OUA HANDS OUT MAJOR FOOTBALL HARDWARE

Hamilton, Ontario - Ontario University Athletics (OUA) announced Thursday the 2006 football major award winners. The announcement comes in advance of Saturday's conclusion to the OUA football season, the 99th edition of the Yates Cup presented by Pioneer Petroleums.

The 2006 OUA Most Valuable Player is Daryl Stephenson of the Windsor Lancers. The third-year running back totalled 175 carries, 1,140 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground to become the first player in the country to run for 1,000 yards or more in three consecutive seasons. He also caught 10 passes for an additional 156 yards and a receiving touchdown. In eight regular season games, Stephenson averaged 142.5 yards on the ground and 1.5 touchdowns per contest. The Human Kinetics major joins a long list of accomplished football players who took their skills to the professional ranks, however Stephenson still has two more years of OUA eligibility, having just completed his third year. A sign that this MVP could become one of the conference's best players of all time.

"It's a tremendous honour to be recognized among a great group of players such as Andy Fantuz, Neil and Jesse Lumsden, Tim Tindale, Tom Denison and Ben Chapdelaine," exclaimed Stephenson. "Much of the credit for my success this year deserves to go to my linemen who worked hard every week and helped me to get where I did."

Stephenson becomes the first Lancers student-athlete since Scott Mallender in 1979-80 to win the conference's top individual football prize. The London, Ontario native is proud to be a part of an improved football program at Windsor.

"Our team has come a long way over the last few years," he continued. "Coach (Mike) Morencie has done an outstanding job building our program. I think finishing with a 6-2 record and being ranked in the Top 10 in the country is proof that Windsor is headed in the right direction. We are excited about our accomplishments this season and we are looking forward to even bigger things next year."

The recipient of the President's Trophy, awarded to the standup defensive player of the year is Jesse Alexander of the two-time Yates Cup and defending Vanier Cup champion Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks. The six-foot-one, 225-pound linebacker is often regarded as one of the most aggressive and intelligent defenders in the country. Alexander, a native of Kitchener, Ontario, totalled an OUA-best 56.5 tackles to go along with 3.0 interceptions, 1.5 sacks, and 1.0 forced fumbles in eight regular season games for the Golden Hawks. Alexander will lead Wilfrid Laurier in its quest for a three-peat in the Yates Cup presented by Pioneer Petroleums this weekend against Ottawa at Frank Clair Stadium in our nation's capital.

Waterloo Warriors talent Chris Best captured the 2006 J.P. Metras Award, presented each season to the lineman of the year in the OUA. A first team all-Canadian in 2005, Best is a dominant left tackle. He consistently makes not just primary blocks, but secondary and even tertiary blocks. This is the second consecutive season as an OUA first-team all-star for the Calgary, Alberta native. Best was selected fourth overall in the 2005 CFL draft by the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

"Best's pass protect is excellent, his trap blocks are outstanding and his run blocking is exceptional," proclaimed Marshall Bingeman, Warriors head coach. "His leadership skills are second to none, leading the offensive line on the field and organizing them in offseason strength, flexibility and footwork sessions."

Guelph Gryphons standout Nick Fitzgibbon was selected as the Norm Marshall OUA Rookie of the Year Award winner. The explosive running back from Puslinch, Ontario led the Gryphons with 79 carries for 414 yards and three touchdowns, finished fourth on the team with 17 receptions for 214 yards, and also amassed 536 yards on 22 kickoff returns. Fitzgibbon was an integral part of an exciting Guelph offence that averaged 422 yards per game, ranking third in the OUA.

The Coach of the Year, Denis Piché, led the CIS third-ranked Ottawa Gee-Gees to the best regular season record (7-1) in the OUA. His football program has been nothing short of spectacular. He coached 11 student-athletes in OUA all-star selections to lead all schools. In 2006, the Gee-Gees averaged 34.5 points per game while their defence gave up only 12.1 points per contest, both tops in the OUA. As a result of his team's success, Piché and the Gee-Gees will host the Yates Cup presented by Pioneer Petroleums as the top seed. Piché is completing his 11th season as a member of the Gee-Gees coaching staff and fourth as the head coach.

For a second straight season, Naim El-Far of the Ottawa Gee-Gees has been chosen as the recipient of the OUA nomination for the Russ Jackson Award. El-Far best represents the OUA football community on the field, in the classroom and within the community. The fifth-year offensive line / guard from Amman, Jordan is currently finishing the second year of his PhD degree in Computer Science. He owns a cumulative grade-point average of 9.0, on a 10-point scale and works at the world-renown Distributed and Collaborative Virtual Environment Research (DISCOVER) laboratory at the University of Ottawa. For more than three years, he has been a regular volunteer at the Shepherd's of Good Hope Shelter in Ottawa and has worked with the Canadian Liver Foundation. He is a mentor to several teammates by tutoring them one-on-one with test preparations and time management. El-Far captured the 2005-06 University of Ottawa's President Award given annually to the Gee-Gee best combining academics, athletics, and community service.

Each award winner received a personalized OUA football courtesy of Wilson Sports Equipment of Canada in recognition of their accomplishment.

The curtain falls on the 2006 OUA football season this weekend with the 99th edition of the Yates Cup presented by Pioneer Petroleums. Host Ottawa Gee-Gees will face Wilfrid Laurier at Frank Clair Stadium in front of a nationally televised audience, live on University Rush on The Score Television Network. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.


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