University of Richmond Athletics
McBride As CAA Football Defensive Player Of The Year Highlights Postseason Honors
11/22/2010 | Football
Nov. 22, 2010
UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND - Senior LB Eric McBride ended his standout Richmond career by being named the CAA Football Defensive Player of the Year, and headlined a group of eight All-Conference selections as the league announced its 2010 awards Monday. The Spiders boasted a league-leading seven First Team selections. All postseason honors were voted on by the league's 10 head coaches.
McBride, also Monday named a finalist for the 2010 Buck Buchanan Award given to the top defensive player in the FCS, becomes the fourth Spider in school history to garner a conference's Defensive Player of the Year honor and is Richmond's first individual award-winner since 2007.
A senior from nearby L.C. Bird High, McBride also earned his third-consecutive spot on the All-CAA Football First Team, joining fellow senior Justin Rogers, who garnered a fourth-consecutive mention on the First Team. Rogers is the first player in school history and just the second player in league history to earn a First Team All-Conference honor in four-successive seasons (James Madison S Tony LeZotte, 2004-07).
Also on the First Team for Richmond were senior DL Martin Parker, sophomore FB Drew Lachenmayer was a Second Team honoree.
McBride started all 54 games of his career - the longest active streak in CAA Football - and finished 2010 with the league's second-most tackles (119). The two-time CAA Football Defensive Player of the Week tied for the league-lead in fumble recoveries (three), and finished the year with two forced fumbles, two interceptions, 6.0 tackles for loss and four pass breakups. The big-time playmaker is ranked second all-time at Richmond in tackles (446).
Senior DT Martin Parker was also named a Buchanan Award finalist Monday after finishing 13th in the voting in 2009. A Second Team All-Conference pick last season, Parker led all CAA Football defensive linemen in tackles (8.7 per game) and was second overall in the league in total sacks (5.5) and total TFL (13.5) this year. He posted five double-digit tackle games, including 13 versus Delaware and 12 versus Towson.
Rogers was a First Team pick at both cornerback and punt returner, leading the league in punt return average (12.4 yards), while collecting 48 tackles, two interceptions and two forced fumbles as the league's premier shutdown corner. A versatile threat, Rogers became the CAA Football career leader in kickoff return yards during the 2010 season and also saw action on offense as he rushed five times, caught three passes and was two-for-two passing.
Junior WR Tre Gray followed up his Third Team pick in 2009 with a First Team honor in 2010. Richmond's leading receiver, Gray was ninth in the league in both catches (38) and yards (478). Battling though a nagging shoulder injury all season and missing one game because of it, Gray reeled in 91 yards at Virginia and caught the game-winning TD pass with nine seconds left at UMass.
Sophomore FB Kendall Gaskins was a Third Team pick at fullback in 2009, and earned First Team honors in 2010 after averaging 4.1 yards per carry and scoring five touchdowns. In his career, 36 percent of Gaskins' touches have resulted in a first down or touchdown.
Sophomore PK Wil Kamin became just the second kicker in school history to garner All-Conference recognition (Rob Courter, 1990 -- Second Team) as he finished the regular season as the most accurate field-goal kicker in the league (10-for-11) and made an overtime game-winner versus James Madison. Kamin, a one-time pick as the CAA Football Special Team Player of the Week, also owned the league's third-best kickoff average (60.6 yards) and helped the unit rank second in the league in kickoff coverage.
Senior C Drew Lachenmayer earned Second Team honors this season, after earning a Third Team spot in 2009. A captain, Lachenmayer was the only starter that returned on the offensive line this year and started the final 40 games of his career.
Under first-year head coach Latrell Scott, Richmond (6-5, 4-4) limped its way through an injury-plagued 2010 campaign but still was in playoff contention on the season's final weekend. The Spiders, who won the 2008 National Championship, missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006 but posted the sixth-consecutive winning season -- the longest streak at Richmond since seven-straight winning campaigns in the 1920s.
Led by seniors McBride, Parker, Lachenmayer and Rogers, Richmond's 2010 senior class tied last year's seniors as the winningest class in school history (41). These seniors posted a 41-13 overall record, were 21-4 at home and went 24-8 versus the CAA (including 3-1 marks versus rivals William & Mary, James Madison and Delaware). The Spiders won two CAA titles, made three NCAA Playoffs and won the 2008 National Championship with these seniors, who played 93 percent of their games ranked in the Top 25 and 70 percent in Top 10.
Notes:
McBride, who was the CAA Football Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2007, is the fourth Defensive Player of the Year in school history, joining DB James Smith (1990, Yankee Conference), LB Shawn Barber (1997, Atlantic 10) and DL Marc Megna (1998, A-10)... The last time Richmond boasted a conference's individual award winner was 2007, when the Spiders had four - McBride (Defensive Rookie of the Year), Kevin Grayson (Offensive Rookie), Rogers (Special Teams) and Dave Clawson (Coach)... Earning the CAA Football individual awards this season were McBride and UMass LB Tyler Holmes (Defensive Players of the Year), Delaware QB Pat Devlin (Offensive), William & Mary KR Jonathan Grimes (Special Teams), Delaware RB Andrew Pierce (Offensive Rookie), James Madison LB Stephon Robertson (Defensive Rookie) and Rhode Island's Joe Trainer (Coach of the Year)... The versatile Rogers was a First Team kick returner in 2007, First Team at defensive back in 2008 and 2009, and this season was a First Team pick at both defensive back and as a punt returner.
