2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 60-79, District 71
The new 71st district overlaps with much of the former 66th district. Incumbent Democrat Larry Womble, who has represented the 66th district since 1995, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 60-79, District 72
The new 72nd district overlaps with much of the former 67th district. Incumbent Democrat Warren C. Oldham, who has represented the 67th district since 1991, didn't seek re-election. Democrat Earline Parmon won the open seat.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 80-99, District 80
The new 80th District overlaps with much of the former 94th district. Incumbent Republican Jerry Dockham, who has represented the 94th district and its predecessors since 1991, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 80-99, District 81
The new 81st district overlaps with much of the former 37th district. Incumbent Democrat Hugh Holliman, who has represented the 37th district since 2001, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 80-99, District 82
The new 82nd district overlaps with much of the western portion of the former 40th district. Incumbent Republican Gene Wilson, who has represented the 40th district since 1995, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 80-99, District 83
The new 83rd district overlaps with much of the western portion of the former 41st district. Incumbent Republican Tracy Walker, who has represented the 41st district since 2001, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 80-99, District 84
The new 84th district overlaps with much of the former 46th district. Incumbent Republicans Charles Buchanan and Gregory Thompson, who have represented the 46th district since 1995 and 1993 respectively, were both redistricted here. Phillip Frye defeated Buchanan in the Republican primary and easily won the general election.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 80-99, District 85
The new 85th district overlaps with much of the former 49th district. Incumbent Republican Mitch Gillespie, who has represented the 49th district since 1999, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 80-99, District 86
The new 86th district overlaps with much of the former 47th district. Incumbent Democrat Walt Church, who has represented the 47th district since 1993, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 80-99, District 87
The new 87th district overlaps with much of the former 91st district. Incumbent Republican Edgar Starnes, who has represented the 91st district since 1997, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 80-99, District 88
The new 88th district overlaps with much of the northern portion of the former 45th district. Incumbent Republican Mark Hilton, who has represented the 45th district since 2001, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 80-99, District 89
The new 89th district overlaps with much of the former 43rd district. Incumbent Republican Mitchell Setzer, who has represented the 43rd district since 1999, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 80-99, District 90
The new 90th district overlaps with much of the center section of the old 40th district. Incumbent Republican William S. Hiatt, who has represented the 40th district since 1995, didn't seek re-election. Democrat Jim Harrell won the open seat.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 80-99, District 91
The new 91st district overlaps with much of the eastern portion of the former 40th district. Incumbent Republican Rex Baker, who has represented the 91st district since 1995, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 80-99, District 92
The new 92nd district overlaps with much of the eastern portion of the former 41st district. Incumbent Republican George Holmes, who has represented the 41st district and its predecessors since 1979, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 80-99, District 93
The new 93rd district overlaps with much of the former 39th district. Incumbent Republican Lyons Gray, who has represented the 39th district since 1989, didn't seek re-election. Republican Bill McGee won the open seat.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 80-99, District 94
the new 94th District overlaps with much of the former 84th district. Incumbent Republican Michael Decker, who has represented the 84th district and its predecessors since 1985, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 80-99, District 95
The new 95th district contains the southern portions of Catawba and Iredell counties and had no incumbent. Republican Karen Ray won the open seat.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 80-99, District 96
The new 96th district overlaps with much of the former 42nd district. Incumbent Republican Franklin Mitchell, who has represented the 42nd district since 1993, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 80-99, District 97
The new 97th district overlaps with much of the southern portion of the former 45th district. Incumbent Republican Joe Kiser, who has represented the 45th district since 1995, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 80-99, District 98
The new 98th district is based in the northern portion of Mecklenburg County and has no incumbent. Republican John Rhodes won the open seat.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 80-99, District 99
The new 99th district overlaps with much of the former 54th district. Incumbent Democrat Drew Saunders, who has represented the 54th district since 1997, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 100-120, District 100
The new 100th district overlaps with much of the former 36th district. Incumbent Speaker of the House Jim Black, who has represented the 36th district since 1991 and previously from 1981 to 1985, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 100-120, District 101
The new 101st district overlaps with much of the former 60th district. Incumbent Democrat Beverly Earle, who has represented the 60th district since 1995, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 100-120, District 102
The new 102nd district overlaps with much of the former 58th district. Incumbent Democrat Ruth Easterling, who has represented the 58th district and its predecessors since 1977, didn't seek re-election. Democrat Becky Carney won the open seat.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 100-120, District 103
The new 103rd district overlaps with much of the former 69th district. Incumbent Republican Jim Gulley, who has represented the 69th district since 1997, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 100-120, District 104
The new 104th district overlaps with much of the former 57th district. Incumbent Republican Connie Wilson, who has represented the 57th district since 1993, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 100-120, District 105
The new 105th district overlaps with much of the former 55th district. Incumbent Republican Ed McMahan, who has represented the 105th district since 1995, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 100-120, District 106
The new 106th district overlaps with much of the former 56th district. Incumbent Democrat Martha Alexander, who has represented the 56th district since 1993, was re-elected here


