Brian Ottney Class: Junior Hometown: Troy, Mich. High School: Troy Height / Weight: 6-6 / 305 Position: C Birthdate: 07/14/1980 Experience: 2L

All-Big Ten candidate anchors Michigan State’s veteran offensive line . . . his teammates feed off his toughness and intensity . . . rated among the nation’s top centers (No. 18) by The Sporting News . . . has started 21 straight games at center . . . has recorded 156 career pancakes, including five double-figure games . . . joins tailback Dawan Moss, quarterback Jeff Smoker and safety Thomas Wright as captains for the 2002 season . . . AS A SOPHOMORE: Presented MSU’s Up Front Award as the team’s outstanding interior offensive lineman . . . started all 12 games at center in 2001 and played a career-high 371.5 minutes . . . played a key role in enabling tailback T.J. Duckett to rush for 1,420 yards in 2001 – the fifth-best single-season total in Spartan history . . . proved to be a model of consistency, grading out 90 percent or better in 11 of 12 games . . . led the Spartans with a career-best 82 pancakes . . . named Spartan Offensive Player of the Week vs. Michigan after scoring a career-high 97 percent, with 15 pancakes . . . posted a 94-percent grade and 10 knockdowns vs. Wisconsin . . . graded 95 percent vs. Minnesota . . . scored 90 percent and totaled 10 pancakes vs. Iowa . . . played a career-high 37 minutes vs. Michigan . . . AS A FRESHMAN: Second-team Freshman All-America selection by The Sporting News . . . started the last nine games of the 2000 season at center and played 267.5 minutes . . . sat out the first two games of the season with a sprained left knee . . . graded out 90 percent or better in nine of 10 games . . . key figure on an offensive line that helped produce the Big Ten’s fourth- and NCAA’s 11th-leading rusher in T.J. Duckett, who averaged 123.0 yards per game . . . produced his top grades of the season vs. Purdue and Illinois, scoring 95 percent in each game . . . recorded 74 pancakes, including double-figure efforts in back-to-back games vs. Michigan (15 knockdowns) and Wisconsin (14) . . . 1999 SEASON: Granted medical redshirt after missing the entire 1999 campaign with a shoulder injury . . . underwent surgery on his right shoulder Sept. 3 . . . HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL DATA: Featured on several prep All-America Teams, including PrepStar, SuperPrep, The National Recruiting Advisor and Midwest Football Recruiting News . . . ranked among the nation’s top 20 offensive linemen by SuperPrep (No. 17), including No. 2 in the Midwest . . . rated No. 3 in the state by the Lansing State Journal and No. 12 by The Detroit News . . . earned first-team all-state and all-metro honors as a senior . . . played extremely well over the last seven games, helping Troy (Mich.) High School to a 9-2 record and a trip to the Class AA regional finals . . . three-year starter for coach Gary Griffith, playing both right and left tackle during his prep career . . . also a member of Troy’s track team, participating in the shot put and discus . . . has tossed the shot put 60-plus feet . . . finished second in the shot put to T.J. Duckett in the ’98 state meet . . runs 4.9 in the 40 . . . born July 14, 1980 . . . majoring in building construction management.