad 2–1 to secure their fourth title. The final was held at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah. As winners of the tournament, Al-Ahli qualified for the 2002–03 AFC Champions League third qualifying round.


2002 Saudi Crown Prince Cup, Qualifying rounds
All of the competing teams that are not members of the Premier League competed in the qualifying rounds to secure one of 4 available places in the Round of 16. First Division sides Abha and Al-Raed and Second Division sides Al-Adalah and Najran qualified.


2002 Saudi Crown Prince Cup, Round of 16
The Round of 16 fixtures were played on 1 and 2 February 2002. All times are local, AST (UTC+3).


2002 Saudi Crown Prince Cup, Quarter-finals
The Quarter-finals fixtures were played on 6 and 7 February 2002. All times are local, AST (UTC+3).


2002 Saudi Crown Prince Cup, Semi-finals
The Semi-finals fixtures were played on 18 and 19 February 2002. All times are local, AST (UTC+3).


2002 Saudi Crown Prince Cup, Final
The 2002 Crown Prince Cup Final was played on 24 April 2002 at the Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal Stadium in Jeddah between derby rivals Al-Ahli and Al-Ittihad. This was the eighth Crown Prince Cup final to be held at the stadium. The two sides met once in the final, in 1958, which Al-Ittihad won. All times are local, AST (UTC+3).


2002 Saxony-Anhalt state election
The 2002 Saxony-Anhalt state election was held on 21 April 2002 to elect the members of the 4th Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt. The incumbent Social Democratic Party (SPD) minority government led by Minister-President Reinhard Höppner was defeated. The SPD fell to third place, while the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) moved into first. The CDU subsequently formed a coalition with the Free Democratic Party (FDP), and CDU leader Wolfgang Böhmer was elected Minister-President.


2002 Saxony-Anhalt state election, Background
After both the 1994 and 1998 state elections, the SPD formed a minority government with the external support of the Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS). This marked the first time the PDS had been involved in determining government in a German state, and was a unique arrangement, dubbed the "Magdeburg model" after the capital of Saxony-Anhalt. In Germany, governments are typically coalition governments, in which the parties which support the government take part in cabinet and hold a majority of seats between them.


2002 Saxony-Anhalt state election, Background
However, the SPD/PDS arrangement functioned on a model of "tolerance", in which the PDS remained outside cabinet and abstained from the vote for Minister-President, rather than voting in favour, allowing the SPD to form a minority government. In 1994, this allowed the investment of an SPD–Green minority government; in 1998, after the Greens lost their Landtag representation, the SPD governed alone.


2002 Saxony-Anhalt state election, Campaign and issues
At the time, Saxony-Anhalt was the "poorest" state of Germany, and that with the highest unemployment rate. The state election campaign was also influenced by the upcoming federal election.


2002 Saxony-Anhalt state election, Campaign and issues
The German People's Union, which won 12.9% of the vote and 12 seats in 1998, did not run in the election. This came after internal strife and the secession of the Freedom and Democracy People's Party (FDVP), which did run in the election.


2002 Saxony-Anhalt state election, Parties
The table below lists parties represented in the 3rd Landtag of Saxony-Anhalt.


2002 Saxony-Anhalt state election, Outcome
The SPD suffered a major defeat, falling to third place behind both the CDU and PDS. The CDU became the largest party with 37% of the vote. The FDP achieved an unexpected victory with 13% of the vote. The Party for a Rule of Law Offensive (Schill party) failed to win seats, despite polling suggesting they would narrowly enter the Landtag.


2002 Saxony-Anhalt state election, Outcome
While polls before the election indicated the SPD and PDS would likely retain a slim majority, the success of the FDP at the SPD's expense meant that the CDU and FDP held a comfortable majority between them. Thus, the PDS-backed SPD government no longer had the numbers to retain power. The CDU and FDP negotiated a coalition, with CDU leader Wolfgang Böhmer heading the new government.


2002 Saxony-Anhalt state election, Outcome
The election, which took place five months before the 2002 federal election, was a major defeat for the federal SPD–Green government, and weakened its standing in the Bundesrat.