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 100-120, District 107
The new 107th district overlaps with much of the former 59th district. Incumbent Democrat Pete Cunningham, who has represented the 59th district since 1987, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 100-120, District 108
The new 108th district overlaps with much of the former 93rd district. Incumbent Republican John Rayfield, who has represented the 93rd district since 1995, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 100-120, District 109
The new 109th district overlaps with much of the former 44th district. Incumbent Democrat Daniel W. Barefoot, who has represented the 44th district since 1999, didn't seek re-election. Republican Patrick McHenry won the open seat.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 100-120, District 110
The new 110th district overlaps with the eastern portion of the former 48th district. Incumbent Republican Debbie Clary, who has represented the 48th district since 1995, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 100-120, District 111
The new 111th district overlaps with the central portion of the former 48th district. The district includes the homes of incumbent Republican John H. Weatherly, who has represented the 48th district since 1993, and Incumbent Democrat Andy Dedmon, who has represented the 48th district since 1997. Dedmon was defeated for re-election here by Republican Tim Moore.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 100-120, District 112
The new 112th district includes all of Rutherford County and a portion of Cleveland County. The new district had no incumbent and was won by Democrat Bobby England.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 100-120, District 113
The new 113th district overlaps with much of the former 68th district. Incumbent Republican Trudi Walend, who has represented the 68th district since 1999, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 100-120, District 114
The new 114th District overlaps with a portion of the former 51st district. Incumbent Democrat Martin Nesbitt, who has represented the 51st district and its predecessors since 1979, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 100-120, District 115
The new 115th district overlaps with much of the southeastern portion of the 51st district. Incumbent Republican Mark Crawford, who has represented the 51st district since 2001, lost re-election here to Democrat Bruce Goforth.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 100-120, District 116
The new 116th district overlaps with much of the southwestern portion of the old 51st district. Incumbent Republican Wilma Sherrill, who has represented the 51st district since 1995, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 100-120, District 117
The new 117th district overlaps with much of the former 50th district. Incumbent Republican Larry Justus, who has represented the 50th district since 1985, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 100-120, District 118
The new 118th district overlaps with much of the northern portion of the former 52nd district. Incumbent Republican Margaret Carpenter, who has represented the 52nd district since 2001, lost re-election here to Democrat Ray Rapp.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 100-120, District 119
The new 119th district overlaps with much of the southern portion of the former 52nd district. Incumbent Democrat Phil Haire, who has represented the 52nd district since 1999, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina House of Representatives election, Detailed Results, Districts 100-120, District 120
The new 120th district overlaps with much of the former 53rd district. Incumbent Republican Roger West, who has represented the 53rd district since 2000, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election
The 2002 North Carolina Senate election was held on November 5, 2002 as part of the biennial election to the General Assembly. All fifty seats in the North Carolina Senate were elected.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 1-25, District 1
Incumbent Democrat President Pro Tempore Marc Basnight has represented the 1st district since 1985.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 1-25, District 2
The new 2nd district overlaps with much of the former 3rd district. Incumbent Democrat Scott Thomas, who has represented the 3rd district since 2001, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 1-25, District 3
The new 3rd district includes the homes of incumbent Democrats Ed N. Warren, who has represented the 9th district since 1991, and R.L. Martin, who has represented the 6th district since 1985. Neither sought re-election here and Democrat Clark Jenkins won the open seat.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 1-25, District 4
The new 4th district overlaps with much of the former 2nd district. Incumbent Democrat Frank Ballance, who has represented the 2nd district since 1989, ran for the U.S. House. Democrat Robert L. Holloman won the open seat.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 1-25, District 5
The new 5th district is based in Wilson and Pitt counties and isn't a safe seat for either party. Democrat Tony Moore won the open seat.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 1-25, District 6
The new 6th district is based in Jones and Onslow counties. Democrat Cecil Hargett won the open seat.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 1-25, District 7
The new 7th district overlaps with much of the former 8th district. Incumbent Democrat John Kerr, who has represented the 8th district since 1993, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 1-25, District 8
The new 8th district overlaps with much of the former 18th district. Incumbent Democrat R. C. Soles Jr., who has represented the 18th district and its predecessors since 1977, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 1-25, District 9
The new 9th district overlaps with much of the former 4th district. Incumbent Republican Patrick Ballantine, who has represented the 4th district since 1995, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 1-25, District 10
The new 10th district overlaps with much of the former 5th district. Incumbent Democrat Charles Albertson, who has represented the 5th district since 1993, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 1-25, District 11
The new 11th district overlaps with much of the former 10th district. Incumbent Democrat A. B. Swindell, who has represented the 10th district since 2001, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 1-25, District 12
The new 12th district includes the homes of incumbent Democrats Allen Wellons, who has represented the 11th district since 1997, and Oscar Harris, who has represented the 15th district since 1999. Wellons ran for re-election here but was defeated by Republican Fred Smith.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 1-25, District 13
The new 13th district overlaps with much of the former 30th district. Incumbent Democrat David Weinstein, who has represented the 30th district since 1997, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 1-25, District 14
The new 14th district is based in Wake County and has no incumbent. Democrat Vernon Malone won the open seat.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 1-25, District 15
The new 15th district overlaps with much of the former 36th district. Incumbent Republican John Carrington, who has represented the 15th district since 1995, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 1-25, District 16
The new 16th district overlaps with much of the former 14th district. Incumbent Democrats Eric Miller Reeves and Brad Miller have represented the 14th district since 1997. Miller ran for the U.S. House while Reeves was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 1-25, District 17
The new 17th district is based in Southern Wake County and had no incumbent. Republican Richard Stevens won the open seat.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 1-25, District 18
The new 18th district overlaps with much of the northern portion of the former 13th district. Incumbent Democrat Wib Gulley, who has represented the 13th district since 1993, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 1-25, District 19
The new 19th district overlaps with much of the former 24th district. Incumbent Democrat Tony Rand, who has represented the 24th district since 1995, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 1-25, District 20
The new 20th district (Based in Durham County) overlaps with much of the southern portion of the old 13th district. Incumbent Democrat Jeanne Hopkins Lucas, who has represented the 13th district since 1993, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 1-25, District 21
The new 21st district overlaps with much of the former 41st district. Incumbent Democrat Larry Shaw, who has represented the 41st district since 1995, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 1-25, District 22
The new 22nd District includes all of Moore and Lee counties, as well as the western portion of Harnett County. Republican Harris Blake won the open seat.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 1-25, District 23
The new 23rd district overlaps with much of the former 16th district. Incumbent Democrats Eleanor Kinnaird and Howard Lee have both represented the 16th district since 1997. Kinnaird was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 1-25, District 24
The new 24th district overlaps with much of the former 21st district. Incumbent Republican Hugh Webster, who has represented the 21st district since 1995, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 1-25, District 25
The new 25th district overlaps with much of the eastern portion of the former 17th district. Incumbent Democrat Bill Purcell, who has represented the 17th district since 1997, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 26-50, District 26
The new 26th District includes the homes of incumbent Republicans  Phil Berger, who has represented the 12th district since 2001, and Robert G. Shaw, who has represented the 19th district since 1985. Berger was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 26-50, District 27
The new 27th district overlaps with much of the former 32nd district. Incumbent Democrat Kay Hagan, who has represented the 32nd district since 1999, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 26-50, District 28
The new 28th district overlaps with much of the former 31st district. Incumbent Democrat William N. Martin, who has represented the 31st district since 1983 did not seek re-election. Democrat Katie Dorsett won the open seat.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 26-50, District 29
The new 29th district includes Randolph and Montgomery counties and had no incumbent. Republican Jerry Tillman won the open seat.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 26-50, District 30
The new 30th district overlaps with much of the former 27th district. Incumbent Republican John Garwood, who has represented the 27th district since 1997, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 26-50, District 31
The new 31st district overlaps with parts of the former 20th district. Incumbent Republican Hamilton C. Horton, Jr., who has represented the 20th district since 1995, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 26-50, District 32
the new 32nd district overlaps with parts of the former 20th district. Incumbent Democrat Linda Garrou, who has represented the 20th district since 1999, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 26-50, District 33
The new 33rd district includes the homes of incumbent Democrat Cal Cunningham, who has represented the 23rd district since 2001, and incumbent Republican Stan Bingham, who has represented the 38th district since 2001. Cunningham did not seek re-election and Bingham was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 26-50, District 34
The new 34th district includes all of Davie and Yadkin counties as well as most of Rowan County. Republican Andrew Brock won the open seat.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 26-50, District 35
The new 35th district overlaps with much of the western portion of the old 17th district. Incumbent Democrat Aaron Plyler, who has represented the 17th district since 1983, did not seek re-election. Republican Fern Shubert won the open seat.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 26-50, District 36
The new 36th district overlaps with much of the former 22nd district. Incumbent Republican Fletcher L. Hartsell Jr., who has represented the 22nd district since 1991, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 26-50, District 37
The new 37th district overlaps with much of the former 40th district. Incumbent Democrat Dan Clodfelter, who has represented the 40th district since 1999, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 26-50, District 38
The new 38th district overlaps with much of the former 33rd district. Incumbent Democrat Charlie Dannelly, who has represented the 38th district since 1995, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 26-50, District 39
The new 39th district overlaps with much of the former 35th district. Incumbent Republican Bob Rucho, who has represented the 35th district since 1997, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 26-50, District 40
The new 40th district overlaps with much of the former 34th district. Incumbent Democrat T. L. Odom, who has represented the 40th district since 1989, lost re-election here to Republican Robert Pittenger.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 26-50, District 41
The new 41st district includes all of Alexander and Iredell counties and had no incumbent. Republican R. B. Sloan, Jr. won the open seat.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 26-50, District 42
The new 42nd district overlaps with much of the former 39th district. Incumbent Republican James Forrester, who has represented the 39th district and its predecessors since 1991, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 26-50, District 43
The new 43rd district overlaps with much of the former 25th district. Incumbent Democrat David Hoyle, who has represented the 25th district since 1993, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 26-50, District 44
The new 44th district overlaps with much of the former 26th district. Incumbent Republican Austin Allran, who has represented the 26th district since 1987, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 26-50, District 45
The new 45th District includes the homes of incumbent Republicans Virginia Foxx, who has represented the 12th district since 1995, and Kenneth R. Moore, who has represented the 27th district since 1997. Foxx was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 26-50, District 46
The new 46th district overlaps with much of the former 37th district. Incumbent Democrat Walter Dalton, who has represented the 37th district since 1997, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 26-50, District 47
The new 47th district includes all of Avery, Mitchell, McDowell, Yancey, and Madison counties as well as most of Haywood County. The district had no incumbent and Democrat Joe Sam Queen won the open seat.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 26-50, District 48
The new 48th District includes all of Henderson and Polk counties as well as southwestern Buncombe County. The District includes the home of Incumbent Democrat Charles Newell Carter, who has represented the 28th district since 1999. Carter did not seek re-election and Republican Tom Apodaca won the open seat.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 26-50, District 49
The new 49th district overlaps with much of the western portion of the old 28th district. Incumbent Democrat Steve Metcalf, who has represented the 28th district since 1999, was re-elected here.


2002 North Carolina Senate election, Detailed Results, Districts 26-50, District 50
The new 50th district includes the homes of Incumbent Democrat Dan Robinson, who has represented the 29th district since 1999, and Incumbent Republican Robert C. Carpenter, who has represented the 42nd district since 1989. Carpenter defeated Robinson to win another term in the Senate.


2002 North Carolina Tar Heels football team
The 2002 North Carolina Tar Heels football team represented the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by second-year head coach John Bunting, the Tar Heels played their home games at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. North Carolina finished the season 3–9 overall and 1–7 in ACC play to place eighth.


2002 North Carolina judicial election
Several justices of the North Carolina Supreme Court and judges of the North Carolina Court of Appeals were elected to eight-year terms by North Carolina voters on November 5, 2002. Party primary elections were held on Sept. 10. This was the last year in which statewide judicial elections were partisan.


2002 North Carolina judicial election
The result of the election was that all incumbent Democrats went down to defeat, and only one Democrat won a seat that was open (i.e. the incumbent chose not to run for another term).


2002 North Carolina judicial election, Supreme Court (Butterfield seat)
Incumbent G. K. Butterfield, a Democrat, had been appointed by Gov. Mike Easley and faced election for the first time. He was defeated by attorney Edward Thomas Brady, a Republican.


2002 North Carolina judicial election, Supreme Court (Butterfield seat)
In the Republican primary, Brady had defeated Judge Ralph A. Walker.


2002 North Carolina judicial election, Supreme Court (Orr seat)
Incumbent Robert F. Orr, a Republican, defeated North Carolina Court of Appeals Judge Robert C. Hunter, a Democrat.


2002 North Carolina judicial election, Supreme Court (Orr seat)
In the Democratic primary, Hunter had defeated attorney Bradley K. Greenway.


2002 North Carolina judicial election, Court of Appeals (Biggs seat)
Incumbent Loretta Copeland Biggs, a Democrat, was narrowly defeated by Sanford L. Steelman, Jr., a Republican. There were no primaries.


2002 North Carolina judicial election, Court of Appeals (Bryant seat)
Incumbent Wanda G. Bryant, a Democrat, was defeated by District Court Judge Ann Marie Calabria, a Republican.


2002 North Carolina judicial election, Court of Appeals (Bryant seat)
In the Republican primary, Calabria had defeated Nathanael K. (Nate) Pendley.


2002 North Carolina judicial election, Court of Appeals (Campbell seat)
Incumbent Hugh Brown Campbell, Jr., a Democrat, was defeated by District Court Judge Eric Levinson, a Republican.


2002 North Carolina judicial election, Court of Appeals (Campbell seat)
In the Republican primary, Levinson had defeated Lorrie L. Dollar.


2002 North Carolina judicial election, Court of Appeals (Thomas seat)
In the open-seat contest, Martha Geer, a Democrat, narrowly defeated Bill Constangy, a Republican.


2002 North Carolina judicial election, Court of Appeals (Thomas seat)
In the Democratic primary, Geer had defeated Marcus W. Williams.


2002 North Carolina judicial election, Court of Appeals (Walker seat)
In the open-seat contest, Rick Elmore, a Republican, defeated George R. Barrett, a Democrat.


2002 North Carolina judicial election, Court of Appeals (Walker seat)
In the Democratic primary, Barrett had defeated Beecher Reynolds Gray. In the Republican primary, Elmore had defeated Fritz Mercer.


