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May 7, 2012 Dave Morrissey Laurier Football Club Hamilton, ON - Eight future Golden Hawks took part in the All Canada Gridiron High School All-Star Game at McMaster University Sunday, with players from the Golden Horseshoe defeating a team from the Greater Toronto Area by a 43-7 score. Suiting up for the winners were Tanner Philp (defensive back, Nelson), Mike Solanki (defensive back, Holy Cross), Mark Fidani (defensive tackle, Bishop Tonnos), Eric Juhl (linebacker, Nelson) and Richard Vu (defensive back, Lorne Park). Filling out the GTA roster were Casey Blight (center, Huron Heights), Kyle Lees (defensive tackle, Markham) and Andrew Richards (defensive end, Richview). Richards recorded two sacks and a forced fumble on the day. The Laurier football team is looking forward to all of these players contributing to the team's future success.  May 4, 2012 Christine Rivet Waterloo Region Record 
WATERLOO, ON - Shamawd Chambers disappointed?
Not a chance. Pre-draft rankings had Wilfrid Laurier University’s dazzling wide receiver going as high as No. 3 in the CFL’s Canadian college draft on Thursday. There was even some discussion he might be the top pick. But on Thursday, selections one through five came and went. And Chambers’ name was still on the board. The Edmonton Eskimos eventually grabbed the explosive six-foot-three, 219-pound Chambers with the sixth pick overall and their second first-round selection of the day. “I’m happy. I was expecting to go to Edmonton,” Chambers, 23, said from his family’s home in Markham. “My agent (Dan Vertlieb) mentioned I would probably go there with the sixth pick.” Chambers said he knew his decision to attend an NFL mini-camp with the Philadelphia Eagles, finalized this week, would frighten off a few CFL teams. On Thursday, Chambers said he was thrilled to share Thursday’s experience with his close pal and fellow CFL draftee Courtney Stephen. Stephen, a former All-Canadian safety at Laurier, was taken with the draft’s eighth pick by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Stephen and Chambers arrived at Laurier with an incredible freshman class in 2008. And Stephen, of Brampton, soon established himself as one of the top safeties in the nation. After an All-Canadian selection in 2009, Stephen packed his bags for the Northern Illinois University Huskies, where his older brother Patrick had played. “I’m even happier for Courtney. He deserves to be there. In my mind, he was the (top defensive back) on the board,” said Chambers. Stephen, who returns to the Huskies for his senior season in the fall after tearing his ACL last year, said he was delighted to be taken so early. He was ranked as high as No. 15 by the CFL’s Scouting Bureau in September before the injury knocked him off the board completely. “I’m still trying to take it all in,” said Stephen, on the line from DeKalb, Ill. where he followed the draft on Twitter. “The only thing that’s making it real is the number (50) of messages on my phone right now.” Earlier in the day, the Saskatchewan Roughriders made homegrown offensive lineman Ben Heenan the draft’s first overall pick. The B.C. Lions traded with the Eskimos to get the draft’s second pick. And with it, they snagged Eastern Michigan defensive lineman Jabar Westerman. Winnipeg swapped with Hamilton to get the No. 3 pick where the Blue Bombers selected Washington State’s six-foot-seven offensive lineman Tyson Pencer. With the draft’s fourth pick, Edmonton snapped up All-American offensive lineman Austin Pasztor from the University of Virginia. Ameet Pall, a pass-rush specialist from South Carolina’s Wofford College, was taken fifth by the Calgary Stampeders. Eskimos GM Eric Tillman said he is willing to wait for both Pasztor, who has already signed a free-agent contract with the Minnesota Vikings, and for Chambers, while they pursue their NFL dreams. “We feel with both of these picks, we will get them at some point,” Tillman told TSN. “And when we do, our fan base will be pleased we got two quality Canadians.” Chambers, a tantalizing combination of size, speed and power, will have a three-day tryout with the NFL’s Eagles later this month, in an attempt to land an invitation to Philadelphia’s main camp. Longtime WLU head coach Gary Jeffries said Thursday’s draft-day results are among the best in Golden Hawks’ history. “We had two players taken with the top eight picks. It’s a great day for Laurier football.” There were no hard feelings when Stephen decided to transfer, said Jeffries. “Once Courtney told us what was in his heart, we supported him 100 per cent.” Chambers understood, too, why Stephen headed south. “You’ve got to chase your dream,” said Chambers. “I’m trying to make it in the NFL and Courtney is chasing his dream, too.” “I believe in you, too,” Stephen told Chambers during their conference call with The Record. Former University of Waterloo Warriors linebacker Jordan Verdone, who transferred to the Calgary Dinos last year, was taken 37th overall in Thursday’s six-round draft by the B.C. Lions. (Photo: Thomas Kolodziej, Laurier Athletics) May 1, 2012 Jamie Howieson Laurier Athletics CFL draft prospect Shamawd Chambers of Markham, Ont., will attend the Philadelphia Eagles' mini-camp next week on a tryout basis. Chambers, a wide receiver from Wilfrid Laurier, is the third-ranked prospect heading into the CFL Canadian Draft on Thursday. Chambers will be looking to earn a contract over the three-day mini-camp which runs from May 11-13. It's unclear how much this will affect Chambers' CFL