2002 Scheldeprijs
The 2002 Scheldeprijs was the 89th edition of the Scheldeprijs cycle race and was held on 24 April 2002. The race was won by Robbie McEwen of the Lotto team.


2002 Scotland rugby union tour of North America
The 2002 Scotland rugby union tour of North America was a series of matches played in June 2002 in North America by Scotland national rugby union team.


2002 Scotland rugby union tour of North America, First test
Canada:15.Winston Stanley, 14.Fred Asselin, 13.Nik Witkowski, 12.John Cannon, 11.Sean Fauth, 10.Jared Barker, 9.Morgan Williams, 8.Phil Murphy, 7.Dan Baugh, 6.Ryan Banks, 5.Mike James, 4.Alan Charron , 3.Jon Thiel, 2.Pat Dunkley, 1.Rod Snow – replacements: 19.Colin Yukes18.Ed Knaggs22.Kyle Nichols17.Kevin Wirachowski  –  No entry : Harry Toews, Ed Fairhurst, Bobby RossScotland:15.Glenn Metcalfe, 14.Rory Kerr, 13.Andy Craig, 12.Brendan Laney, 11.Chris Paterson, 10.Duncan Hodge, 9.Mike Blair, 8.Jon Petrie, 7.Simon Taylor, 6.Jason White, 5.Stuart Grimes (cap), 4.Nathan Hines, 3.Craig Smith, 2.Gordon Bulloch, 1.Mattie Stewart,  – replacements: 16.Steve Brotherstone, 17.Allan Jacobsen, 18.Graeme Burns, 19.Donnie Macfadyen, 20.Andy Hall, 21.Ben Hinshelwood, 22.Marcus di Rollo


2002 Scotland rugby union tour of North America, Second Test
United States:15.John Buchholz, 14.Mose Timoteo, 13.Phillip Eloff, 12.Link Wilfley, 11.Jason Keyter, 10.Mike Hercus, 9.Kevin Dalzell, 8.Dave Hodges (cap), 7.Kort Schubert, 6.Aaron Satchwell, 5.Luke Gross, 4.Eric Reed , 3.Dan Dorsey, 2.Kirk Khasigian, 1.Mike MacDonald – replacements: 16.Dan Anderson, 17.Andy McGarry 18.John Tarpoff 19.Conrad


2002 Scotland rugby union tour of North America, Second Test
Hodgson20.Kimball Kjar22.Jone Naqica  –  No entry : Riaan HamiltonScotland:15.Glenn Metcalfe, 14.Rory Kerr, 13.Andy Craig, 12.Brendan Laney, 11.Chris Paterson, 10.Duncan Hodge, 9.Mike Blair, 8.Simon Taylor, 7.Donnie Macfadyen, 6.Jason White, 5.Stuart Grimes (cap), 4.Nathan Hines, 3.Mattie Stewart, 2.Gordon Bulloch, 1.Allan Jacobsen,  – replacements: 16.Steve Scott, 17.Craig Smith, 18.Andy Hall, 20.Graeme Burns, 21.Andrew Henderson, 22.Marcus di Rollo  –  No entry: Ally Hogg


2002 Scott Tournament of Hearts
The 2002 Scott Tournament of Hearts Canadian women's national curling championship, was played Keystone Centre in Brandon, Manitoba. The defending champion, representing Team Canada, Colleen Jones and her rink from the Mayflower Curling Club in Halifax, Nova Scotia won her second straight Hearts.