2002 North Dakota State Bison football team
The 2002 North Dakota State Bison football team was an American football team that represented North Dakota State University during the 2002 NCAA Division II football season as a member of the North Central Conference. In their sixth year under head coach Bob Babich, the team compiled a 2–8 record.


2002 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
The 2002 North Indian Ocean cyclone season was a below average season in terms of tropical cyclone formation. The season had no official bounds, but most storms formed in either May or after October. No depressions or storms formed during the monsoon season from July to September, the first such instance on record. There are two main seas in the North Indian Ocean – the Bay of Bengal to the east of the Indian subcontinent – and the Arabian Sea to the west of India.


2002 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
The official Regional Specialized Meteorological Centre in this basin is the India Meteorological Department (IMD), while the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) releases unofficial advisories. An average of four to six storms form in the North Indian Ocean every season with peaks in May and November. Cyclones occurring between the meridians 45°E and 100°E are included in the season by the IMD.


2002 North Indian Ocean cyclone season
Overall, there was a total of seven depressions and four cyclonic storms. The most intense and deadly tropical cyclone of the season, the West Bengal cyclone, lashed that province of India and Bangladesh in the month of November. Rough seas offshore caused at least 173 drownings offshore Bangladesh and India, while over 100 people were left missing. In West Bengal alone, 124 fatalities were reported, with over one hundred people still missing. Flooding occurred there and some areas of Bangladesh, particularly the capital city of Dhaka. Another notable storm was the Oman cyclone in May. It made a rare landfall in the Omani region of Dhofar. The storm brought historic rainfall to Oman, which in turn brought flooding to the region. Nine people drowned and damage to property, crops, and transportation reached US$25 million (2002 dollars).


2002 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Season summary
Overall, the season was inactive in terms of tropical cyclone formation. The IMD tracked six tropical cyclones, which was below the average of 13 to 14 per season. No storms were active from June to September during the monsoon season, the first such instance of no depressions in the 115 year record of the IMD. Collectively, the storms of this season resulted in at least 182 deaths and $25 million (2002 USD) in damage, all of which can be attributed to ARB 01 and BOB 04.


2002 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Season summary
The first storm of the season, ARB 01, developed on May 6 out of an area of low pressure over the Arabian Sea. It peaked winds of 65 km/h (40 mph) before making landfall near Salalah, Oman on May 10. The storm dissipated shortly thereafter. A deep depression, classified as BOB 02, developed in the Andaman Sea on May 10. The deep depression remained disorganized and made landfall near Yangon, Burma before dissipating on May 12.


2002 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Season summary
Later that month, a tropical depression, recognized only by the Thailand Meteorological Department, developed in the Bay of Bengal and also made landfall in Burma. Activity in the North Indian Ocean then went dormant for over five months, a direct result of the monsoon season in the region. Tropical cyclogenesis resumed with the development of Tropical Depression BOB 03 forming near Andhra Pradesh on October 22.


2002 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Season summary
On November 11, a severe cyclonic storm – numbered BOB 04 – developed in the Bay of Bengal. It soon became the strongest tropical cyclone with maximum sustained winds of 100 km/h (65 mph) and a minimum barometric pressure of 984 mbar (29.1 inHg). BOB 04 made landfall in Bangladesh on November 12, hours before dissipating. Later in November, another cyclonic storm – assigned to BOB 05 – formed in the Bay of Bengal on November 23. It moved northward before eventually curving westward and dissipating on November 28. The final tropical cyclone developed southwest of Sri Lanka on December 21. The system headed generally east-northeastward and strengthened into cyclonic storm on December 24, before demising well east of Sri Lanka on the following day.


2002 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Cyclonic Storm ARB 01
A low-pressure area in the Arabian Sea developed into a depression while located a few hundred miles west-northwest of Maldives at 0300 UTC on May 6. By the following day, it had intensified into a deep depression. However, dry air diminished convection, causing the cyclone to weaken to a depression on May 8 at 0300 UTC. Nine hours later, it was upgraded back to a deep depression. On May 8, the cyclone turned west-northwestward. Further intensification occurred, with the deep depression becoming a cyclonic storm at 0600 UTC on May 9. The storm maintained its intensity until weakening slightly early on May 10, while briefly tracking northwestward. Shortly thereafter, it made landfall near Salalah, Oman. The cyclone rapidly weakened and dissipated inland later on May 10.


2002 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Cyclonic Storm ARB 01
Waves up to 4 m (13 ft) lashed the coast of Oman, though no coastal flooding occurred. Wind gusts reaching 106 km/h (66 mph) affected some areas of Oman, while light winds were reported in Al Ghaydah, Yemen. The storm brought heavy rainfall to the Dhofar region of Oman, peaking at 251 mm (9.88 in) in the city of Qairoon. Areas in the vicinity of the landfall location of the storm experienced the highest precipitation totals in 30 years. As a result, wadis quickly became rivers, sweeping away cars and drowning nine people. Additionally, property, crops, and transportation suffered impacts from flooding. Damage from the storm totaled to $25 million, all of which was in Oman.


2002 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Deep Depression BOB 01
A tropical disturbance near Sumatra was tracked starting on May 7. Although the system was disorganized and convection was sporadic, it managed to develop a low-level center of circulation on May 9. After significant strengthening on May 10, a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert (TCFA) was issued later that day. Shortly thereafter, the disturbance became Tropical Cyclone 02B at 1200 UTC, while located about 230 km (145 mi) southeast of Port Blair, Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Deep convection continued to be sporadic until becoming persistent early on May 11. Around that time, the deep depression reached 3-minute sustained winds of 55 km/h (35 mph).


2002 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Deep Depression BOB 01
Later on May 11, Cyclone 01B unexpectedly accelerated to the north-northeast while crossing the northern Andaman Sea. At 2300 UTC on May 11, the cyclone made landfall just east of Yangon, Burma. By early on the following day, it weakened to a depression. The final warning on Cyclone 01B was issued at 0600 UTC on May 12 and indicated that the storm dissipated about 175 km (110 mi). The city of Yangon experienced wind gusts of about 47 km/h (29 mph), according to the JTWC. Cyclone 01B co-existed in a pair, with the southern counterpart being Tropical Cyclone Errol, which was in the South Indian Ocean within Australian Bureau of Meteorology's responsibility.


2002 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Tropical Depression
The Thailand Meteorological Department began issuing advisories on a tropical depression in the Bay of Bengal on May 17. Several hours later, the JTWC issued a TCFA for the system. Minimal strengthening occurred as the depression tracked rather swiftly toward the coast of Myanmar. At 0900 UTC on May 18, the depression made landfall near Taungup, Rakhine State, with winds of 55 km/h (35 mph). The JTWC cancelled the TCFA seven hours later, having never classified the system as a tropical depression. It weakened inland and dissipated over eastern Myanmar at 0300 UTC on May 19. Impact from this system is unknown.


2002 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Depression BOB 02
The JTWC issued a TCFA late on October 22 for a depression located about 235 km (145 mi) east-southeast of Chennai, Tamil Nadu. By 0300 UTC on the following day, the India Meteorological Department issued a bulletin on the depression. Due to multiple low-level center of circulations and an ill-defined structure, the depression was difficult to track. It moved in a quasi-stationary motion offshore Andhra Pradesh. Minimal intensification occurred, and by 1930 UTC on October 25, the depression dissipated about 235 km (145 mi) north of Chennai.


2002 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Severe Cyclonic Storm BOB 03
Tropical Cyclone 03B developed as a depression near Chennai, India on November 10. Later that day, it intensified into a deep depression while tracking northward. As the storm was moving to the northeast, it was upgraded to a cyclonic storm, due to gale-force winds. The cyclone came under the influence of mid-latitude trough, which caused the storm to accelerate to the north-northeast. Early on November 12, it was upgraded to a severe cyclonic storm, as maximum sustained winds reached 100 km/h (65 mph). Later that day at 0900 UTC, the storm made landfall near Sagar Island, West Bengal. The cyclone quickly weakened inland and by 1200 UTC on November 12, the IMD issued its final advisory, while the system situated about 200 km (125 mi) northeast of Kolkata.


2002 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Severe Cyclonic Storm BOB 03
Rough seas offshore Orissa caused two fishing trawlers to collide, resulting in 18 fatalities, while two additional trawlers were reported missing. In West Bengal, the storm uprooted trees and dropped heavy rainfall, as well as causing two deaths. Strong winds and heavy rainfall in Bangladesh impacted many cities and villages, including the capital city of Dhaka, forcing thousands to evacuate. Ten wooden trawlers carrying 150 men sank offshore Bangladesh. Eight additional boats carrying 60 occupants were reported missing. Along coastal areas of the country, winds destroyed bamboo huts, uprooted trees, and disrupted road transport between various towns and villages. The storm was attributed to at least 51 deaths, while between 111 and 560 people were classified as missing.


2002 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Cyclonic Storm BOB 04
A low-pressure area developed within an equatorial trough centered over the southeastern Bay of Bengal on November 22. After tracking northwestward for about twenty-four hours, the system developed into Tropical Cyclone 04B, while located about 815 km (505 mi) east-southeast of Chennai, Tamil Nadu. While moving northward, it intensified into a deep depression at 1800 UTC on November 23. Strengthening continued and early on November 24, the deep depression was upgraded to a cyclonic storm. Later that day, the storm turned northwestward and later curved westward.


2002 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Cyclonic Storm BOB 04
As it was moving westward, the system became disorganized and the center was difficult to track. Despite significant convection, the JTWC discontinued advisories on the storm at 1200 UTC on November 25, possibly in anticipation that it would soon dissipate. However, it remained a tropical cyclone for almost three more days. By 1200 UTC on November 27, the storm was downgraded to a deep depression. The system moved northwestward and weakened further to a depression six hours later. It degenerated into an area of low-pressure area while located over the central Bay of Bengal on November 28.


