TRINITY'S BURTON; MILLSAPS' BREWER HIGHLIGHT SOUTHERN COLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE’S 15TH ANNIVERSARY FOOTBALL TEAM

SUWANEE, Ga. – A pair of two-time SCAC Players-of-the-Year highlight an impressive list of past standouts named to the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference’s 15th Anniversary football team.

Quarterback Michael Burton of Trinity, the SCAC Offensive Player of the Year in 1998 and 1999, is the only offensive player to be a four-time 1st Team All-SCAC selection. Burton, the 1998 Melberger Award winner as the Division III National Player of the Year, led the Tigers to back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Semifinals in 1998 and 1999. He is a two-time all-American, and is the league's all-time passing leader with over 9,000 yards. During his career, Burton held a record of 38-1 in the regular season, winning 29 consecutive regular season games to close out his career.

Defensive lineman Sean Brewer of Millsaps is the only SCAC player to be named a three-time all-American. The league's Defensive Player-of-the-Year in 1991 and 1992, Brewer posted 435 tackles which ranks fourth in SCAC history. He also had a school-record 53 sacks in his four-year career for the Majors which included a single-season school record 15 sacks in 1991.

Joining Burton as the second quarterback on the 15th anniversary team is fellow Trinity alum Roy Hampton. Hampton was the league's Offensive Player of the Year in 2001 and 2002. He is second only to Burton in career passing in the SCAC and holds numerous single-season records at Trinity. Hampton is the league leader in total offense, gaining over 9,300 yards in just three years as a starting quarterback. In 2002, Hampton led Trinity to the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl with a 14-0 record, and was a two-time all-American. 

Other running backs selected to the team, in addition to Gladney, include Jeremy Boyce of Trinity, Carl Cravens of Sewanee, Kris Garrett of Centre and Mike McKenzie of Millsaps.

Boyce rushed for 3,870 yards (second in league history) and 35 touchdowns during his four years at Trinity and is the only running back in SCAC history to lead the league in rushing three times. He set the league's single-game rushing mark with a 305-yard effort against Sewanee in 2001. A three-time all-SCAC selection, Boyce capped his career with an all-American selection in 2002 when the Tigers made it all the way to the national title game. Cravens was the SCAC's first Offensive Player-in-the-Year as a sophomore in 1991. The three-time all-SCAC performer ranks third on the league's career rushing chart with 3,859 yards and is one of just four running backs to average 100+ yards rushing per game during his tenure in the league. Garrett, the 1995 SCAC Offensive Player-of-the-Year, is the league's fourth all-time leading rusher with 3,643 career yards including a career-high 1,187 in 1995. Gladney of Millsaps, the league's Offensive Player-of-the-Year in 1993 and 1994, posted the most prolific rushing season in SCAC history with 1,882 yards in 1994 - capped by an all-America selection. Gladney averaged 162.4 yards per game in his two years in Jackson (tops in league history) and ranks fifth in league history for both career rushing yards (3,085) and touchdowns scored (40). McKenzie rushed for 3,003 yards in his career and is one of just six players in league history to eclipse the 3,000-yard plateau. He owns the Millsaps record for career rushing attempts with 665.

Six receivers were recognized by the all-anniversary voters. The group includes Jason Hunt and Jerheme Urban of Trinity, Wes Ingram of Millsaps, Brian Vandegrift of Rhodes and Dan Ryan and Jamarcus Shephard - both of DePauw.

Hunt and Urban started three years together, breaking nearly every previous receiving record in Trinity history.  Hunt is the SCAC's leading receiver in both receptions (213) and receiving yards (3,202), and is fifth all-time in touchdown receptions (24). He was a three-time all-SCAC player, who is Trinity's career record holder in receiving yards and receptions. Urban finished his career second in receiving yards and receptions at Trinity, and fourth in the SCAC in receiving yards (2,565) and ninth overall in receptions (157). Urban often made the most of his receptions, scoring 32 receiving touchdowns in his career - good for second on the all-time league charts. After graduation, Urban was signed to the National Football League's Seattle Seahawks, where he is in his third season. Ingram is sixth on the league's all-time yards receiving list with 2,352, which is second all-time at Millsaps. The four-time all-SCAC performer caught 159 balls for 20 touchdowns. In 1993, Vandegrift was named the SCAC Offensive Player-of-the-Year when he became one of five receivers in league history to post 1,000+ yards receiving in a single season. The Rhodes grad caught 182 balls in his career (third in SCAC history) for 2,256 yards. DePauw's Ryan owns the SCAC record for most career touchdown receptions (41) and ranks second in league history for both receptions (184) and receiving yards (2,913). He had a least one touchdown reception in 16 straight games (spanning the 2001 and 2002 seasons) - an all-Divisions record until broken by Larry Fitzgerald of Pittsburgh in 2003. Shephard, who played with Ryan for two seasons, ranks fifth on the league's all-time receiving yards list with 2,382. The two-time all-SCAC receiver caught 168 passes with 17 touchdowns.