2002 Scott Tournament of Hearts, Teams
Skip : Colleen JonesThird: Kim KellySecond: Mary-Anne WayeLead: Nancy DelahuntAlternate: Laine Peters


2002 Scott Tournament of Hearts, Teams
Skip : Cathy KingThird: Lawnie MacDonaldSecond: Brenda BohmerLead: Kate HorneAlternate: Marcy Balderston


2002 Scott Tournament of Hearts, Teams
Skip : Kristy LewisThird: Krista BernardSecond: Denise BlashkoLead: Susan AllanAlternate: Carmen Blashko


2002 Scott Tournament of Hearts, Teams
Skip : Jennifer JonesThird: Karen PorrittSecond: Lynn Fallis-KurzLead: Dana AllertonAlternate: Jill Officer


2002 Scott Tournament of Hearts, Teams
Skip : Kathy FloydThird: Marie-Anne PowerSecond: Jane ArseneauLead: Allison FraneyAlternate: Mary Harding


2002 Scott Tournament of Hearts, Teams
Skip : Cathy Cunningham Third: Peg GossSecond: Kathy KerrLead: Heather MartinAlternate: Anna-Mae Holden


2002 Scott Tournament of Hearts, Teams
Skip : Meredith DoyleThird: Beth IskiwSecond: Candice MacLeanLead: Krista TriderAlternate: Allyson Burgess


2002 Scott Tournament of Hearts, Teams
Skip : Sherry MiddaughThird: Janet BrownSecond: Andrea LawesLead: Sheri CordinaAlternate: Kirsten Harmark


2002 Scott Tournament of Hearts, Teams
Skip : Kathy O'RourkeThird: Julie ScalesSecond: Lori RobinsonLead: Bea GrahamAlternate: Kim Dolan


2002 Scott Tournament of Hearts, Teams
Skip : Nathalie GagnonThird: Joelle BelleySecond: Sylvie FortinLead: Julie BlackburnAlternate: Candide Hebert


2002 Scott Tournament of Hearts, Teams
Skip : Sherry AndersonThird: Kim HodsonSecond: Sandra MulroneyLead: Donna GignacAlternate: Heather Walsh


2002 Scott Tournament of Hearts, Teams
Skip : Monigue GagnierThird: Kelly KayloSecond: Sharon CormierLead: Cheryl BurlingtonAlternate: Kerry Koe


2002 Scottish Challenge Cup Final
The 2002 Scottish Challenge Cup Final, also known as the Bell's Cup Final for sponsorship reasons, was an association football match between Brechin City and Queen of the South on 20 October 2002 at Broadwood Stadium in Cumbernauld. It was the 12th final of the Scottish Challenge Cup since it was first organised in 1990 to celebrate the centenary of the Scottish Football League.


2002 Scottish Challenge Cup Final
Both teams progressed through four knock-out rounds to reach the final. The match was Brechin City's first national cup final in its 96-year history whilst it was Queen of the South's second appearance in the final of the tournament having lost in 1997. The tournament was contested by clubs below the Scottish Premier League; Queen of the South from the First Division and Brechin City from the Second Division.


2002 Scottish Challenge Cup Final
Queen of the South dominated most of the game with John O'Neill scoring the first goal in the 33rd minute. Two minutes into the second half, Derek Lyle scored a header to take a 2–0 lead. Brechin City had few chances to score and Queen of the South held on to win the tournament and a national cup competition for the first time.


2002 Scottish Challenge Cup Final, Route to the final
The competition is a knock-out tournament and in 2002 was contested by the 30 teams that played in the First, Second and Third Divisions of the Scottish Football League. Teams were paired at random and the winner of each match progressed to the next round and the loser was eliminated. The first round was contested by 28 of the teams and two received random byes into the second round.


2002 Scottish Challenge Cup Final, Route to the final, Brechin City
Brechin City entered the first round and were drawn to play Elgin City of the Third Division at Borough Briggs. Elgin took the lead in the 31st minute with a goal from David Ross but was short-lived; Chris Templeman equalised the score to 1–1 ten minutes later and Marc Millar scored early in the second half to give Brechin a 2–1 lead. Two minutes later, Templeman scored his second goal of the game and Charlie King concluded the win with a goal in the 90th minute to make it 4–1 and progress to the next round.