2002 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Cyclonic Storm BOB 05
A low-pressure area developed in the Intertropical Convergence Zone near Sri Lanka on December 20. Early on December 21, the system developed into a depression. The JTWC issued a TCFA at 1251 UTC on December 22, while it was centered 340 kilometres (210 mi) south-southeast of Sri Lanka. By 1800 UTC on December 23, the JTWC initiated advisories on Tropical Cyclone 05B, which was located about 160 km (100 mi) southeast of Dondra Head, Sri Lanka. At that time, the storm had intensified into a deep depression. Further strengthening occurred, and it was upgraded to a cyclonic storm early on December 24.


2002 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Systems, Cyclonic Storm BOB 05
After peaking with maximum sustained winds of 65 km/h (40 mph) and a minimum barometric pressure of 997 mbar (29.4 inHg) on December 24, the storm soon weakened and convection diminished, possibly due to interaction with a nearby tropical disturbance. By early on the following day, it was downgraded to a deep depression while moving toward the northeast. Later that day, Cyclonic Storm BOB 06 weakened to a depression. At 1800 UTC on December 25, the JTWC issued a final advisory on the cyclone, citing that it degenerated into a remnant low-pressure area while located about 685 km (425 mi) east-southeast of Dondra Head, Sri Lanka.


2002 North Indian Ocean cyclone season, Season effects
This is a table of all storms in the 2002 North Indian Ocean cyclone season. It mentions all of the season's storms and their names, duration, peak intensities (according to the IMD storm scale), damage, and death totals. Damage and death totals include the damage and deaths caused when that storm was a precursor wave or extratropical low, and all of the damage figures are in 2002 USD.


2002 North Queensland Cowboys season
The 2002 North Queensland Cowboys season was the 8th in the club's history. Coached by Murray Hurst and captained by Paul Bowman, they competed in the NRL's 2002 Telstra Premiership. Graham Murray replaced Hurst after three rounds and helped the club to their highest finish (11th) and most competition points (20) at the time.


2002 North Queensland Cowboys season, Season summary
The Cowboys underwent another rebuild in 2002 following a disastrous 2001 season. A number of players were moved on, with the key recruit being former Australian and Queensland winger Matt Sing. Sing was an instant success for the club, finishing the 2002 season as the team's top try scorer and being named their Player of the Year. He would later earn his way back into representative sides, becoming a club legend for the Cowboys, being named in their 10th and 20th Anniversary Teams and an inaugural inductee into their Hall of Fame in 2016.


2002 North Queensland Cowboys season, Season summary
The 2002 season began with three straight losses and looked to be even worse than the year before. Following their Round 3 defeat to the Melbourne Storm, coach Murray Hurst was sacked and replaced by former Sydney Roosters boss Graham Murray, who had taken the Roosters to the Grand Final just two years earlier. Another key piece of their rebuild, Murray would later lead the club to their first finals series and first Grand Final, and was their most successful head coach until the arrival of Paul Green.


2002 North Queensland Cowboys season, Season summary
Although the success was not instant, the signs were there, as the side won three of their first six games under Murray. Five straights losses soon followed, before ending the year with four wins from their final seven games, giving hope for the 2003 season. The club finished the regular season in 11th, their highest ever finish, with 20 competition points, also a record.


2002 North Queensland Cowboys season, Season summary
Off the field, Peter Parr joined the club as football manager for the 2002 season. A former administrator with the Perth Reds and Brisbane Broncos, Parr later held the positions of CEO and General Manager and was instrumental in the club's future successes and bringing players, such as Johnathan Thurston, to the club.


2002 North Queensland Cowboys season, Season summary
2002 also saw the retirement of club stalwart and foundation player Peter Jones, who held the club's most games record until 2004. Jones, the first player to play 100 games for the club, would remain on the Cowboys football operations staff until the end of 2012. While one club great retired, another emerged, with Aaron Payne making his debut in Round 12. Payne would go onto play 219 games for the club and start at hooker in their first ever Grand Final appearance in 2005.


2002 North Queensland Cowboys season, Ladder
1 The Bulldogs were deducted 37 premiership points due to gross salary cap breaches.


2002 North Texas Mean Green football team
The 2002 North Texas Mean Green football team represented the University of North Texas in the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season.


2002 North Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council election
Elections to North Tyneside Metropolitan Council took place on 2 May 2002 on the same day as other local council elections in England.


2002 North Tyneside Metropolitan Borough Council election
North Tyneside Council is elected "in thirds" which means one councillor from each three-member ward is elected each year followed by a following year. On the same day the election for the first directly elected Mayor of North Tyneside took place.


2002 North-West Frontier Province provincial election
Provincial elections were held in North-West Frontier Province on 10 October 2002 to elect the Provincial Assembly. The elections were held under the military government of General Pervez Musharraf.


2002 Northeast Conference Baseball Tournament
The 2002 Northeast Conference Baseball Tournament began on May 17 and ended on May 19, 2002, at FirstEnergy Park in Lakewood, New Jersey. The league's top four teams competed in the double elimination tournament. Third-seeded Central Connecticut won their first of three consecutive tournament championships and earned the Northeast Conference's automatic bid to the 2002 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament.


2002 Northeast Conference Baseball Tournament, Seeding and format
The top four finishers were seeded one through four based on conference regular season winning percentage.


2002 Northeast Conference Baseball Tournament, Most Valuable Player
Kevin Rival of Central Connecticut was named Tournament Most Valuable Player. Rival earned a win in the Blue Devils' opener against UMBC, and a save against Monmouth while also batting .300 with two doubles and three RBI for the tournament.


2002 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2002 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was held in March. The tournament featured the league's top eight seeds. Central Connecticut won the championship, its second, and received the conference's automatic bid to the 2002 NCAA Tournament.


2002 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Format
The NEC Men’s Basketball Tournament consisted of an eight-team playoff format with the quarterfinal and semifinal games played at the Spiro Sports Center in Staten Island, NY. The Championship game was played at the court of the highest remaining seed, Central Connecticut.


2002 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, All-tournament team
Damian Battles, CCSURob Monroe, QUPeter Mulligan, UMBCRon Robinson, CCSUBill Romano, QU


2002 Northeastern Huskies football team
The 2002 Northeastern Huskies football team represented Northeastern University during the 2002 NCAA Division I-AA football season. It was the program's 67th season and they finished as Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10) co-champions with Maine. Picked to finish 10th in the conference preseason poll, the Huskies went on to set school records for single season overall wins (10) and conference wins (7). They also upset favored Division I-A opponent Ohio 31–0, a marquee win in Northeastern's football program's history. The Huskies were seeded fourth in the 16-team Division I-AA playoffs bracket but lost to Fordham, 24–29, in the first round. Ten players earned spots on the All-Atlantic 10 team. The Huskies were led by third-year head coach Don Brown.


2002 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team
The 2002 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team was an American football team that represented Northern Arizona University (NAU) as a member of the Big Sky Conference (Big Sky) during the 2002 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In their fifth year under head coach Jerome Souers, the Lumberjacks compiled a 6–5 record (3–4 against conference opponents), were outscored by a total of 284 to 252, and finished in a four-way tie for fourth place in the Big Sky.


2002 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team
The team played its home games at the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome, commonly known as the Walkup Skydome, in Flagstaff, Arizona.


2002 Northern Chile floods and mudflow
The 2002 Northern Chile floods and mudflow were a series of flash floods and mudflows that affected north-central Chile in early June 2002. The floods and mudflows were the result of heavy rains in the area. Overall 17 human casualties can be attributed to the rainfalls. Among the casualties, there were twelve direct deaths, four indirect deaths and one disappearance. The Locality of Los Molles was particularly badly affected.


2002 Northern Chile floods and mudflow
According to National Office of Emergency of the Interior Ministry (ONEMI) 71 and 347 houses were destroyed in Coquimbo and Valparaíso regions respectively.


2002 Northern Ford Premiership
The 2002 Northern Ford Premiership season was the second tier of British rugby league during the 2002 season. The competition began with nineteen teams, but York Wasps folded early in the season. Huddersfield Giants winning the Grand Final. This was the last season of the Premiership as for 2003 the teams were split into two divisions of the National League.


2002 Northern Ford Premiership, Championship
The league was won by the Huddersfield Giants, who beat the Leigh Centurions in the Grand Final. Huddersfield Giants were promoted to the Super League.


2002 Northern Ford Premiership, Championship, League table
York Wasps started this season but ceased to exist after 11 games. Their results were expunged from the records.


2002 Northern Illinois Huskies football team
The 2002 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University during the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. Northern Illinois competed as a member of the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). They were coached by Joe Novak. Despite finishing the season bowl eligible, the Huskies did not receive a bowl berth.


2002 Northern Iowa Panthers football team
The 2002 Northern Iowa Panthers football team represented the University of Northern Iowa in the 2002 NCAA Division I-AA football season.


2002 Northwestern Wildcats football team
The 2002 Northwestern Wildcats football team represented Northwestern University during the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. They played their home games at Ryan Field and participated as members of the Big Ten Conference. They were coached by Randy Walker.


2002 Norwegian First Division
The 2002 1. divisjon, Norway's second-tier football league, began play on 14 April 2002 and ended on 27 October 2002. The league was contested by 16 teams, and the top two teams won promotion to Tippeligaen, while the third placed played a promotion-playoff against the 12th-placed team in Tippeligaen to win promotion. The bottom four teams were relegated to the 2. divisjon.


2002 Norwegian First Division
Tromsø and Aalesund won promotion to Tippeligaen, while Ham-Kam lost the promotion-playoff against Bryne. Åsane, Tromsdalen, Lørenskog and Tollnes was relegated to the 2. divisjon.