Along the offensive line, six former SCAC standouts were selected to the all-anniversary team. Honorees include Antonio Crook of Sewanee, Matt Huard of Millsaps, Chip Hudson of Rhodes, Daniel Schwartz of Rose-Hulman and two former Trinity linemen - Danny Palmer and Bill Smith.

Crook anchored the Sewanee offensive line from 1996-1999 and was a three-time all-SCAC selection including an all-American nod in 1999. The Tigers led the league in rushing offense each of Crook's four years on the Mountain. Huard was named First Team all-SCAC as both a junior and senior and the Majors finished second in the league in scoring offense both seasons. In 1996, he spearheaded a Millsaps line that opened holes for the league's leading rusher, Brad Madden. Hudson, a two-time all-conference selection, led the way for the league's leading rusher in 1995 as Michael Lee went for 1,374 yards and Rhodes claimed a share of the SCAC title. The following season, he blocked for another 1,000-yard rusher in Darrell Brown. Since the Engineers joined the league in 1998, Schwartz is Rose-Hulman's only two-time First Team all-SCAC selection. Schwartz, who served as an offensive tackle for squads that established nearly every school record for passing offense, earned honorable mention All-American honors and second-team CoSIDA Academic All-American accolades for his efforts on the gridiron. Trinity's Palmer and Smith were two of the best Tiger linemen in school history. Palmer was an all-America selection in 1997, leading a Tiger offense that broke several school and SCAC records. All of those records, however, were re-written again during the years with Smith, who was a two-time all-American in 2000 and 2001. Smith set the school record for consecutive starts, starting in all 50 games during his career (1998-2001).

Two standout special teams performers were recognized for their contributions as Paul Morris of Trinity was named as the all-anniversary placekicker and DePauw's Jamarcus Shephard was named the league's kick return specialist.

Morris broke every kicking record at Trinity during his career, ranking first in single-season and career field goals made, single-season and career extra points made, and percentages in both categories. He was an all-American in 1997, and currently ranks second all-time in SCAC history for points scored by a kicker with 211.

Shephard was a two-time all-American specialist and holds the SCAC career record for kick return yardage (1,430). He set a NCAA Division III single-game record in 2003 with two kick returns for touchdowns (95 & 91 yards) against Millsaps, and his 99-yard touchdown return against Hanover in 2002 is tied for the longest kick return in conference history. Shephard capped his career with a 2004 Hula Bowl appearance, one of just two DIII players selected to play in the contest.

Joining Brewer along the defensive front of the 15th anniversary team are Cam Demmerle of Centre, Matt Smith of Rhodes, Jake Vieck of Rose-Hulman and Jarrod Smith and John Tobola, both of Trinity.

Demmerle, a three-time all-SCAC honoree, anchored a Centre defensive front that finished second in the league in total defense twice and third once over his last three seasons. Equally talented in the classroom, Demmerle was awarded the National Football Foundation's Scholar Athlete of the Year Award in 1999. Rhodes' Smith earned all-SCAC honors three times in his career, including his sophomore year when the Lynx earned a share of the 1995 conference title - the last time a Rhodes team has won a SCAC football championship. His 1996 defensive unit finished second in the league in total defense. Vieck had a league-high 10 sacks in garnering Defensive Player-of-the-Year honors in 2004. He finished his career with 21 sacks, second on Rose-Hulman’s all-time list, and helped lead the Engineers to their best back-to-back season records since 1994-95. A two-time All-SCAC honoree, Vieck was the first Rose-Hulman football player to receive a Player-of-the-Year award. Tobola, Trinity's first SCAC Player-of-the-Year (offense or defense) in 1993, was selected as an all-American that same year and set the school record with 12.5 sacks. Smith became Trinity's all-time sacks leader in 2003, earning his third selection as an all-SCAC player and his first on the First Team that season. He became the first conference lineman in nine years to win the league's Defensive Player-of-the-Year honor when he took home the hardware in 2003. Smith was also Trinity's first and only "consensus" all-American, being selected First Team by five different organizations.

Selections to the linebacker core of the all-anniversary team were dominated by Millsaps and Trinity. The Majors were represented by past standouts George Lumm and Matt O'Bryant and while the trio of John Beckwith, James Vallerie and John-Paul Visosky represented the TU Tigers.