draft stock. He is the fourth CFL draft prospect to be connected with an NFL team this year. Top-ranked prospect Tyrone Crawford and sixth-ranked Christo Bilukidi were drafted by NFL teams while the fourth-ranked Austin Pasztor signed down south as an undrafted free agent. April 27, 2012 Jamie Howieson Laurier Athletics On Thursday night, the Wilfrid Laurier Department of Athletics and Recreation hosted the 13th annual Friends of Golden Hawk Football Reception and Dinner presented by Sun Life Financial at the Waterloo Inn. The event raised $60,000 which will directly benefit the Laurier Golden Hawks football program. Chris Rudge, the executive chairman of the Toronto Argonauts and the 100th Grey Cup Festival, highlighted the evening as the Keynote Speaker. Prior to his time with the Argonauts, Rudge served as the chair of the highly successfully Own The Podium program in 2009 and 2010 which led to Canadas record medal haul at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver. Thursday's dinner also saw the Golden Hawks honour former Cameron Heights coach Ron Bell with the inaugural High School Football Coach of the Year award. Bell was the head coach of the Golden Gaels senior football team from 1969 to 1998. While at Cameron Heights, he won 183 games and nine city championships. The Friends of Golden Hawk Football Reception and Dinner is a fundraising initiative of the Laurier Golden Hawk Football program. To date, the event has raised over $750,000 for the Golden Hawk football program. The funds are directed into enhancements and support, such as equipment, academic assistance, coaching support and facilities. The event will be replayed on Rogers TV on Saturday, April 28 at 2 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. and again on Wednesday, May 2 at 2 p.m. Laurier will open their 2012 football season on Labour Day, Monday, September 3rd, when they travel to Toronto to take on the Varsity Blues. The Golden Hawks will then play their home opener on Saturday, September 8th against the Queen's Gaels. (Video: Chad Leitch, Laurier Athletics) April 5, 2012 Laurier Football Club 
Football action may be on hold until August, but the support for Laurier’s football program keeps going year round – and it continues with Laurier Football Golf Day on May 14, 2012.
The Laurier Football Club invites all current and past Laurier football players, coaches, managers, trainers - as well as fans and friends of the Hawks alike – for a day of golf at Crosswinds Golf Course (located just west of Milton, click HERE for address information). The day will begin with a continental breakfast at 8am, which will then be followed by a shotgun start at 9am (rain or shine). The planned format is a fun, yet competitive, scramble. Participants are encouraged to enter a foursome from their playing era, recruiting class, etc. (single participants are welcome and will be assigned to a foursome). There will be two competitive flights: A and B – which will be based on team estimates on their overall handicap. If so desired, all participants have the option to play their own ball within the foursome and not compete in the Scramble Competition. At 2pm, a BBQ lunch will be provided to all participants. The total cost for the day of golf (and two meals) is $100. The registration deadline for this fantastic event is set for Friday April 27, 2012. Click HERE to sign up. Please note: if you are not already supporting the Adopt-a-Hawk program, you will have an opportunity to do so at the Laurier Football Golf Day. If so desired, general donations can also be submitted at that time. Hope to see you out on the course! April 1, 2012 Laurier Football Club After seven practices in five days, Laurier football's annual Spring Camp at University Stadium came to a close with the Purple and Gold controlled scrimmage Sunday afternoon. Coming off an integrated practice with the University of Guelph Gryphons the prior morning, the team offered a glimpse of what to expect for the 2012 season with its intrasquad game. View the two-part slideshow below to see the Hawks hitting the field for the first time in the new year. Laurier Football Spring Camp Pt.1 View more presentations from LaurierFootballClub. Laurier Football Spring Camp Pt.2 View more presentations from LaurierFootballClub. March 15, 2012 Laurier Football Club The night of Thursday, March 1st saw the Laurier Football Club gather some of its local Hawks at the Brick Brewery for an 'Evening with the Golden Hawks' - in support of the Laurier football program. The generosity of those in attendance was evident in the first of three such events. The silent auction alone saw donations totalling $2,300, but wouldn't have been such a success without the contributions of the prize donors and winners. They were: Bookshelf speakers (donated by Aaron Rudland at Steve's TV) – Winner: Don McWhinnie Laurier apparel (donated by the WLU Bookstore) – Winner: Don McWhinnie Helmet and game ball (donated by WLU football) – Winner: Don McWhinnie Raptors vs. Orlando tickets for Mar.26 (donated by Barb and Brian Watson at Molly Bloom's and Failte) – Winner: Mark Gauthier Gift certificate to the Charcoal Group of restaurants – Winner: Mark Gauthier Four tickets to a Hamilton Ti-Cats game (donated by Jason Vandale) – Winner: Stewart Frake Wine package (donated by Chris Povey) – Winner: Rohan Thompson 'Booster' Vanier Cup ring (donated by Wally Barrow of Josten's) – Winner: Aaron Rudland Raptors vs. Bucks tickets for Mar. 11 – Winner: John Glassford Pouring kit (donated by Barb and Brian Watson at