Delaware Football Seniors Honored at Annual Blue Hen Touchdown Club Awards Banquet

12/13/2015 10:06:00 PM | Football

By: Delaware Athletics

From left to right: Ben Curtis, Kevin McLaughlin, Josh Plummer, David Tinsley, Joe Fortunato, Chris Lail, Brandon Snyder, head coach Dave Brock, Justin Glenn, Rick Bell, Vince Hollerman, Khaliq Gatson (Absent from Photo: Craig Brodsky)

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Dave Brock, who closed out his third season at the helm of the Blue Hens last month, was on hand to present the awards and to personally recognize each senior for his contributions to the program.

Family members of the seniors, as well as the senior student athletic trainers, managers, and operations assistants, were also recognized at the banquet as were members of the UD athletics support staff. A special senior highlight video produced by the UD Athletics Multimedia Department was also part of the program.

Tinsley, a native of Seffner, Fla. (Armwood High School), was the big winner as he was named the Outstanding Senior on Defense and the Outstanding Senior Lineman and was also honored with the Captain's Award and the Taylor Memorial Award. The Taylor Award, presented each year since 1948 and the oldest award bestowed upon a UD student-athlete, recognizes a senior member of the football team who made outstanding contributions to the program.

In addition to Tinsley, offensive tackle Ben Curtis (Calvert Hall/Columbia, Md.) was named the Outstanding Senior on Offense, defensive end Vince Hollerman (Camden County/Woodbine, Ga.) received the Winnie Mayer Outstanding Senior at End Award, long snapper Joe Fortunato (Mainland Regional/Linwood,N.J.) earned the Outstanding Senior on Special Teams award, offensive lineman Justin Glenn (A.I. duPont/Newark, Del.) was presented with the Unsung Hero Award, and kicker Kevin McLaughlin (Cardinal Gibbons/Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) earned the Elks Club Scholar-Athlete Award as the senior with the highest undergraduate grade point average.

Other seniors honored during the event were wide receiver Rick Bell (Salesianum/Wilmington, Del.), defensive back Craig Brodsky (Fleming Island/Orange Park, Fla.), defensive back Khaliq Gatson (William Penn/New Castle, Del.), linebacker Christopher Lail (Kingsway Regional/Mickleton, N.J.), defensive tackle Josh Plummer (Camden County/Saint Mary's, Ga.), and linebacker Brandon Snyder (Tatnall/Newark, Del.).

Tinsley, a marketing and management major who earned his degree in May and is currently working on his MBA at Delaware, returned to the lineup in 2015 after missing all but one game in 2014 with a bicep injury. He didn't miss a beat, leading all UD down linemen with 41 tackles and leading all Blue Hen defenders with 4.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss to earn second team All-CAA honors. He served as the team's solo captain and was nominated for the CAA Chuck Boone Leadership Award. He posted 82 tackless and 5.5 sacks in 31 career games.

Curtis, a criminal justice major, was a four-year starter and was the lone Blue Hen selected to the All-Colonial Athletic Association first team during the 2015 season. Also a second team All-CAA pick in 2014, Curtis played in 43 career games and started each of his final 40 contests. He anchored an offensive front that has helped Delaware rank No. 2 in the CAA and No. 17 nationally in rushing offense at 219.4 yards per game in 2015. Earlier this week he was named a third team All-American by College Sports Madness.

Hollerman, an economics major at Delaware, was a four-year starter on the defensive line and recorded 29 tackles, four sacks, and six tackles for loss in 10 games during the 2015 campaign. For his career he played in 45 games with 40 starts and recorded 108 tackles, 15.5 sacks, and 21.5 tackles for loss.

Fortunato, a sport management and management major, handled long snapping duties for four years and never missed a game, playing in 46 straight to finish out his career. He served as long snapper on punts for four years and on placements for the last two seasons. Delaware had just two punts blocked in 224 attempts during his career and the Hens led the CAA in net punting in both 2013 and 2014 and ranked among the top 10 in the NCAA both years. During his two years as long snapper on placements, Delaware was 47 of 50 on PATs and 16 of 27 on field goals

Glenn, who earned his degree in physical education and is currently working on his master's degree in exceptional children and youth, played in 13 career games as a backup guard and appeared in eight games in 2015, mostly as a blocker on placements. An honor student, he was named to the CAA Academic Honor Roll five times.

McLaughlin, a finance major, earned the Elks Club Scholar-Athlete Award as the senior with the highest undergraduate grade point average (3.319). He was a College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-American nominee and was a three-time member of the CAA Academic Honor Roll. He handled kickoff chores for Delaware the past two seasons, appearing in 20 games, kicking off 77 times with 12 touchbacks, and recording four tackles.

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Scott Selheimer | selheime@udel.edu | Office: 302-831-8007 | Cell: 302-562-5129