2002 Norwegian Football Cup
The 2002 Norwegian Football Cup was the 97th edition of the Norwegian Football Cup. Vålerenga won their 3rd Norwegian Championship title after defeating Odd Grenland in the final with the score 1–0. The final was played on Sunday 3 November at Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo.


2002 Norwegian Football Cup
Odd Grenland got to the final by beating Åssiden, Lyngdal, Bærum, Start, Strømsgodset and Stabæk.


2002 Norwegian Football Cup
Vålerenga reached the final by beating Vang, Eidsvold Turn, Lørenskog, Moss, Viking and Aalesund.


2002 Norwegian Football Cup, Calendar
Below are the dates for each round as given by the official schedule:


2002 Norwegian Football Cup, First round
The 49 winners from the Second Qualifying Round joined with 79 clubs from the Tippeligaen, First Division and Second Division in this round of the competition. These matches took place on 23, 28, 29 and 30 May 2002.


2002 Norwegian Football Cup, Second round
The 64 winners from the First Round took part in this stage of the competition. These matches took place on 12, 13 and 19 June 2002.


2002 Norwegian Football Cup, Third round
The 32 winners from the Second Round took part in this stage of the competition. These matches took place on 26 and 27 June 2002.


2002 Norwegian Football Cup, Fourth round
The 16 winners from the Third Round took part in this stage of the competition. These matches took place on 7 and 8 August 2002.


2002 Norwegian Football Cup Final
The 2002 Norwegian Football Cup Final was the final match of the 2002 Norwegian Football Cup, the 97th season of the Norwegian Football Cup, the premier Norwegian football cup competition organized by the Football Association of Norway (NFF). The match was played on 3 November 2002 at the Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo, and opposed two Tippeligaen sides Odd Grenland and Vålerenga. Vålerenga defeated Odd Grenland 1–0 to claim the Norwegian Cup for a third time in their history.


2002 Norwich City Council election
The 2002 Norwich City Council election took place on 2 May 2002 to elect members of Norwich City Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections. 16 of 48 seats (one-third) were up for election, with an additional seat up in Henderson ward due to a by-election.


2002 Norwich Union League
The 2002 Norwich Union League season was a 45 over English county cricket competition; colloquially known as the Sunday League, it featured many mid-week floodlit matches. It was contested through two divisions: Division One and Division Two. Each team played all the others in their division both home and away. The top three teams from Division Two were promoted to the first division for the 2002 season, while the bottom three sides from Division One were relegated. All eighteen counties retained the nicknames from the previous season.


2002 Norwich Union League
Glamorgan Dragons won the League for the second time. Somerset Sabres, Durham Dynamos and Nottinghamshire Outlaws were relegated from Division One, while Gloucestershire Gladiators, Surrey Lions and Essex Eagles were promoted from Division Two.


2002 Notre Dame Fighting Irish baseball team
The 2002 Notre Dame Fighting Irish baseball team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 2002 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Fighting Irish played their home games at Frank Eck Stadium. The team was coached by Paul Mainieri in his 8th year as head coach at Notre Dame.


2002 Notre Dame Fighting Irish baseball team
The Fighting Irish won the South Bend Regional and the Tallahassee Super Regional to advance to the College World Series, where they were defeated by the Stanford Cardinal.


2002 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
The 2002 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was coached by Tyrone Willingham and played its home games at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana.


2002 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, Season overview
The 2002 season became known as a "Return to Glory" for the Irish. This phrase appeared on a student shirt that created a "Sea of Green" in the Irish stands. It was picked up by many in the media and was used on the front cover of Sports Illustrated. Despite not scoring an offensive touchdown in their first two games, the Irish won both, and in the process made Willingham the 24th Notre Dame head coach to win his opener in his first season. The team went on to win its next six games, including wins over Willingham's alma mater, Michigan State, and Stanford, his former team.


2002 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, Season overview
The team was initially led throughout the season by quarterback Carlyle Holiday, former quarterback and wide receiver Arnaz Battle, and on defense, Shane Walton. Running back Ryan Grant, who had to replace Julius Jones who was out for academic reasons, also played an important role. During the Michigan State game, however, Holiday was injured and replaced by backup Pat Dillingham. Dillingham led the Irish to a comeback win on a screen pass to Battle in that game, and he continued the winning streak until Holiday returned for the Florida State game. In that game, Holiday threw a 65-yard touchdown on his first play to Battle that helped the Irish win the game.


2002 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, Season overview
The first Irish loss of the season came against the Boston College Eagles, mirroring the 1993 season when Notre Dame narrowly lost a chance to participate in the national championship game due to a loss to Boston College. Willingham, wanting the team to be a part of the "Sea of Green" in the stands, decided that the team should wear green for the game. In 1985, the last time the Irish wore green at home, they came out after halftime against USC and won the game 37–3. The ploy, however, did not work this time, as, after an injured Holiday was replaced by Dillingham, and the Eagles defense returned an interception that sealed the loss for the Irish.


2002 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, Season overview
The Fighting Irish won their next two games, including their 39th straight victory over Navy and a 42–0 blowout victory over struggling Rutgers. This gave Notre Dame a legitimate shot at a Bowl Championship Series (BCS) bowl game if they could win against perennial rival USC. The Irish were ranked higher than the Trojans, but USC quarterback Carson Palmer, who cited the game as the reason he went on to win the Heisman Trophy, threw for 425 yards in the Trojans' 31 point win.


2002 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, Season overview
The Irish won 10 games but were not invited to a BCS bowl game, and they accepted a bid to play North Carolina State in the Gator Bowl instead. With both an offense and defense that outmatched the Irish, the Wolfpack won the game 28–6, giving the Irish their sixth consecutive bowl loss. Despite the loss, the Irish ended the season ranked in both the Associated Press (AP) and Coaches Polls.


2002 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, Season overview
After the season, some Irish were honored with post-season awards. Battle was named by one foundation as their sportsman of the year, while Walton was named as a Consensus All-American. Finally, Willingham was honored with two Coach of the Year awards, was named by Sporting News as "Sportsman of the Year", and was the only coach listed by Sporting News as one of their "Most Powerful People in Sports".


2002 Nottingham Open
The 2002 Nottingham Open (known for sponsorship reasons and the Samsung Open) was a men's tennis tournament played on grass courts at the Nottingham Tennis Centre in Nottingham in the United Kingdom and was part of the International Series of the 2002 ATP Tour. It was the 13th edition of the tournament and ran from 17 June through 23 June 2002. Jonas Björkman won the singles title.


2002 Nottingham Open, Finals, Doubles
Mike Bryan /  Mark Knowles defeated  Donald Johnson /  Jared Palmer 0–6, 7–6(7–3), 6–4


2002 Nottingham Open – Doubles
Donald Johnson and Jared Palmer were the defending champions but lost in the final 0–6, 7–6(7–3), 6–4 against Mike Bryan and Mark Knowles.


2002 Nottingham Open – Singles
Thomas Johansson was the defending champion but did not compete that year.


2002 Nottingham Open – Singles
Jonas Björkman won in the final 6–2, 6–7(5–7), 6–2 against Wayne Arthurs.


2002 Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council election
Elections to Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council were held on 2 May 2002. The whole council was up for election following boundary changes, and the Labour Party retained control of the council.


2002 Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council election, Election result
The breakdown of councillor terms as a result of the election is shown below. The seats of the councillors with two year terms were contested in the 2004 council election.


2002 Nyköping municipal election
Nyköping Municipality in Sweden held a municipal election on 15 September 2002.


2002 Nyköping municipal election, Results
The number of seats remained at 61 with the Social Democrats winning the most at 29, an increase of four from 1998. The number of valid ballots cast were 30,844.


2002 O'Byrne Cup
The 2002 O'Byrne Cup was a Gaelic football competition played by the county teams of Leinster GAA between November 2001 and January 2002.


2002 O'Byrne Cup
The tournament was noted for featuring one of the first inter-county Gaelic football games under floodlights, when Meath played Longford in Simonstown Gaels' ground.


2002 O'Byrne Cup
It was won by Carlow, their first and (so far) only win. Captain Andrew Corden died in a car crash just three months after.


2002 O'Byrne Cup, Format
The eleven teams are drawn into three groups of 4, 4 and 3 teams respectively.


2002 O'Byrne Cup, Format
Each team plays each other team in its group once, earning two points for a win and one for a draw.


2002 O'Byrne Cup, Format
The runners-up in the two groups of 4 teams play a playoff, with the winner advancing to the semi-finals.


2002 OFC Nations Cup
The 2002 OFC Nations Cup took place in New Zealand, between 5 and 14 July 2002.


2002 OFC Nations Cup
The competition was divided into two group stages, with a knockout tournament at the end. Before the tournament, 11 of the nations were seeded according to their 2001 FIFA ranking, while New Caledonia was placed last by default, as it was not a FIFA member.


2002 OFC Nations Cup
The six lowest-ranked teams took part in the first stage of qualifying, in which the two highest placed teams at the end of the round-robin stage gained qualification to the second group stage, made up of the six highest-ranked teams. The remaining eight teams were then split into two groups of four, with the top two nations from each group progressing to the knockout stage.


2002 OFC Nations Cup
Australia failed to defend the title they won in 2000. They were beaten by New Zealand in the final, with Ryan Nelsen scoring the winning goal.


2002 OFC Nations Cup Final
The 2002 OFC Nations Cup Final was a football match that took place on 14 July 2002 at the Ericsson Stadium in Auckland, New Zealand to determine the 2002 OFC Nations Cup champion. New Zealand defeated Australia 1–0, with the only goal being scored by central defender Ryan Nelsen in the 78th minute. The match was the third final between the two countries, an OFC Nations Cup record, after their 1998 and 2000 matches. With the win, New Zealand qualified for the 2003 FIFA Confederations Cup, and the AFC – OFC Challenge Cup.