Molly Bloom's and Failte) – Winner: Chris Povey Andrea Bargnani signed Raptors' jersey (donated by Randy McGlynn at OTIP) – Winner: Jim Griesbaum Raptors tickets (donated by Brent Stucke) – Winner: Peter Baxter Laurier Athletics' 'Adopt-a-Hawk' program also got off to a great start under the leadership of Recruiting Coach Carl Zender. Two tables were also sold for the upcoming Friends of Laurier Football Corporate Dinner - which will contribute to the net proceeds raised for the April 26th event. In addition, thanks to the efforts of Jody Dennis and Ryan Carmichael of Sun Life Insurance, the potential of up to $268,000 in legacy gifts of insurance was pledged by some of the evening's participants. Again, a heartfelt 'THANK-YOU' goes out from the Laurier Football Club and the Laurier football program to the members of the Golden Hawk family in attendance for all of your continued generosity. The casually dubbed 'Golden Hawk Football Travelling Roadshow' looks forward to its planned stops in Burlington and Toronto in the months ahead to re-connect with more supporters of the 'purple and gold'! December 19, 2011 Christine Rivet Waterloo Region Record 
WATERLOO — Christmas came early for the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks.
And once jolly, old St. Nick emptied his sack on Saturday morning, he had delivered 21 blue-chip recruits to the rebuilding Hawks. Santa, in this case, was assistant Hawks coach and the squad’s new recruiting co-ordinator, Carl Zender, who was appropriately outfitted in a white beard and red hat — after his official duties as emcee were completed. Saturday’s event in the Hawks’ locker room combined a letters of intent signing ceremony, a recruits’ family Christmas reception, an alumni reunion and a pep rally, all in one glitzy, U.S. style media event. Among the list of Laurier recruits were: Waterloo County’s reigning high school football MVP Andrew McWhinnie, a linebacker with Sir John A. Macdonald; Zach Hoare, a linebacker with Jacob Hespeler; and several other players who may challenge immediately for a starting job. “Coach Zender has done a wonderful job,” said an elated Hawks head football coach Gary Jeffries. “His name is all over this day.” “What better way to move forward than at light speed?” Zender asked the 80 or so people in attendance. Zender was a vocal opponent of the University of Waterloo’s controversial decision to suspend its football team’s season in 2010. Then an assistant coach with the UW Warriors, Zender crossed the street with eight Warriors who tested clean then played for Laurier after UW’s steroid scandal. Zender, a 50-something sports marketing consultant from Tucson, Ariz., served as the Warriors scouting co-ordinator until 2010. He orchestrated a similarly flashy news conference to reveal UW’s prospective recruits back in 2005. In 2010, the Warriors lost 19 starters who bolted UW to play for other schools. But the Warriors’ greatest loss may have been the intriguing Zender himself. Since his arrival, he has captivated the Golden Hawks with his unrelenting sense of humour and his can-do attitude. Clearly, the Hawks needed a kick in the pants after finishing with a humble 4-4 (won-lost) record and out of the conference semifinals for the first time in nine years this past season. Several former Hawks were also in attendance Saturday including: 1994 Hec Crighton winner Bill Kubas; Grey Cup finalist and Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive back Ian Logan; and Hamilton Tiger-Cat linebacker Yannick Carter. This was a first for the Hawks, but with Zender’s guidance, it might become an annual event. The idea, said Jeffries, was to get a jump on the opposition on the recruiting trail by imposing Saturday’s signing deadline for the recruits. “I guarantee that the other Ontario schools are looking at all of the recruits we had here. We’ve stolen a few kids today.” The Hawks plan to impose another signing deadline next month. “We still might get the occasional kid to commit in April or May. But we’d like to say we’ll have our needs in place by February,” said Jeffries. McWhinnie’s arrival heralds the first time in four years the Hawks have landed Waterloo County’s MVP, having lost the previous three, Andrew Thibaudeau, Beau Landry and Tyler Varga, to the Western Mustangs. “It just feels right,” McWhinnie said of his decision to play for the purple and gold. “The coaching staff and everybody here treats you like a person and it’s like they want to adopt you into their family. At other schools, you sort of feel like a number.” Laurier’s recruits announced Saturday included: Craig Asiamah-Yeboah, WR, Brampton; Patrick Bishop, LB, Guelph; Edward Cadougan Jr., OG, Scarborough; Joel Chapman, DT, Burlington; Dale Egan, LB, Belleville; Mark Fidani, DL, Hamilton; Eric Juhl, LB, Burlington; Marcus Nese, OL, Peterborough; Tommy Majka, LB/FB, Mississauga; Michael Malanda, DL, Burlington; Sam Montazeri, LB, Markham; Tanner Philp, DB, Burlington; Tyler Reeves, OL, Burlington; Mike Solanki, DB, St. Catharines; Thomas Stawiarski, WR, Ancaster; Jeff Vanier, C, Markham; Darian Waite, RB, King City; Dylan Wenzel, OL, Brampton; and Jackson Yanchus, C/DT, Guelph. (Photo: Mathew McCarty, Waterloo Region Record Video: Laurier Athletics) December 15, 2011 Kevin Campbell The Cord 
For the past three years, Wilfrid Laurier University football head coach Gary Jeffries has watched all three Waterloo County Secondary School Athletic Association (WCSSAA) MVP's head to London to play for the team the Golden Hawks love to hate, the Western Mustangs.