2002 Scottish Challenge Cup Final, Route to the final, Brechin City
Brechin played First Division club St Johnstone in the second round at home at Glebe Park. Grant Murray scored first for St Johnstone after seven minutes to take a 1–0 lead. Roddy Grant equalised for Brechin against his former club on 35 minutes before Peter MacDonald scored for St Johnstone to regain a 2–1 lead two minutes before half time. Brechin scored two goals in the second half; an own goal by Darren Dods and a second goal from Grant to produce a "shock" 3–2 win and advance to the quarter-finals.


2002 Scottish Challenge Cup Final, Route to the final, Brechin City
In the quarter-finals, Brechin faced another home game against a First Division club, this time against Falkirk. The score was 0–0 for most of the game before Falkirk took the lead with only three minutes left to play with a goal from Craig McPherson. However, Brechin scored one minute before the end through Kevin Fotheringham to force extra time. The score remained equal after extra time so the winner was decided by a penalty shoot-out; Brechin winning 5–3. With four clubs left in the tournament, Brechin were drawn against Third Division club Queen's Park at Hampden Park.


2002 Scottish Challenge Cup Final, Route to the final, Brechin City
Queen's Park scored first through James Allan after 26 minutes but Brechin equalised before half time with a goal from Marc Millar. The rest of the game's five goals came during a nine-minute period in the second half; Brechin took a two-goal lead courtesy of Chris Jackson and Kevin Fotheringham to make the score 3–1 before goals from John Gemmell and Jonny Whelan for Queen's Park and Roddy Grant for Brechin made the scoreline 4–3 in favour of Brechin. Both teams had chances to score again before the end but the score stayed the same ensuring Brechin qualified for the first national cup final in the club's history.


2002 Scottish Challenge Cup Final, Route to the final, Queen of the South
Queen of the South also entered the first round and were drawn to play Third Division club Peterhead away from home at Balmoor Stadium. Queen of the South dominated the majority of the game and scored two late goals in the second half from John O'Neill and Peter Weatherson to progress to the next round as 2–0 winners. In the second round Queen of the South played another Third Division club, Greenock Morton, at home at Palmerston Park. The game was marred with incidents with Dean Keenan, Colin Reilly and Alex Williams all being sent off for Greenock Morton. Sean O'Connor scored the winning goal for Queen of the South with only seven minutes left to play but shortly before the end sustained an injury from a tackle by Reilly which resulted in his sending off. Queen of the South won the game 1–0 and advanced to the quarter-finals.


2002 Scottish Challenge Cup Final, Route to the final, Queen of the South
In the quarter-finals, Queen of the South played Second Division club Dumbarton, also at Palmerston Park. John O'Neill scored his second goal of the tournament to give Queen of the South the lead after 25 minutes. Dumbarton had opportunities to score an equaliser for the remainder of the game but were denied by the home team's goalkeeper, Colin Scott. Despite Dumbarton's efforts, Queen of the South sealed the victory with a goal from Derek Lyle in the final minute of the match to win 2–0 and progress to the semi-finals.


2002 Scottish Challenge Cup Final, Route to the final, Queen of the South
With four teams left in the tournament, Queen of the South travelled to Love Street to face fellow First Division club St Mirren. Paul Shields scored first for Queen of the South in the seventh minute but was cancelled out five minutes later with a goal from Brian McGinty to make it 1–1 before Derek Lyle put Queen of the South back in front shortly before half time. Early in the second half, both teams scored again; Martin Cameron for St Mirren and Steve Bowey for Queen of the South to make the scoreline 3–2 to the away team.


2002 Scottish Challenge Cup Final, Route to the final, Queen of the South
With ten minutes left to play, Gerhard Fellner equalised for St Mirren to make it 3–3 but late goals in the final two minutes from a Peter Weatherson free kick and Shields' second goal of the game won the match 5–3 and sent Queen of the South into the final for the second time in its history.


2002 Scottish Challenge Cup Final, Pre-match, Venue
The 2002 final was hosted at Broadwood Stadium in Cumbernauld which had been Clyde's home since it was opened in 1994. The stadium hosted the final on three previous occasions; twice in the past two seasons and for the first time in 1996. The venue had a capacity of 8,000 and 4,500 tickets were allocated to Queen of the South who had a larger fan base and average home support than Brechin City, who were allocated around 2,500 tickets. Dumfries-based Queen of the South travelled approximately 77 miles (123.9 km) to the venue whereas Brechin City travelled around 94 miles (151.3 km).


