by Brian DePasquale
Albany enshrined one of its top wide receivers, one of its best three-sport performers, and a great play-making guard on Saturday at the 14th annual Hall of Fame Brunch and Induction Ceremony at the RACC.
With this year’s induction of football’s Glenn Carlin ’88, lacrosse/football/soccer star Jeff O’Donnell ’74, and basketball’s John Quattrocchi ’73, the Hall grows to 74 former athletes, coaches and administrators.
Carlin, a four-year star, set career receiving yardage (1,392), reception (86), and touchdown reception (12) marks (he now ranks second, third and third, respectively on the all-time lists). He was voted the team’s offensive back of the year award in 1987, and was a member of the 1985 ECAC North Div. III championship team.
As a senior, grabbing 47 passes for 755 yards and seven touchdowns, he was selected to the Football News Pre-season Div. III All-America squad. A psychology major, he was chosen to the GTE Academic All-America District I football team on two occasions. He is now a partner and physical therapist with Garden City Physical Therapy in Long Island.
O’Donnell played four years of lacrosse, three of football and two of soccer. Twice co-captain in lacrosse, he graduated as Albany’s all-time scorer with 40 goals and 34 assists for 74 points. He was selected three times to the All-Northern NY Division team by the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association. He led the University to the Association’s championship game in 1971.
Although never playing football in high school, O’Donnell was the starting safety for Albany’s club team in 1971, and was a member of the first varsity squad in 1973. A a two-time recipient of Albany’s top defensive back award, he is now an attorney in Pennsylvania.
Quattrocchi was a two-time All-SUNY Athletic Conference and All-East guard during his three-years starting career for the Danes, during which time they compiled a 51-19 record. In 70 games, he finished as the University’s all-time free throw leader with an 85.8 percentage, hitting 301 of 351 attempts. He currently stands 20th on the scoring list and 17th in scoring average.
A two-time team captain, Quattrocchi this year begins his 14th season as head men’s basketball coach at Skidmore College.
Split end Dan Gmelin threw a 65-yard option TD pass to tight end Seth Thomas on the game’s first play, and Shcree Lewis scored on a 12-yard fumble return to ignite a school-record 38-point first quarter as Albany upset C.W. Post, 44-7, in an Eastern Football Conference contest on Saturday. The win followed a 49-0 win over St. Lawrence the week before.
Gmelin took a pitch on a reverse from quarterback Joe Savino, and pulled up to throw long to a streaking Thomas who had cleared the Pioneer secondary at the 20-yard line. Albany (3-1, EFC 2-0) reached paydirt on its opening five offensive possessions, while the defense set up three scores with fumble recoveries. The 38-point blitz surpassed the old mark for one quarter, a 33-point third period against Massachusetts-Maritime in 1974.
“We ran the same play for a touchdown against them two years ago,” said Gmelin, who became the school’s all-time leading receiver with 95 career receptions. “It set the tone with a first strike right off the bat.”
In all, the Albany defense was at its finest by forcing six turnovers, sacking two quarterbacks seven times, and limiting the Pioneers to 34 net rushing yards. C.W. Post avoided its first shutout since 1987 with 2:08 remaining in the fourth quarter. “That was a just a tremendous game by our defensive unit,” said head coach Bob Ford, whose team was beaten in a second-half rally, 27-21, on this same field in 1995. “Everything that we did went right, and everything they did just backfired in the first quarter.”
Lewis, a junior, was selected as both the ECAC Division II North and Eastern Football Conference Defensive Player of the Week. The 5-foot-11, 223-pound linebacker posted a team-high nine tackles and recovered three fumbles, including one for a touchdown.
Meanwhile, the Dane offense scored 40-plus points for the third straight game, a first in the program’s history. Savino, who recently became the career total offense leader with 5,636 yards, passed for 120 and two touchdowns, and had eight carries for 77 more on the ground.