FIVE QUESTIONS
FOOTBALL ALUM
AND ACC LEGEND
PATRICK KERNEY
Patrick Kerney ('99) went from being a football
walk-on to an All-American defensive end to the
Atlanta Falcons' first-round pick in the 1999 NFL
Draft.
As a fourth-year, Kerney ranked second in the
nation with 15 sacks, which tied the school record
set by Chris Slade in 1992.
After signing with Atlanta, he began a streak of
starting 105 consecutive games, and in 2007 with
Seattle he was voted a Pro Bowl starter.
Kerney will be honored as an ACC Legend
Dec. 5.
CAVALIER CORNER: In what way did your
time at Virginia prepare you for your career in
the NFL?
KERNEY: "I think the coaches I had — includ-
ing Ty Smith, my defensive ends coach my senior
year, and [strength and conditioning coach] Barry
Johnson — built a work ethic in me that was
distinct from a lot of players I came across in the
NFL.
"It was something you grew used to instead of
a daily challenge."
CAVALIER CORNER: You received a lacrosse
scholarship from Virginia. What prompted you to
become a walk-on with the football team and did
you ever dream you would attain the level of suc-
cess that you did in the NFL?
KERNEY: "Honestly, the only reason I walked
Kerney, a former football walk-on, ranked
second in the nation with a school-record-
tying 15 sacks in his fourth year on campus
and then was selected in the first round of
the 1999 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons.
PHOTO COURTESY ATLANTA FALCONS