2002 Scottish Challenge Cup Final, Pre-match, Analysis
In order to reach the final, both Brechin City and Queen of the South played two matches at home and two away. Brechin scored twelve goals and conceded seven compared with Queen of the South's ten goals scored and only three conceded. Queen of the South kept a clean sheet in the first three rounds and were favourites to win the match being the higher ranked club as a competitor in the First Division, one tier above Brechin who were in the Second Division.


2002 Scottish Challenge Cup Final, Pre-match, Analysis
At the time of the final Queen of the South were in bad league form, ranking second-last in the First Division with only two wins and eight points from 10 games. Brechin were in slightly better form, ranking 6th in the Second Division with four wins and 13 points from nine games before the cup final.


2002 Scottish Challenge Cup Final, Pre-match, Analysis
Brechin and Queen of the South were both aiming to win their second trophy in less than six months, having been crowned champions of the Third and Second Divisions respectively the previous season. Despite recent league success, Brechin had never reached the final of a national cup competition in its 96-year history whilst Queen of the South were making only their second appearance in a cup final since losing the 1997 final to Falkirk in the same competition.


2002 Scottish Challenge Cup Final, Match, First half
Queen of the South started the game as the livelier team, pushing forward early on; however, Brechin City had the first goal scoring opportunity of the final when Graham Gibson's long range shot was saved by Queen of the South goalkeeper Andy Goram. Peter Weatherson had a similar opportunity for Queen of the South after a pass from Derek Lyle but was also saved by Brechin's goalkeeper, David Hay. Hay made another save 10 minutes later after another Weatherson attempt from Steve Bowey's pass.


2002 Scottish Challenge Cup Final, Match, First half
After 28 minutes, Brechin player Chris Jackson was booked for a foul on Bowey and Queen of the South scored the first goal of the game shortly after in the 33rd minute but with controversy; John O'Neill rebounded the ball into the goal after Bowey's initial shot was saved by the goalkeeper but Brechin defender Greg McCulloch claimed to have cleared the ball off the line, however, referee John Underhill awarded the goal. Weatherson almost scored again shortly before half time when he headed the ball into goalkeeper Hay's hands after a Robbie Neilson cross.


2002 Scottish Challenge Cup Final, Match, Second half
From the beginning of the second half the match was dominated by Queen of the South and they extended their lead after only two minutes. Defender Andy Aitken made a long pass to Joe McAlpine who crossed the ball from the left to the unmarked Derek Lyle near the six-yard box who headed the ball past the goalkeeper to score his third goal of the tournament. Brechin made the first substitution of the match three minutes after the second goal, replacing Graham Gibson with Chris Templeman.


2002 Scottish Challenge Cup Final, Match, Second half
Brechin's best chance of the game came in the 58th minute when Charlie King's 20-yard shot forced goalkeeper Goram to make his first proper save of the match. In the 62nd minute, Brechin made their last substitution with Marc Millar replacing Paul Riley in the midfield. With three minutes left to play, Queen of the South had an opportunity to extend their lead further when Sean O'Connor's attempted header was hit wide from a corner kick by McAlpine.


2002 Scottish Challenge Cup Final, Post-match
Queen of the South goalkeeper Colin Scott, who had played in all rounds before the final, was ruled out of playing because of injury. However, manager John Connolly stated that he would not have played Scott even if he had been fully fit and opted with Andy Goram instead, saying: "I was not convinced of Colin's fitness", and "I told Colin there was never a chance of him playing in the Cup final". As a result of Goram's inclusion in the squad, he became the first player to win every domestic trophy in Scotland.


2002 Scottish Challenge Cup Final, Post-match
The match remains Brechin City's only appearance in a major national cup final. However, Queen of the South have made two further appearances in the final of the tournament since the match; losing to Ross County in 2010 and beating Partick Thistle in 2013. Queen of the South also reached the final of Scotland's main cup competition, the Scottish Cup in 2008, losing to Rangers.


