And I still can't make up my mind on the quarterback. We move on to wide receivers, 2004-2013. This category is really hard.
Josh McKee, Wittenberg (2008-2011) - McKee is the NCAC's career leader in receiving yards and receiving TDs, and receptions (I think...the records book is two years removed from being current). He is a two-time first team all-conference selection, which is really hard to do given the abundance of very good receivers in the league during his career. Quarterbacks get all the credit in our society, so while McKee didn't win any Gregory Awards, he did more than his fair share to deliver a pair of them to Ben Zoeller. And there was also that insane 319 yard, 5 TD game (yes, single game) vs. WUStl in 2010. Worth noting.
Kody Lemond, Wabash (2007-2010) - Sadly, Lemond's career was cut a season short with a preseason knee injury in 2010, but Kody managed to piece together an all-time career in just three seasons. All told, Lemond winds up fourth all time in TD receptions and has two of the 15 1,000-yard receiving season in NCAC history. Lemond was also a two time first team selection. With a senior season in 2010, Lemond may have compiled the best WR career in the history of the NCAC. Without a senior season, his is merely among the best, which is a testament to how good Kody was.
Michael Russell, Wabash (2004-2007) - Kind of a sneaky entry to the list of finalists here, but as it turns out, Mike Russell banked a lot of numbers. He is fourth on the career list for receiving yards (and would have been second all time at the conclusion of his career) and fifth all time in TD receptions. Russell was also a two time first team selection.
Harry von Kann, Kenyon (2006-2009) - Kind of a jack of all trades for the Lords during his career, von Kann is recognized here as the NCAC's leading receiver at the end of his career (since passed by McKee). von Kann. von Kann was a two time first team selection (actually he and Lemond were both repeat first teamers in 2008-09).
Jared Glover, Wittenberg (2002-2005) – Jared Glover is a three time first team all-league selection. This despite not being a big stat accumulator which tells you how much the coaches in the league at the time respected Glover's talent. Many WRs had bigger statistical careers and seasons than Glover ever did, but he's the only WR during this decade to be selected to the first team three times.
I'm picking McKee and Lemond from this list. One pieced together the best career of any WR in the history of the league, the other may have done a half step better without a knee injury.
There are a lot of guys that you can look at for spots on this list. It's very hard to narrow the list down to five, let alone select two. Some other players that deserve a mention as among the best WRs of the last decade include Wes Chamblee (Wabash), Eric Summers (Wabash), Jon Horn (Wabash), Skip Ivory (Wittenberg), Pat Williams (Wittenberg), Chris Schubert (Oberlin), Robin Witjes (Oberlin), Jim Lieb (Allegheny), Glenn Campbell (Hiram), Joe White (Earlham), Carlin Shoemaker (Kenyon).
I should also note here that while researching this group, I found that the NCAC's record book suffers a bit with respect to accuracy and being current. So we can probably take some of the "player X finished third all time the NCAC in stat category Y" stuff with a grain of salt. Unfortunately.
