GEE-GEES SWEEP COACH OF THE YEAR, RUSS JACKSON AWARDS

SASKATOON - University of Ottawa sideline boss Denis Piché is the 2006 CIS football coach of the year, while Gee-Gees offensive guard Naim El-Far is the 2006 recipient of the Russ Jackson Award.

Piché and his lineman were honoured on Friday morning during the Russ Jackson - CFL Coach of the Year Luncheon as part of the PotashCorp Vanier Cup celebrations.

A native of Montreal, Piché became the first Ottawa head coach in 26 years and third in history to claim the Frank Tindall Trophy since the inception of the award in 1969. Cam Innes received the distinction in 1980 while Don Gilbert was recognized in 1975.

In his 11th season as a member of the Gee-Gees coaching staff and fifth as head coach, Piché led his troops to the best regular season record in the OUA (7-1) and the Yates Cup championship, both firsts since Ottawa re-joined the Ontario conference in 2001. The Gee-Gees had the best overall defence in the country allowing only 97 points in conference play and led the OUA on offence with 276 points scored. Ottawa topped all OUA schools with 11 conference all-star selections.

Piché has a 30-19 overall record since his appointment in 2002, including a 26-14 mark in the regular season. Under his guidance, the Gee-Gees have enjoyed four winning campaigns and have qualified for the playoffs every year.

Mount Allison's Steve LaLonde, Concordia's Gerry McGrath and Manitoba's Brian Dobie were the other finalists for the Tindall Trophy.

El-Far, a native of Amman, Jordan became the first Gee-Gee in history to capture the Jackson Award honouring the student-athlete who best combines football, academics and community involvement. He was the OUA nominee for the second straight season.

The 25-year-old, currently finishing the second year of his PhD degree in computer science, owns a cumulative grade-point average of 9.0 on a 10-point scale, including a perfect 10.0 last year when he was named a CIS Academic All-Canadian, and works at the world-renown Distributed and Collaborative Virtual Environment Research (DISCOVER) laboratory at the University of Ottawa.

For more than three years, El-Far has been a regular volunteer at the Shepherd's of Good Hope Shelter in the nation's capital, is a member of Athletes in Action, a Christian fellowship for athletes around the world, and has worked with the Canadian Liver Foundation. He is also a mentor to several teammates by tutoring them one-on-one with test preparations and time management. He captured the 2005-06 University of Ottawa's President Award given annually to the Gee-Gee best combining academics, athletics and community service.

The six-foot-two, 295-pound guard did not take up football until the age of 21 when he tried out for the University of Arkansas and made the scout team as a defensive lineman, traveling with the Razorbacks to the 2002 Cotton Bowl. He moved to the O-line when he transferred to Ottawa in 2003 and has since played in all but one Gee-Gees game.


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