2002 OFC Nations Cup qualification
The 2002 OFC Nations Cup qualification tournament was a football competition that was played in March 2002 to determine the two of OFC's five lowest ranked members men's national teams to advanced to the 2002 OFC Nations Cup final tournament played in New Zealand in July 2002. The national teams of six OFC member associations entered the qualifying process. Cook Islands withdrew from the competition.


2002 OFC Nations Cup qualification, Format
With the end of the Polynesian and Melanesian Cups between the 2000 and 2002 tournaments, (the two competitions formerly served a secondary function as qualifiers for the Oceania Nations Cup), a new format was created to decide the teams which would be accepted for the Nations Cup. Retaining their round-robin group qualifier style, the OFC this time chose to adopt the FIFA rankings to order all the entrants. With New Caledonia not yet a FIFA member, they were placed last by default. The lowest six teams were then made to compete for two places via a round-robin group stage, with the highest-placed two teams qualifying for the Oceania Nations Cup.


2002 OFC Nations Cup qualification, Format
The Rankings of all the teams involved in the OFC Nations Cup are below. The positions were taken as of October, 2001, with the eleven ranked teams appearing in the following order:


2002 OFC Nations Cup qualification, Schedule
Below was the schedule of the 2002 OFC Nations Cup qualification.


2002 OFC Nations Cup qualification, Matches
Before the first group stage began, the  Cook Islands withdrew, resulting in the group stage being played between only five nations.


2002 OFC Nations Cup qualification, Matches
Papua New Guinea and  New Caledonia progress to the second group stage.


2002 OFC Nations Cup qualification, Statistics, Goalscorers
There were 62 goals scored in 10 matches, for an average of 6.2 goals per match.


2002 OFC Nations Cup squads
The 2002 OFC Nations Cup was an international football tournament that was held in Auckland, New Zealand from 5 to 14 July 2002. The 8 national teams involved in the tournament were required to register a squad of players; only players in these squads were eligible to take part in the tournament. An initial six-team qualifying phase took place in Samoa from 9 to 18 March 2002 allowing the top two, New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea, to move on and join Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Tahiti and Vanuatu at the main tournament.


2002 OFC Nations Cup squads
Players marked (c) were named as captain for their national squad. Players' club teams and players' age are as of 5 July 2002 – the tournament's opening day.


2002 OFC Nations Cup squads, Player representation, By club nationality
Nations in italics are not represented by their national teams in the finals.


2002 OFC U-20 Championship
The 2002 OFC U-20 Qualifying Tournament was held in Fiji and Vanuatu from December 7 to December 22, 2002 to determine the entrant into the 2003 FIFA U-20 World Cup. The match schedule was revised following the late withdrawal of the Cook Islands from Group A.


2002 OFC U-20 Championship, Goalscorers
There were 65 goals scored during the tournament, not including the 1 own goal scored.


2002 OFC Women's Under 19 Qualifying Tournament
The 2002 OFC Women's Under 19 Qualifying Tournament was the inaugural edition of what would later be known as the OFC U-20 Women's Championship, a biennial international football competition for women's under-20 national teams organised by Oceania Football Confederation. It was hosted by Tonga from 23 April–3 May 2002.


2002 OFC Women's Under 19 Qualifying Tournament
Players born on or after 1 January 1983 were eligible to participate in the competition.


2002 OFC Women's Under 19 Qualifying Tournament
By winning the tournament, Australia also qualified for the 2002 FIFA U-19 Women's World Championship, the inaugural FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup, in Canada.


2002 OFC Women's Under 19 Qualifying Tournament, Qualification
All members of the Oceania Football Confederation qualified automatically, however, Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu withdrew before the tournament began.


2002 OFC Women's Under 19 Qualifying Tournament, Qualification, Participating teams
The following teams participated in the 2006 OFC U-20 Women's Championship tournament:


2002 OFC Women's Under 19 Qualifying Tournament, Knockout stage
In the knockout stage, extra time and penalty shoot-out were used to decide the winner if necessary.


2002 Oakland Athletics season
The 2002 Oakland Athletics season was the 102nd season in franchise history and the 35th season in Oakland, California. The Athletics finished first in the American League West with a record of 103–59.


2002 Oakland Athletics season
The Athletics' 2002 campaign ranks among the most famous in franchise history. Following the 2001 season, Oakland saw the departure of three key players. Billy Beane, the team's general manager, responded with a series of under-the-radar free agent signings. The new-look Athletics, despite a comparative lack of star power, surprised the baseball world by besting the 2001 team's regular season record. The team is most famous, however, for winning 20 consecutive games between August 13 and September 4, 2002. The Athletics' season was the subject of Michael Lewis's 2003 book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game (Lewis was given the opportunity to follow the team around throughout the season). A film adaptation of the book, titled Moneyball, was released in 2011.


2002 Oakland Athletics season, Regular season, Summary
Oakland's 2002 campaign began on a tumultuous note. During the 2001–02 offseason, the team lost three key free agents to larger market teams: 2000 AL MVP Jason Giambi to the New York Yankees, outfielder Johnny Damon to the Boston Red Sox, and closer Jason Isringhausen to the St. Louis Cardinals. Faced with a number of significant roster holes, general manager Billy Beane sought to replace Damon and Giambi with free agent hitters Scott Hatteberg and David Justice. Beane also made a number of key pitching acquisitions; most notably, he traded for Toronto Blue Jays reliever Billy Koch. Koch ultimately succeeded Isringhausen as the team's closer. Beane also traded for then-unheralded starter Ted Lilly and traded for second baseman Ray Durham. Additionally, the season saw the MLB debuts of second baseman Mark Ellis and eventual starter Aaron Harang.


2002 Oakland Athletics season, Regular season, Summary
The new-look Athletics experienced a bumpy start to the season. The team followed a respectable 15–10 start with an abysmal 5–16 run; at the end of their slump, on May 23, the team's record stood at 20–26. From that point forward, the Athletics' fortunes improved significantly. In a prelude to the team's famous late-season winning streak, the Athletics went 16–1 from June 6 to June 24. The surge propelled the club within two games of first place, but a prolonged funk saw the A's play roughly .500 baseball for the next month and a half. That ended with an unremarkable 2–1 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays on August 12.


2002 Oakland Athletics season, Regular season, Summary
On August 13, the Athletics began their then-AL-record 20-game win streak. The streak's first win came courtesy of Barry Zito, who allowed three runs (one earned) over eight innings in a 5–4 victory over the Jays. Over the next several weeks, stellar pitching, hitting, and defense all played a significant role in the Athletics' surge. Most notable were the efforts of fourth starter Cory Lidle. During August, Lidle went 5–0 while posting a scant 0.20 earned run average (he allowed one run his final start of the month); three of his five winning decisions were during the streak. Many of the Athletics' victories were by narrow margins; closer Billy Koch recorded either a win or save in 12 of the streak's 20 games.


2002 Oakland Athletics season, Regular season, Summary
The Athletics' 18th and 19th wins came courtesy of game-ending hits by shortstop Miguel Tejada. On September 4, Oakland sought to win its 20th consecutive game; in doing so, the team hoped to break the 1947 New York Yankees' American League record of 19 consecutive wins. Their opponent was the Kansas City Royals. Over the first three innings of the game, Oakland shelled Kansas City pitchers Paul Byrd and Darrell May for a total of 11 runs, building a seemingly insurmountable 11–0 lead.


2002 Oakland Athletics season, Regular season, Summary
Sloppy play down the stretch, however, allowed the Royals to score five runs apiece in the fourth and eighth innings. In the ninth, Billy Koch surrendered a two-out single to Royals pinch hitter Luis Alicea; the single allowed pinch runner Kit Pellow to score the tying run. So the Athletics entered the bottom of the ninth inning with the score tied at 11–11. In one of the most famous moments in Oakland Athletics history, pinch hitter Scott Hatteberg then hit a one-out solo home run off of Kansas City reliever Jason Grimsley. The home run clinched the AL-record 20th consecutive victory for the Athletics.


2002 Oakland Athletics season, Regular season, Summary
Oakland's streak came to an end with a 6–0 loss to the Minnesota Twins on September 6. The A's continued to play well down the stretch, as evidenced by their final record of 103–59. The club's late-season surge allowed it to hold off the Anaheim Angels, who finished four games behind them at 99–63. Oakland's regular season exploits, however, once again failed to translate into postseason success. The team again lost the American League Division Series (this time to the Twins) in five games.


2002 Oakland Athletics season, Regular season, Summary
Tejada and starting pitcher Barry Zito went on to win the American League MVP and Cy Young Award, respectively. Tejada left the Athletics following the 2003 season, while Zito stayed until the end of the 2006 campaign.


2002 Oakland Athletics season, Regular season, Draft picks (first round)
The following were drafted in the first round of the 2002 MLB draft by the Athletics on June 4, 2002:


2002 Oakland Athletics season, Postseason
The Athletics clinched the American League West with a regular season record of 103–59, advancing to the first round of the postseason. They were defeated in the 2002 American League Division Series three games to two by the American League Central champion Minnesota Twins. The Twins would later be defeated in the 2002 American League Championship Series by the eventual World Series champion Anaheim Angels.


2002 Oakland Athletics season, Player statistics, Batting
Note: Only players with at least one at-bat are listed.


2002 Oakland Raiders season
The 2002 season was the Oakland Raiders' 33rd in the National Football League, their 43rd overall, their seventh since returning to Oakland and their first under head coach Bill Callahan. The Raiders played their home games at Network Associates Coliseum as members of the AFC West. The Raiders had essentially traded their head coach Jon Gruden following the 2001 season. The Raiders hired Callahan, the offensive coordinator under Gruden, to return them to the playoffs.