2002 Scottish Claymores season
The 2002 Scottish Claymores season was the eighth season for the franchise in the NFL Europe League (NFLEL). The team was led by head coach Gene Dahlquist in his second year, and played four of its home games at Hampden Park in Glasgow and one at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland. They finished the regular season in fourth place with a record of five wins and five losses.


2002 Scottish Cup Final
The 2002 Scottish Cup Final was played on 4 May 2002 at Hampden Park in Glasgow and was the final of the 117th Scottish Cup. Celtic and Rangers contested the match, Rangers won the match 3–2, thanks to Peter Løvenkrands's last minute goal.


2002 Scottish League Cup Final
The 2001–02 Scottish League Cup Final was played on 17 March 2002 at Hampden Park in Glasgow and was the final of the 55th Scottish League Cup. The final was contested by Ayr United and Rangers, and was Ayr's first appearance in a national final. Rangers won the match 4–0, thanks to goals from Tore Andre Flo, a penalty from Barry Ferguson and a double from Claudio Caniggia.


2002 Scottish Masters
The 2002 Scottish Masters (known as the 2002 Regal Scottish Masters for sponsorship reasons) was a professional non-ranking snooker tournament which took place at the Thistle Hotel in Glasgow, Scotland, from 24 to 29 September. It was the final edition of the tournament, as it later lost its sponsorship by the cigarette brand Regal. It was the first of two invitational World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) competitions in the 2002–03 season. The host broadcaster was BBC Scotland.


2002 Scottish Masters
Ronnie O'Sullivan, a former world champion, won the tournament, defeating the defending champion John Higgins 9–4 in the final. It was the third time that O'Sullivan had won the Scottish Masters in his career, and he was awarded £65,000 from a prize fund pool of £205,000. In the semi-finals O'Sullivan defeated world number six Stephen Hendry 6–3 and Higgins beat Stephen Lee 6–4; Lee made the tournament's highest break of 139 in his loss.


2002 Scottish Masters, Overview
The Scottish Masters was an invitational professional snooker tournament first contested in 1981. The 2002 competition was the first of two World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association (WPBSA) invitational events of the 2002–03 season, the other being the 2003 Masters. It was held at the Thistle Hotel in Glasgow, Scotland, from 24 to 29 September and featured a 12-player main draw. Sponsored by the cigarette brand Regal, it had a prize fund of £205,000; the host broadcaster was BBC Scotland. The 2002 competition was the last due to the loss of tobacco sponsorship.


2002 Scottish Masters, Overview
The world top eight players were invited to the main draw and were seeded according to their final positions in the world rankings. The tournament's defending champion John Higgins was the first seed. Four competitors were given wild cards to enter the tournament: they were the 2002 Masters and Welsh Open champion Paul Hunter, Mark King, Jimmy White, and the champion of the 16-player Scottish Masters qualifying tournament and world number 22 Drew Henry. The maximum number of frames in a match increased from nine in the first round to eleven in the quarter and semi-finals; the final was played to the best-of-17 frames.


2002 Scottish Masters, Overview
Before the tournament, Higgins stated that his four-month break from competing would assist his ardour and interest in the game: "I've moved house twice, got married and become a dad for the first time, so it's been hectic. But now things are almost back to normal. Winning the Masters was a monkey off my back because I'd lost four or five finals in Scotland. So I can't wait to get started and hopefully kick off the season with a win."


2002 Scottish Masters, Tournament summary, Round 1
The first round was played from 24 to 25 September and entailed best-of-nine-frame matches. Stephen Lee, the 2002 Snooker Writers' Association Player of the Year and provisional world number one, made a break of 76, a 72 clearance and runs of 41, 40, 36 and 30 in defeating Scotland's Drew Henry 5–1. Henry won the fourth frame 60–37 but losing a 58–0 lead in the fifth due to a kick on a red ball. Lee said he was pleased with the result after heavy practise over the interval.


