Andrew Sendejo

He was fifth in C-USA stats with 8.55 tackles per game (51st nationally) and 22nd in NCAA stats with 5.4 solo tackles per game.

He opened the year by earning C-USA Defensive Player of the Week honors for his game vs. SMU.

Andrew Victor Sendejo (born September 9, 1987) is a former American football safety.

His five interceptions were the most by an Owl since Dan Dawson tied the school record with seven in 2000 and match the third-best total by an Owl in a season.

He earned honorable mention All C-USA honors by the coaches and third-team All conference mention by Phil Steele.

Also named Academic All-Conference and All-District VI for his work in the classroom as well.

He closed the season strongly, registering back-to-back double figure tackle efforts against Tulane (11) and Tulsa (13).

He was named C-USA Defensive Player of the Week against Southern Miss after picking off a pair of passes, forcing a fumble, and registering seven tackles, becoming the first Owl to pick off more than one pass in a game since Dan Dawson picked off three vs. Hawaii back in 2000.

He was credited with eight tackles, shared a tackle for loss, forced and recovered a fumble and broke up a pass at Houston.

He returned his interception against SMU 31 yards for a score for his first career touchdown.

Sendejo was an honorable mention All C-USA pick by the coaches, second-team pick by the Houston Chronicle, while Phil Steele placed him on his first-team, All-conference unit.

He led the Owls with 94 total tackles despite missing nearly three full games with a high ankle sprain.

He also totaled 89 yards in returns, bringing back an interception 55 yards for a touchdown and returning a fumble 34 yards to set up a second score.

That interception return was his second of his career for a score, with both coming against SMU.

He posted four double figure games on the season, including a career-best 18-tackle day at Marshall, the most by an Owl since Jeff Vanover was credited with 18 against SMU in 2001.

He also participated in track & field for the Rangers; at the 2004 District 27-5A Championships, he placed third in the 400-meter dash (52.80 seconds), sixth in the triple jump (12.04m or 39'4") and fifth in the pole vault (3.53m or 11'6").

As a junior in 2005, he posted a personal-best time of 52.02 seconds in the 400-meter dash at the Texas State High School Invitational.

At Rice, Sendejo saw his senior season come to an early conclusion after suffering a severe high ankle sprain at East Carolina that required surgery.

He was a Preseason All C-USA pick by conference coaches and a three-year starter who opened the season as the national leader among active players in solo tackles and also ranked in the top 10 among active players in career total tackles, career interceptions and interception returns for touchdowns.

He was a Second-team All C-USA preseason selection by the media in a poll conducted by the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

Sendejo is a 2006 graduate of Smithson Valley High School in Spring Branch, northeast of San Antonio, Texas.

He was a two-time All-San Antonio area selection for coach Larry Hill.

Also a two-time honorable mention All-State pick, and a two-time All-District 26-5A honoree.

As a senior, he had 75 tackles (3 for loss), four interceptions, eight pass deflections, one forced and one fumble recovery, helping lead the Rangers to a 13-2 record and the Class 5A semifinals.

He was named Comal County defensive player of the year for his senior season efforts.

He was also a regional finalist and academic All-district.

Sendejo selected Rice over Tulane, Army, North Texas, Northwestern and New Mexico.

In addition to football, Sendejo also lettered in soccer, where he was twice a second-team All-district selection and academic All-district pick, helping Smithson Valley to the district and bi-district championships.

As a sophomore in 2007, Sendejo led the team with 107 tackles and five interceptions.

He had back-to-back 13-tackle efforts at Memphis and Vanderbilt, then was credited with a season-high 17 tackles at Texas, one shy of his career-high of 18 set in 2007 at Marshall.

He saw his streak of double-figure tackle games end at three when he was credited for three stops against North Texas.

In that game, he made his debut as the Owls' punt returner, fielding a pair for no gain, then returned his third for a gain of 21- He got injured early in the Tulsa game and did not record a tackle.

He also earned an Honorable Mention All C-USA honors from league coaches even with a shortened senior season, and was named one of 12 finalist for the 2009 Wuerffel Trophy, which honors the college football player who best combines exemplary community service with outstanding academic and athletic achievement.

He was a three-time ESPN The Magazine District VI academic honoree as well as a three-time C-USA All Academic Football team with a 3.55 GPA in sports management.

A starter from the first whistle of the season who went on to earn honorable mention freshman All-American recognition from The Sporting News and C-USA all-freshman honors from the media, Sendejo made 10 starts on the season in 11 played games, missing just the UAB game with an injury.

He finished fifth on the team with 49 total tackles from the Spur position, tied for fourth on the squad with seven tackles for loss and was second on the team by forcing three fumbles.

He forced one fumble and recovered a second to set up a touchdown for the Owls against Tulsa.

He opened the season with a 13-yard sack of Kevin Kolb of Houston and closed it with a seven-yard sack of Justin Willis of SMU.

He played college football for the Rice Owls, and was signed by the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the United Football League (UFL) as a free agent in 2010.

Sendejo has also been a member of the Dallas Cowboys, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns, and the Indianapolis Colts