2002 Oakland Raiders season
Despite their talent, the Raiders struggled in the first half of the season. A 4–0 start was followed by four consecutive losses; the team's 4–4 record stunned many onlookers. The team, however, redeemed itself by winning seven of its final eight contests. In the third quarter of Oakland's 26–20 win on Monday Night Football over the Jets, Tim Brown became the third player in NFL history with 1,000 career catches.


2002 Oakland Raiders season
Finishing 11–5 in a conference where twelve teams obtained .500 or better records and nine were above .500, the Raiders won the AFC West for the third consecutive season and clinched the AFC's top seed and full home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. They routed the New York Jets and Tennessee Titans in the playoffs, by a combined score of 71–34 and +4 in turnover differential; in doing so, they advanced to their first Super Bowl since 1984. Their opponent was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, led by their former coach Jon Gruden.


2002 Oakland Raiders season
The Raiders entered Super Bowl XXXVII as slight favorites; many predicted a hard-fought showdown between Oakland's top-ranked offense and Tampa Bay's top-ranked defense. The resulting game, however, ended in disaster for the Raiders. An early three-point lead (courtesy of a Sebastian Janikowski field goal) evaporated as the Buccaneers scored 34 unanswered points. The Buccaneers defense, aided by Gruden's knowledge of the Raider offense and Raiders failure to change many of the terms for their offense, intercepted Rich Gannon three times during this scoring surge.


2002 Oakland Raiders season
Many times, Buccaneer safety John Lynch was able to determine what play was coming based on audibles called by Raider quarterback Rich Gannon. A furious Raider rally cut the score to an almost-competitive 34–21 in the fourth quarter. However, two more Gannon interceptions sealed the Raiders' fate in a 21–48 bludgeoning.


2002 Oakland Raiders season
The years following the Super Bowl loss marked a period of decline and futility for the Raiders, who would obtain neither a winning record nor a playoff trip until 2016, and, as of 2020, have not won another postseason game since this season.


2002 Oakland Raiders season, Background
The 2002 season, due mainly to the aforementioned Super Bowl run, ranks among the most important in franchise history. The aging Raiders' controversial elimination from the prior year's playoffs set the stage for a concerted championship push. Owner Al Davis traded then-head coach Jon Gruden to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers shortly after the Raiders' 2001 playoff loss; in doing so, he received two first-round picks, two second-round picks, and cash considerations from Tampa Bay. Davis, despite team salary cap troubles, also managed to acquire veteran stars Sam Adams, Rod Woodson, and Bill Romanowski during the 2002 offseason.


2002 Oakland Raiders season, Background
The Raiders entered the season with a hugely talented, albeit aging roster of players. The offense was led by quarterback Rich Gannon, who would be named MVP for the season. The team's receiving corps of Tim Brown, Jerry Rice, and Jerry Porter ranked among the league's best; additionally, running back Charlie Garner posted 1,903 all-purpose yards. The offensive line, moreover, was anchored by pro-bowlers Lincoln Kennedy and Barret Robbins. The Raiders' offense, all told, led the league in total yardage; Gannon additionally led all NFL quarterbacks in passing with 4,689 yards. The defense, while less vaunted, nonetheless ranked among the NFL's finest; the contributions of Rod Woodson, Bill Romanowski, Charles Woodson, and Trace Armstrong aided the Raiders' cause greatly.


2002 Oakland Raiders season, Playoffs, AFC Championship Game
The Raiders defeated the Titans and advanced to their first Super Bowl since Super Bowl XVIII, when they were based in Los Angeles. As of 2018, this has been the last time the Raiders won a playoff game, as they would not return to the playoffs again until 2016, and the last playoff game to be held at the Oakland Coliseum as in 2017, the Raiders were approved to relocate to Las Vegas.


2002 Oakland Raiders season, Playoffs, AFC Championship Game
Heavy Metal band Metallica performed an unannounced pregame concert prior to the game, and the game’s national Anthem was performed by Joe Satriani.


2002 Oakland Raiders season, Playoffs, AFC Championship Game
Until the 2019–20 NFL playoffs, this was the last AFC championship game which did not include the Baltimore Ravens, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, or Pittsburgh Steelers.


2002 Oakland mayoral election
The 2002 Oakland mayoral election was held on March 5, 2002 to elect the mayor of Oakland, California. It saw the reelection of incumbent mayor Jerry Brown.


2002 Oakland mayoral election, Campaign
Former Oakland City Council member Wilson Riles Jr., who had served on the City Council from 1979 until 1992, challenged incumbent first-term mayor Jerry Brown.


2002 Oakland mayoral election, Campaign
Brown had $200,000 in campaign funds, more than twice what Riles had.


2002 Oakland mayoral election, Campaign
While the previous election had attracted national media attention, very little media coverage was paid to the 2002 race.


2002 Oakland mayoral election, Campaign
A chief critique of Brown made by Riles was that the incumbent mayor was too cozy with downtown developers.


2002 Oakland mayoral election, Campaign
Riles, ultimately, performed stronger than had been anticipated by many.


2002 Oakland mayoral election, Campaign
Brown was also campaigning in support of ballot measure that would permanently extend 1998's Measure X, which had implemented a 6 year period in which Oakland would be run under the strong mayor form of governance. Measure X's change from a weak mayor to strong mayor form of governance would expire during the coming mayoral term. However, the measure to permanently extend Measure X ultimately failed in 2002. A similar measure which permanently extended the Measure X changes, however, would successfully be approved by voters in 2004, thus permentantly keeping they changes made by Measure X.


2002 Oceania Athletics Championships
The 2002 Oceania Athletics Championships were held at the Queen Elizabeth II Park in Christchurch, New Zealand, between December 12–14, 2002.


2002 Oceania Athletics Championships
A total of 39 events were contested, 20 by men and 19 by women.


2002 Oceania Athletics Championships, Medal summary
Medal winners were published. Complete results can be found in the Cool Running New Zealand newsgroup.


2002 Oceania Athletics Championships, Participation (unofficial)
The participation of athletes from 16 countries could be determined from theCool Running New Zealand newsgroup. Athletesfrom  Canada and further athletes from  New Zealand started as guests out of competition.


2002 Oceania Handball Championship
The 2002 Handball Championship was the third edition of the Oceania Handball Nations Cup, which took place at the Sleeman Centre in Brisbane, Australia from 5 to 7 July 2002. By winning, Australia secured the Oceania bid for the 2003 World Men's Handball Championship in Portugal. Participating nations were Australia, Vanuatu and the Cook Islands.


2002 Oceania Swimming Championships
The 2002 Oceania Swimming Championships were held 11–14 June in Nouméa, New Caledonia.


2002 Oceania Swimming Championships
All swimming competition listed below were swum in a 50m (long-course) pool.


2002 Oceania Youth Athletics Championships
The 2002 Oceania Youth Athletics Championships were held at the Queen Elizabeth II Park in Christchurch, New Zealand, between December 12–14, 2002. They were held together with the 2002 Oceania Open Championships. A total of 34 events were contested, 17 by boys and 17 by girls.


2002 Oceania Youth Athletics Championships, Medal summary
Medal winners can be found on the Athletics Weekly webpage. Complete results can be found on the webpages of World Junior Athletics History, and of the Cool Running New Zealand newsgroup.


2002 Oceania Youth Athletics Championships, Participation (unofficial)
An unofficial count yields the number of about 96 athletes from 15 countries:


2002 Ogmore by-election
The Member of Parliament for Ogmore in Bridgend County Borough, Sir Raymond Powell, of the Labour Party died on 7 December 2001.


2002 Ogmore by-election
The by-election to fill the seat was held on 14 February 2002. Labour faced no realistic challenge in this very safe seat and retained it easily, with only Plaid Cymru making progress from their 2001 result. The Socialist Labour Party, who had not previously stood, achieved a good result for a minor party and retained their deposit.


2002 Ohio Bobcats football team
The 2002 Ohio Bobcats football team represented Ohio University during the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. Ohio competed as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). The Bobcats were led by head coach Brian Knorr.


2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
The 2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team represented Ohio State University during the 2002 NCAA Division I-A football season. The team was the first in NCAA Division I-A—now known as NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS)—history to finish its season at 14–0 following BYU's 14–1 season in 1996.


2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
Led by co-MVPs junior quarterback Craig Krenzel and sophomore wide receiver/cornerback Chris Gamble, freshman standout tailback Maurice Clarett, and senior safety Mike Doss, the Buckeyes won the Big Ten, then won the 2003 Fiesta Bowl, which was also the 2003 BCS National Championship Game, to finish as college football's national champions for the first time since 1970. Ohio State won the game in overtime.


2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Preseason
Despite a 7–5 season the year before, the general feeling was one of optimism in Columbus, Ohio, provided that the defense could carry the team while the offense developed. First year coach Jim Tressel was able to deliver on his promise of an upset victory over the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Twice All-American safety Mike Doss, in an emotional announcement on January 9, 2002, advised that he would not declare himself for the NFL draft and would return to Ohio State for his senior season. (SI, p. 75) Maurice Clarett, a freshman prospect, graduated early from high school and enrolled at Ohio State for the 2002 Winter Quarter to make himself eligible to participate in spring football practice. (Lindy's, p. 15; SI p. 16)


2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Preseason
Prior to the 2002 season, the Buckeyes were ranked thirteenth in the AP Poll after losing the Outback Bowl on a last second field goal to the South Carolina Gamecocks. The Big Ten Conference summer media day sessions predicted Ohio State to finish second in the conference behind Michigan and ahead of Michigan State. (Keels, p. 12)


2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Preseason
Team captains selected were seniors Mike Doss and Donnie Nickey. Offensive captains for the season were named weekly, and were: Craig Krenzel (Texas Tech, Penn State, and Michigan), Mike Stafford (Kent State), Ben Hartsock (Washington State and Illinois), Ivan Douglas (Cincinnati), Chris Vance (Indiana), Alex Stepanovich (Northwestern and Purdue), Michael Jenkins (San Jose State), Shane Olivea (Wisconsin), and for the Minnesota game, Andy Groom and Bryce Bishop. (2002 archive October 12, 2002)


2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Game summaries, Texas Tech
The Buckeyes began the 2002 season in Ohio Stadium against the Texas Tech Red Raiders on August 24, 2002, in the final edition of the Pigskin Classic. Like Ohio State, Texas Tech had posted a 7–5 record in 2001, narrowly losing to Iowa in the Alamo Bowl. Tailback Maurice Clarett, the first true freshman to start at tailback in school history, (Athletic Department archive August 24, 2002) scored three touchdowns in his first game, sparking a convincing 45–21 win. Seven sacks of Heisman Trophy candidate Kliff Kingsbury and containment of the Tech offense until late in the game did much to establish the credibility of the Buckeye defense.