2002 Scottish Masters, Tournament summary, Round 1
World number ten and the tournament's oldest player White won 5–4 over former world champion Ken Doherty. Trailing 2–1, Doherty compiled a century break of 112 to tie the match in frame four. He took the lead with breaks of 44 and 39 for scores of 3–2 and 4–3. White compiled breaks of 36 and 38 to force a final frame, which he won 67–40.


2002 Scottish Masters, Tournament summary, Round 1
World number nine Hunter won 5–3 against the 1999 Scottish Masters champion Matthew Stevens. Hunter led 3–0 with breaks of 101, 72 and 64 before Stevens made reply breaks of 66 and 77. The match was tied after six frames before Hunter won the next two to secure a quarter-final berth. Hunter stated that he shook "like a leaf" for much of the game and Stevens said "things didn't go too well for me in this game." Breaks of 84, 82, 58, 47 and 39 allowed the world number six Stephen Hendry to whitewash King 5–0 in 90 minutes.


2002 Scottish Masters, Tournament summary, Round 1
Afterwards he said: "The first three or four frames were pretty good. It was a bit scrappy towards the end but getting the result was the main thing." He said he would not think of his next match against world champion Peter Ebdon as seeking revenge for his loss to him in the final of the 2002 world championship.


2002 Scottish Masters, Tournament summary, Quarter-finals
The four quarter-finals took place from 26 to 27 September as the best-of-11 frames. Ronnie O'Sullivan, a former world champion, defeated Hunter 6–3 to qualify for the semi-finals. He made two breaks of 58 and 59 to lead 3–0 before Hunter compiled reply breaks of 68 and 51 to make it 3–2. Hunter was later 4–3 behind until he failed to pot several red balls and O'Sullivan won the match. After the match, O'Sullivan criticised Hendry and his manager Ian Doyle as wanting to take control of snooker's commercial rights from the WPBSA to benefit themselves, something Doyle denied.


2002 Scottish Masters, Tournament summary, Quarter-finals
John Higgins overcame a challenge from White to win 6–4. He started with a 2–0 lead only to trail 4–2 after White made breaks of 81, 74 and 46. Higgins compiled a 133 clearance in the seventh frame and finished the match with breaks of 55 and 95. He called it "a topsy-turvy game" and said he had thought he would be unchallenged after White's poor early performance.


2002 Scottish Masters, Tournament summary, Quarter-finals
Lee took 103 minutes to whitewash Mark Williams 6–0 with breaks of 43, 46, 70, 122, 51 and 73; he accumulated more aggregate points than his opponent, 519–99. It was Williams' first career whitewash since he lost 5–0 to Doherty at the 1999 tournament. Lee had won against Williams for the first time in his three years playing in the tournament. Williams said he had "made it too easy" for Lee because he had left balls near the pockets. Hendry avenged his loss to Ebdon by defeating his opponent 6–4 in the last quarter-final match. He produced a 136 total clearance to hold a 4–2 lead and later compiled a break of 87 to win the match. After the game, Hendry said that neither he nor Ebdon were at their best form because there were a large number of errors during the match.


2002 Scottish Masters, Tournament summary, Semi-finals
Both semi-finals were held to the best-of-11 frames on 28 September. Higgins defeated Lee 6–4 with breaks of 89, 77, 72, 60 and 50 to earn the first berth in the final. Ahead 5–3, Higgins lost the ninth frame to Lee before he won the match after Lee potted a red and the pink ball simultaneously with a break of 51. Lee had compiled the tournament's highest break of 139 to overtake Hendry's 136 from the previous day.


2002 Scottish Masters, Tournament summary, Semi-finals
The other semi-final saw Hendry and O'Sullivan play each other. O'Sullivan took a 2–0 lead from breaks of 75 and 73 within ¼ hour. After Hendry missed a red while on a break of 65, O'Sullivan made a 69 clearance to further increase his lead by one frame. Hendry claimed three successive frames to tie the match before O'Sullivan made breaks of 76, 136 and 62 to win 6–3 and the second berth in the final.