University of Albany FCS Football's Eddie Delaney Among Eleven on All-NEC Football Team; Bob Ford Voted Top Coach - UAlbany Sports 2011

Somerset, N.J. - University at Albany's Eddie Delaney leads a group of eleven players who were chosen to the 2011 All-Northeast Conference Football Team, as announced on Wednesday, Nov. 23 by the conference office. UAlbany's Bob Ford was named NEC Coach of the Year for the fourth time.

Delaney, a senior defensive end from Holtsville, N.Y., makes his third appearance on the all-conference squad and was named to the first team. He previously earned second-team honors twice. Delaney, who plays without a left hand and wears an insulin pump to control diabetes, made 54 tackles and led the team in hits for a loss with 11.5. He established the program's FCS single-season record with 8.5 sacks.

Along with Delaney, UAlbany had five players on the first team. Dan Di Lella, a senior quarterback from Neshanic Station, N.J., shattered the school standard with 24 touchdown passes, breaking a mark that had stood for 14 years. He is 12th nationally with a 151.9 passing efficiency and has connected on 172 of 284 attempts for 2,325 yards, the second-best figure in UAlbany annals. Jon Morgan, a junior inside linebacker from Copiague, N.Y., led the Great Danes with 97 tackles and had 2.5 sacks and three pass break-ups. Morgan has made double-figure stops in five games this season. Kadeem Williams, a 6-foot-7, 300-pound sophomore, started all 11 games at offensive tackle. He blocked for a unit that is 16th in scoring (34.1 ppg) and 21st in total offense (421.5 ypg) among the FCS leaders. Paul Layton, a sophomore from Burnt Hills, N.Y., is sixth among the nation's punting leaders with a 43.0 average. He has booted 15 kicks of 50 or more yards this season.

Kyle Jordan became the second UAlbany player to be voted NEC Defensive Rookie of the Year. A redshirt freshman outside linebacker from Bernardsville, N.J., Jordan is third on the team in tackles with 59, the most by a first-year player since Colin Disch in 2004. He added 9.5 stops for a loss, three sacks and two forced fumbles. He had a career-high nine tackles against Maine and Bryant.

The Great Danes put six players on the All-NEC second team. Herb Glass, a senior placekicker, is on the all-league unit for a second time. He owns the seventh-best single-season scoring total with 80 points, having made 11 of 21 field goals and all 47 point-after attempts. Glass is the program's career leader in field goals (37) and PATS (133), and ranks third on the all-time scoring chart with 244 points.

Andrew Smith became the ninth Great Dane to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season from his tailback position. He led the team in rushing (95.6 ypg) and all-purpose yards (126.7 ypg), plus is second in scoring with 10 touchdowns. The junior had six 100-yard rushing effort and also threw three scoring passes. Ryan Kirchner, a junior wide receiver, is UAlbany's leading receiver with 44 catches for 472 yards and nine TDs. Kirchner is fourth on the program's career receptions list with 110. Zach Gallo, a two-time NEC defensive player of the week this season, totaled 58 tackles, two sacks and two fumble recoveries as a defensive tackle. Senior safety Jake Ciccarello accounted for 53 tackles and two forced fumbles. He has 148 tackles as a collegian. Cornerback Leon Saddler made 44 stops with two interceptions and two pass break-ups.

UAlbany's Ford was honored by the conference for the fourth time and previously won the top coaching award in 2002, 2007 and 2008. His squad was picked fourth in the league's preseason poll but went on to win a share of the program's fifth Northeast Conference championship. UAlbany will make its first Division I FCS playoff appearance and will play in an NCAA postseason game for the first time since 1977. Ford, who started the program at the club level, is the Division I FCS active leader with 255 career victories.

Paw Prints: UAlbany placed eleven players on the All-Northeast Conference team, the highest total since 2008 ... the Great Danes have had 10 or more players voted to the all-conference squad eight times since joining the league in 1999 ... DE Eddie Delaney joins DT Michael Dungey (2005-07) as the lone defensive lineman to earn All-NEC honors three times ... OLB Kyle Jordan is just the second Great Dane to be recognized as NEC Defensive Rookie of the Year ... Colin Disch, an inside linebacker, was named in 2004 ... UAlbany meets Stony Brook, the Big South Conference champion, in an NCAA FCS first-round game on Saturday, Nov. 26 at 2:00 p.m. ... Shawn Kenney and former Ohio State defensive back Rob Harley will handle the broadcast for ESPN3.