2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Game summaries, Kent State
Ohio State, now ranked 8th in the AP Poll, built a 38-0 lead before halftime against the Kent State Golden Flashes, with quarterback Craig Krenzel completing his first 11 passes, safety Mike Doss and freshman linebacker A. J. Hawk returning interceptions for touchdowns, and Maurice Clarett scoring twice. Kent State scored twice in the last 4 minutes of the first half but never threatened an upset. With the game in hand, backup quarterback Scott McMullen directed the Buckeye offense for much of the second half, completing 7 of his 11 passes.


2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Game summaries, Kent State
The Buckeyes took only 47 snaps compared to 80 by the Golden Flashes and actually had a 2:1 deficit in time of possession, but outgained Kent State by 60 yards. Sophomore place kicker Mike Nugent, who had been uneven in his kicking as a freshman, gave an indication of his future value to the team by kicking field goals of 41, 33, and 45 yards.


2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Game summaries, Washington State
Now ranked sixth in the nation, the Buckeyes faced their first marquee opponent and second Heisman quarterback candidate in Jason Gesser on September 14 when they hosted the 10th-ranked Cougars of Washington State. The game was billed by many in the media as a possible Rose Bowl-preview and was televised nationally (Keels p. 28).


2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Game summaries, Washington State
Washington State appeared to live up to its billing with an 11-play 80-yard drive midway through the 1st quarter that was capped by a short touchdown pass from Gesser. In addition the Cougar defense limited tailback Maurice Clarett to just 36 yards rushing and held the Buckeyes to only a pair of field goals in the half. However Ohio State's defense stymied Washington State throughout the game, intercepting Gesser twice and forcing the Cougars to surrender the ball on downs twice in Buckeye territory.


2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Game summaries, Washington State
In the second half Clarett picked up 44 yards on his first rush and destroyed the Cougar defense with 194 second-half yards. His 230 yards rushing for the day was the 6th best in Buckeye history and just short of Archie Griffin's freshman record of 239. (Keels p. 28, Lindy's p. 26) He scored twice and Ohio State got a Nugent field goal and a safety to win convincingly. The following Tuesday, in his weekly luncheon with the media, Coach Jim Tressel revealed that Clarett had suffered a knee injury during the game, had already undergone arthroscopic surgery, and would miss the next game.


2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Game summaries, Cincinnati
The first of many nailbiters for Buckeye fans came September 21 against the 1–1 Cincinnati Bearcats as the team required an interception in the end zone by safety Will Allen with 32 seconds remaining to seal a 23–19 victory. Playing a rare road game against an Ohio opponent in Paul Brown Stadium, named for an illustrious former Buckeye head coach, 6th-ranked Ohio State played much of the game trailing the unranked Bearcats of Conference USA, who had narrowly lost by a field goal the previous week to West Virginia. UC put up more than 400 yards of offense, bombing the Buckeye defense with 52 passes, but was stymied by dropped passes and two 4th quarter interceptions.


2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Game summaries, Cincinnati
Sophomore running back Lydell Ross, starting in place of the injured Clarett, rushed for 130 yards. Wide receiver Chris Gamble had practiced all week as a defensive back and was used on a 3rd down for UC from the Ohio State 29 in the 4th quarter, making an interception in the end zone. Craig Krenzel, who had scrambled for 64 yards on 14 carries in the first three games, scored the winning touchdown with less than 4 minutes to play, twisting and spinning through the Bearcat defenders for 6 yards. (Keels p. 35)


2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Game summaries, Indiana
6th-ranked and undefeated Ohio State took care of business in opening the Big Ten schedule with a 45-17 win over the 2-2 Indiana Hoosiers. Maurice Clarett returned to play after 2 weeks recuperating from his knee surgery September 16 and scored three times in the first half while accruing 104 yards rushing. After leading only 21–10 at halftime, Ohio State blew open the game with three scores in the 3rd quarter to win decisively, totalling 244 yards of rushing and 461 overall.


2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Game summaries, Indiana
Playing both defense and offense, Chris Gamble scored on a 43-yard reverse on the first drive of the 3rd quarter. Indiana had to punt on the ensuing possession and safety Dustin Fox blocked the kick. Ohio State took over at the Indiana 18 and scored on a short pass from Krenzel to Michael Jenkins to take a 35–10 lead.


2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Game summaries, Northwestern
The next week, on the road against the Northwestern Wildcats, which entered the game with a 2-3 record and 0-1 in conference play, Ohio State played a night game in Evanston, Illinois, in accordance with a scheduling agreement between the Big Ten and ESPN (Keels, p. 41). The game was again unusually close, with Clarett fumbling three times and caught by the TV cameras arguing with running backs coach Tim Spencer on the sidelines (Keels, p. 42), but he also carried the ball for 140 yards and two scores as Ohio State prevailed 27-16.


2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Game summaries, Northwestern
Northwestern had a 6-0 lead after the 1st quarter but had had two drives stopped inside the Ohio State ten-yard line. They later missed a pair of field goal attempts before scoring a touchdown with less than 2 minutes remaining in the 3rd quarter to narrow the Buckeye lead to 24-16. Ohio State replied with a long drive and a field goal by Mike Nugent, then used an interception by Cie Grant and a fumble recovery by Donnie Nickey to keep Northwestern at bay.


2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Game summaries, San Jose State
Ohio State for the second season in a row played a non-conference West Coast team at mid-season, hosting the San Jose State Spartans for Homecoming on October 12. San Jose State had attempted to cancel the game because its schedule featured seven road games in an 8-week span, but was unable to find a replacement team for the Buckeye home date. The Spartans, 4-2, had already defeated Illinois, had a three-game winning streak, and entered the game with a defense that led Division I-A in taking the ball away from its opponents. The game started slowly and was tied 7-7 early in the 2nd quarter.


2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Game summaries, San Jose State
The Buckeye defense, however, held SJS to 265 yards of offense, all of it passing yardage, despite the Spartans completing 81.8% of their 44 passes. (Lindy's, p. 42) The offense ran up 567 yards, a season-high, with Krenzel and backup Scott McMullen combining for 355 yards passing on only 19 completions. Krenzel threw for three touchdowns to break the game open in the 3rd quarter, Clarett rushed for 132 yards and scored three times, and Mike Nugent connected on three field goals, tying the school record for 15 straight without a miss.


2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Game summaries, Wisconsin
Ohio State faced its next big test on the road October 19, in Madison, Wisconsin, taking on the Wisconsin Badgers in one of the most hostile stadiums in the nation. Ranked fourth now, Ohio State faced a Badger team that had opened its season 5-0, but had lost its first two conference games, and 7 of its last 9 conference games at home, and was playing without its top wide receiver, Lee Evans. Animosity simmered in both teams as each had resented the other dancing on their logos after road wins in the immediately preceding years. (Keels p. 46)


2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Game summaries, Wisconsin
Ohio State scored on its first possession with a long pass from Krenzel to Jenkins, but by halftime Wisconsin led, 14-13, on two long plays in each quarter. The 3rd quarter was scoreless, but midway through the 4th, on a 3rd and 6 from its own 16, Krenzel delivered a high pass 45 yards to Michael Jenkins, who out-jumped two defenders to give the Buckeyes a first down in Wisconsin territory. Krenzel completed the drive with a short touchdown pass to tight end Ben Hartsock, and although a try for a 2-point conversion failed, the Buckeyes led 19-14.


2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Game summaries, Wisconsin
Wide receiver Chris Gamble, who had played defensive back on key downs earlier in the season, was sent into the game when Wisconsin faced a 3-and-11 at the Buckeye 29-yard line. Gamble intercepted the next pass in the end zone to preserve the lead. Also a key player in the victory was punter Andy Groom, whose six punts averaged 50.2 yards, with a 4th quarter punt that went for 74 yards and another that was downed at the Wisconsin 1-yard line. Maurice Clarett rushed for 133 yards but suffered a shoulder stinger on his last carry, an injury that would severely limit his availability over the next four games.


2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Game summaries, Penn State
The following week, on October 26, the Buckeyes returned to Columbus to face Joe Paterno's Penn State Nittany Lions, ranked 17th in the AP, with a 5–2 overall record and a 1–2 conference record, its losses to Iowa and Michigan.


2002 Ohio State Buckeyes football team, Game summaries, Penn State
The Ohio State offense struggled throughout the game, exemplified by Craig Krenzel losing a fumble at the Penn State one on Ohio State's first possession, but the defense held Penn State's offense to only seven points and a season-low 179 yards and 8 first downs (tying the Penn State school record for fewest first downs, which surprisingly occurred in Penn State's memorable 14-10 upset of the Miami Hurricanes in the 1987 Fiesta Bowl that grabbed them the national championship). Heisman Trophy finalist Larry Johnson was held to a season-low 66 yards rushing on 16 attempts.