Chris Gillyard earned All-Conference honors for the first time in his career last fall, as he grabbed an All-NESCAC Second Team nod as a fullback and senior tri-captain for the Lord Jeffs. Gillyard was part of a solid offensive core that allowed only 11 sacks all season and featured the NESCAC’s best rushing offense through the first five weeks of the season, as the Jeffs were averaging an impressive 185.2 yards per game on the ground. In addition to serving as the lead blocker, Gillyard accumulated 128 total yards and added a touchdown reception.

When Gillyard was not delivering punishing blocks for the Amherst running backs, he was serving as a Resident Counselor for Pond Dormitory, employee of Little Red Schoolhouse and Amherst Design Studio, and member of the Amherst Theater and Dance group and all-male a capella group, The Zumbyes. He also spent a semester studying in Japan and can fluently speak Japanese.

Despite his heavy workload, Gillyard finished with a 3.2 GPA as a double-major. Being the only Amherst football player to major in either Theatre & Dance or Asian Languages & Civilizations prevented Gillyard from being a stereotypical football player, and everything else he did prevented him from being the stereotypical college student.

“You can’t be afraid to try new things,” Gillyard says. “Your friends might not be doing what you’re doing, but you’ve got to realize that it’s your four years at school. You have to do what you enjoy.”