Full All-ODAC Team

Greensboro, NC (11/20/01) -- Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) football coaches selected seven Guilford College players to this year's All-ODAC football team at their annual coaches meeting Tuesday. Quakers' junior receiver Chris McKinney (Apex, NC/Apex) earned first-team honors while sophomore cornerback O.J. Batts (Wallace, NC/Rose Hill), junior safety J.J. Edwards (Mims, FL/Astronaut) and senior offensive lineman Lee Massey (St. Cloud, FL/St. Cloud) were second-team selections.

Guilford senior linebacker Will Black (Charlotte, NC/Providence Day), senior tight end Nick Lamotta (Rolesville, NC/Wake Forest-Rolesville) and sophomore defensive lineman Brian Person (Havelock, NC/Havelock), and each received honorable mention recognition.

The coaches awarded Bridgewater senior quarterback Jason Lutz the league's Player of the Year Award. For the first time in league history, two coaches, Washington and Lee's Frank Miriello and Bridgewater's Michael Clark, shared the ODAC Coach of the Year prize.

Guilford's top receiver, McKinney set the NCAA Division III record and tied the all-divisions mark for most punt returns for a touchdown in a season with five. He leads all NCAA divisions through games of November 17 with a 26.7-yard per return average, the seventh-best figure in Division III history. The 6-2, 200-pound wideout set league and school standards for punt return yards and punt return average in a season and became the school's career leader with 994 punt return yards. He ran punts back for scores in each of Guilford's last three games, all Quakers' victories, and earned a spot on the d3football.com Team of the Week three times during the season.

McKinney led the Quakers with 33 catches for 462 yards and four touchdowns and ranked among the ODAC leaders in all-purpose yards (2nd), scoring (4th) and receptions (10th). His 11 touchdowns marked the most by a Guilford player since Junior Lord's school-record 18 scores in 1997. McKinney was a second-team All-ODAC pick in 1998 and 1999 before transferring to North Carolina State after the 1999 season. He walked on to the Wolfpack's football team before returning to Guilford last August.

Batts shared the league lead in interceptions with five and finished sixth on the team with 56 tackles (36 solo). He made four of his interceptions in Guilford territory, including one in the Quakers' end zone and three inside the Quakers' five-yard line. The 5-9, 175-pound cornerback led Guilford with 14 pass deflections and registered a career-high 11 tackles versus Hampden-Sydney September 22. Batts had six stops and a career-best six breakups the following week against Greensboro. In 20 career games, he has 10 interceptions.

Edwards also shared the ODAC lead in interceptions (5) and ranked fourth in total tackles with a team-high 88 stops (49 solo). His team-high 12 tackles and interception in the end zone preserved a 17-7 Quakers' victory over Emory & Henry November 10 and earned Edwards the ODAC's Player of the Week Award. A 6-1, 185-pound safety, he led Guilford's tacklers a team-high six times. He had five games with 10 or more stops, including a career- and team-season-high 16 tackles versus Hampden-Sydney (9/22). Edwards made all five of his interceptions in Guilford territory, including two in the end zone and four inside the Quakers' 10-yard line. He earned honorable mention All-ODAC laurels as Guilford's leading receiver in 2000.

Massey started all four years on the Quakers' offensive line and ranked among their top lineman each season. The 6-1, 255-pound guard started each of his eight games as a senior and concluded his career with 34 starts in 35 appearances. He blocked for the ODAC's second-best rushing offense (192.9 ypg) this year and helped the Quakers' to two 300-yard rushing performances, including a 330-yard effort against Methodist (9/8), the fourth-highest single-game rushing total in school history. Massey was an honorable mention All-ODAC pick and Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-District III honoree in 2000.

Black concluded his career as a five-game starter at middle linebacker in 2001. A three-year starter, the 5-11, 225-pound Black finished second on the team with 64 tackles (23 solo), eight tackles for a loss and one sack. He had a season-high 10 stops at Carson-Newman (9/1) and in the season finale against Emory & Henry. The Quakers' leading tackler in 1999 and 2000, Black finished her career with 268 tackles (96 solo) and three sacks in 38 games. He and Lamotta will play in Saturday's East Coast Bowl in Petersburg, VA. The all-star event features Division II and III players from Virginia against their North Carolina counterparts.

Lamotta started all 10 games at tight end and earned his third straight honorable mention All-ODAC commendation. Primarily a blocker, the 6-4, 225-pound Lamotta made eight receptions for 73 yards and one touchdown. He scored his third career touchdown on a 16-yard reception against Ferrum October 6. A three-year starter, Lamotta concluded his career with 41 catches for 474 yards in 38 contests.

Person overcame a knee injury suffered in the Quakers' season-opener at Division II Carson-Newman and returned to the lineup for the Quakers' final five games. He compiled 17 tackles (9 solo), including a sack and seven stops for loss in six contests. The 6-3, 270-pound tackle made a season-high five tackles versus Ferrum October 6.

Coach Mike Ketchum's Quakers won their last three games and finished with a 4-6 overall record. Guilford went 3-3 in the ODAC, good enough for second place. The Quakers expect 16 starters from this year's squad back in 2002.

- Josh Caray '04