In 2008, Resurrection's Beau Landry committed to the purple and white, while Cameron Heights' Andrew Thibaudeau and Tyler Varga did the same in 2009 and 2010 respectively. But in 2011, the Doug Shuh award winner has chosen to buck that trend and stay in town, and Jeffries and the rest of the Laurier coaches couldn't be happier. Andrew McWhinnie, Sir John A. MacDonald's (SJAM) leading linebacker and an important piece to their 2011 WCSSAA championship announced his commitment to Laurier today. In a press conference held on Wednesday at the football offices (otherwise known as the Classen House), Jeffries formally welcomed McWhinnie to the program. "For me, it was just the best fit," said a smiling McWhinnie. "I feel most comfortable here and obviously I grew up in Waterloo so this is the team I grew up with, watching as a fan and the place I feel I would be most successful." McWhinnie can be classified as a middle linebacker, one who returned an interception for a touchdown in SJAM's championship game versus Jacob Hespeler. The six-foot-four, 225-pound player is a rare specimen on a purely physical basis, let alone the talent he possesses. "He's certainly that size [to be successful]," said Jeffries. "He's the prototypical inside linebacker who can make plays inside ... and he can cover as well ... We've got him slated for lining up the middle for sure." McWhinnie can call himself one of the few who have ever spurned Western once the school came calling. "It's just not home," he said. "You can't duplicate anything you have here. Obviously Western's got a great program there and outstanding facilities, but at Laurier, you just feel like part of the family from the very first recruiting trip. They make you feel at home." McWhinnie decided to make the announcement so early because he wanted to start the training process at Laurier as soon as possible and wanted to relieve the stress of all the programs that called his place on most nights. "There were a lot of schools after Andrew ... but I got the impression that the feel was right," said Jeffries. The team also announced they will be showcasing another 11 recently-committed recruits on Saturday morning, with as many as another eight having the potential to step in right away. Jeffries is hoping that the team can persuade Nelson High School's Wes Livermore to come in and fill ex-kick returner Dillon Heap's spot when the team makes a visit on Thursday. In the meantime, Jeffries explained McWhinnie is a player that the team has identified as a franchise cornerstone. "We're re-loading and [McWhinnie] is certainly a guy we can reload around," said Jeffries after a good number of his star players have graduated this year, which most likely includes recent No. 2 CFL 2012 draft-prospect Shamawd Chambers. "I think [McWhinnie's] signing will attract others and not just within the tri-cities but all around the country," said the coach. "A lot of people know this young man so I think good players attract other good players." McWhinnie has yet to decide on a number but said he may stick with either 74, a number he wore in high school, or 54, the digits her donned in summer football. "I don't really like picking famous numbers," said the Waterloo product. "I just wanted to make a number my own." As for plans for his new team come training camp in August, McWhinnie is chomping at the bit to get started. "I'm hoping to hit the ground running," said the prized linebacker. (Photo: Jordan Ercit, Waterloo Chronicle) December 12, 2011 Laurier Football Club 
The Laurier football community has lost a former Golden Hawk in Kevin ‘Doc’ Holliday, who passed away early Sunday afternoon after succumbing to a battle with cancer.
The former defensive end was a stalwart for the Hawks over five seasons, from 1982-1986. A First-Team OUA football All-Star in ’85 and ’86, Holliday was recently working as a real estate agent in the Barrie area. More details regarding the funeral and donations can be found here. (Photo: Laurier Athletics) |
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