Lumm ranks 11th on the SCAC career tackles list with 370, including a league-leading 119 in 1998. A four-time all-SCAC honoree, Lumm finished his career with 6.5 sacks and was a freshman on the last Millsaps team to win a SCAC championship (1996). O'Bryant is the league's leading tackler in the SCAC era with 462. The two-time SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Year (2001, 2002) and four-time First Team selection led the league in tackles per game three times and finished second once. He set the league's single-season record for fumble recoveries with six in 2003. Trinity's Vallerie racked up 385 tackles in just three seasons, good for ninth on the SCAC's all-time list, with 270 of those tackles coming in 1993 and 1994 to lead the Tigers to their first two conference titles. His 158 tackles in 1993 set a school record, and he was selected as an all-American in 1994. Beckwith, who played two seasons with Vallerie, continued the fine linebacker tradition at Trinity. The 1996 SCAC Defensive Player-of-the-Year and an all-American selection, Beckwith ranks fifth in SCAC history with 431 tackles, holding Trinity's career record. He also served as the team's punter for three years. Visosky is Trinity's second-leading career tackler (333) and is 15th on the SCAC charts. A three-time all-SCAC honoree culminating with the league's Defensive Player-of-the-Year award his senior season, Visosky earned recognition on five different all-America teams for his play in 2000.

Six former defensive backs were elected to the team, including two each from Centre and Sewanee. Clay Curry and Eric Heyman are former Centre standouts voted to the team while Wes Bradley and Towaski Hunt represent Sewanee. David Blackburn of DePauw and Alex Doran of Trinity round out the defensive backs selected to the all-anniversary team.

Curry is one of just two defensive backs to receive the league's Defensive Player-of-the-Year honor after receiving the award in 1997. A three-time all-SCAC selection, he had 316 tackles in his career including a league-high 126 in 1996. Curry also led the SCAC in interceptions in 1995 (5) and 1997 (4). Heyman was a four-time all-conference honoree for the Colonels. As a freshman, he led the league in interception return yardage with 137 yards on four picks and then finished atop the SCAC in tackles the following season (1999) with 101. Bradley, a four-time all-SCAC performer, had 17 interceptions (sixth all-time in league history) and 53 pass breakups during his career, including a league-high 16 in 2000. He owns a share of the SCAC record for the longest interception return in league history with a 100-yard pick six in a 2000 game against Millsaps. Hunt was a three-time all-SCAC First Team selection at Sewanee and finished his career with seven interceptions and 108 tackles. The last three seasons that he and Bradley were patrolling the defensive secondary together, the Tigers finished third, third and first in the SCAC in pass efficiency defense, including 2001 when Sewanee finished 11th nationally. Blackburn, DePauw's only four-time all-SCAC selection, finished his career with 11 interceptions, 51 pass breakups and 169 total tackles. He owns two of the top 13 single-season pass breakup totals in the last six years. Doran earned Defensive Player-of-the-Year honors as well as an all-American selection in 1998, helping Trinity to an appearance in the National Semifinals. He is one of only three players selected to the 15th anniversary team that was a four-time First Team all-SCAC player - joining Matt O'Bryant and Mike Burton.

Former Centre student-athletes garnered two of the special teams awards as Jeff Floyd was named to the anniversary team as punter and Brian Britt was selected as the team's punt returner.

Floyd was a three-time all-conference punter and set the SCAC-era single-season record with a 42.8 yards per punt average his senior year (1997). He also quarterbacked the Colonels that year, passing for 1,541 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Britt owned the league's Special Teams Player-of-the-Year award from its inception, winning the award three consecutive years (1999-2001). He is second in league history in punt return yardage (995) as well as punt return average (12.59 yards per return). Britt was also an all-conference defensive back, posting 14 career interceptions. He earned First Team all-SCAC honors his senior season, setting a SCAC-era record with 24 passes defended while also leading the league with nine interceptions.

The Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference will be announcing 15th Anniversary teams in all 18 sports during the 2005-06 academic year. The SCAC was formed in 1991 after a reorganization of its predecessor, the College Athletic Conference (CAC). The CAC dates to 1962 with four charter members: Centre College, Southwestern @ Memphis (now Rhodes College), Sewanee-The University of the South, and Washington & Lee (Va.) University. Washington (Mo.) University joined the CAC later that same year.

The SCAC was formed to provide an association through which the member institutions may encourage organized competition in intercollegiate sports among teams representative of their respective student bodies. Members of this conference share a commitment to priority of the overall quality of academic standards and quality educational experiences.

The SCAC’s 15th Anniversary teams were selected in each sport through balloting by present coaches and administrators. Athletes who participated in conference competition between the fall of 1991 through the spring of 2005 and had been named to at least two All-SCAC teams were eligible for selection.

x First Team All-SCAC
+ Second Team All-SCAC
# Offensive Player-of-the-Year
% Defensive Player-of-the-Year
& Special Teams Player-of-the-Year
(The SCAC began selecting a Special Teams Player-of-the-Year in 1999.)

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