EXCELLENCE ON THE FIELD AND CLASSROOM

The 2019 Vanier Cup champion University of Calgary Dinos were the elite U Sports football team in Canada on the field. They also exceled in the classroom!

What is remarkable is the 2019 Vanier Cup champions played 12 games against U Sport competition in 2019 which included four post season games. This amounts to an extra one-half a season yet still managed to stand out academically and also dealt with second term restrictions due to CoVID.

The Academic All-Canadian program was created by U Sports in 1990 to recognize the highest levels of academic achievement by student-athletes representing their institution in interuniversity athletic competition. To qualify, student-athletes must achieve an average of 80% or better across an entire academic year while playing an active role in their sport.

Each team can dress 48 players in the Vanier Cup. The Dinos had 24 U Sports Academic All-Canadians including 17 players that dressed in the Vanier Cup championship game. Calgary had 35% of their players earning Academic all-Canadian status that competed in the Championship game.

A trio of players incurred season ending injuries during the 2019 season. Despite having surgery in the academic year, receiver Jack McDonald (Haskayne School of Business), running back Jeshrun Antwi (Arts/Werklund School of Education), and receiver Anthony Basilis (Kinesiology) achieved Academic All-Canadian status. McDonald and Antwi attained their degrees at 2020 Spring Convocation. If healthy, this trio would have competed in the Championship contest.

The following players are U Sports Academic All-Canadians that competed in the 2019 Vanier Cup win over the University of Montreal Carabins. Defensive back Treshaun Abrahams-Webster (Arts), defensive lineman Max Baatar (Sciences pre-Medicine), offensive tackle Logan Bandy (Kinesiology), defensive back Jacob Biggs (Haskayne School of Business), receiver Dallas Boath (Arts majoring in Economics), linebacker Ross DeLauw (Arts majoring in Geological Sciences), quarterback Josiah Joseph (Kinesiology), receiver Hunter Karl (Arts), linebacker Jacob Kirk (Haskayne School of Business), defensive back Deane Leonard (Haskayne School of Business), defensive back Matthew Lucyshyn (Schulich School of Engineering), linebacker Noah McDonaugh (Haskayne School of Business), running back Alessandro Molnar (Haskayne School of Business), defensive back Patrick Pankow (Post Graduate student in the Faculty of Kinesiology), defensive back Nick Statz (Werklund School of Education), linebacker Daniel Teitz (Haskayne School of Business) and receiver Erik Nusl (Arts).

Defensive back Trey Dube (Haskayne School of Business), receiver Peyton Burbank (Haskayne School of Business), linebacker Adam Miele (Kinesiology) and receiver Matson Tulloch (Kinesiology) dressed in sufficient regular season action and/or post-season action to earn U Sports Academic all-Canadian status. All four of these players accompanied the team to the Vanier Cup.

Academic coach Kevin Tonak plays a vital role in the team’s academic accomplishments such monitoring study hall both in Calgary or when the team is on the road for an extended period such as a trip to Vanier Cup.

“During a long season and into a four-game post-season run that includes a trip to the Vanier Cup, it is easy to lose focus on academics and focus only on football. It is very rewarding to see many players balance the demands of football, academics and life while continuing to shine academically,” states Tonak.

“Coach (Wayne) Harris makes academics a top priority. The coaching staff supports our players beyond the field and film rooms. I believe none of our success on the field or in the classroom would not be possible without the support, leadership and mentorship of the Fifth Quarter. I am extremely proud of the academic accomplishments of our players and the rising numbers of Academic All-Canadians each year,” Tonak stated.

In the Merriam-Webster dictionary excellence is described as follows: “extremely high quality” The 2019 Vanier Cup Champion University of Calgary football team had excellence on the field and in the classroom.