Faces Carabins today in QUFC semifinal
By Randy Phillips,
Montreal Gazette
Andrew Hamilton is playing university football in the city where he was born, but he is a long way from home.
The talented running back, in his first season with Concordia, makes Miami his home. He figures to make an impact in the No. 6-ranked Stingers’ Quebec University Football Conference playoff run, which begins today against the fifth-ranked Universite de Montreal Carabins in a semifinal at Concordia Stadium (12:30 p.m., RDS). Both clubs finished the regular season 6-2.
Hamilton emerged as one of the top rushers in the QUFC this season and, while his head is focused on the semi, his heart is thousands of kilometres away with his wife, Elizabeth, and 1-year-old daughter, Adryanna.
“Adryanna had her first birthday last Friday,” Hamilton said. “I was able to be there because coach (Gerry McGrath) gave me the week off since I wasn’t going to play in our last game. It was nice to be home for that.”
Hamilton, 22, is at Concordia to further his studies, as well as resurrect his university football career, after abbreviated stints in the NCAA at Eastern Michigan and Delaware State.
Hamilton’s family left Montreal for Miami in 1998 and he attended Felix Varela High School in Miami where he led the Dade County league in rushing (1,069 yards) and touchdowns (18) in his final season.
He received the Smokehouse Award as the fastest player at the University of Michigan football camp in 2002 and won the Diamond in the Rough Award for the best academic turnaround at his high school, earning a spot on the national honour roll.
Hamilton landed a full scholarship to play football at Eastern Michigan, an NCAA Division 1-A school, in 2003. After being red-shirted his first season, and playing only one game, he transferred to Delaware State (Division 1-AA) in 2004, following former Eastern Michigan assistant head coach Al Lavan.
Lavan had been running backs coach at Eastern Michigan, but took over as head coach on an interim basis for the last three games of the Eagles’ 2003 season.
Hamilton sat out 2005 after leaving Delaware State, where he played in nine of 11 games for the Hornets the year before. He said the impact his former coach had on him was immeasurable.
“He always said life was like chopping wood. Putting in the time, no matter how hard things get, to make things better for yourself and your family,” Hamilton said.
“He said it was more important to be a good person first before football. It’s hard to be away from my family,” Hamilton added. “But getting accountability, reliability and credibility is what I’m trying to do right now.”
At 6-foot and 200 pounds, Hamilton was described as “an intriguing prospect, as he can also play (defensive back) and return kicks” by a scouting service before the CFL Combine in March, but he failed to land any tryout offers.
Quick-footed and shifty, Hamilton brought life back to Concordia’s running game this season by rushing 83 times for 694 yards – third best in the QUFC – and five touchdowns. He also caught 11 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown. With punt- and kick-return duties to complete the package, he led the conference in all-purpose yards (1,044) and had seven touchdowns overall.
He was named the outstanding offensive player in Concordia’s 41-13 whipping of the McGill Redmen in the Shrine Bowl Oct. 7, rushing for 221 yards and three TDs.
Hamilton hopes his performance this season will prove his versatility and that maybe there will be an opportunity in the CFL. But this afternoon, the focus is on helping the Stingers reach the conference final.
“I’m excited about this game,” he said. “We’ve got a good team, but it’s up to everyone of us to go out there to prove it.”
Redmen in tough: McGill (4-4) will try to do something it has never done when it faces the Laval Rouge et Or (7-1) in today’s other QUFC semi at Quebec City. The Redmen will try to beat the Rouge et Or at Stade PEPS for the first time – on the field. McGill’s record against the Rouge et Or in the provincial capital is 2-5, but both wins came in 2001, when Laval forfeited the season for using an ineligible player.
The Redmen, who finished fourth this season, are 5-13 overall against Laval. McGill blew a 24-13 halftime lead in a 43-27 loss to Laval at Molson Stadium on Sept. 16, but remains confident it can pull off an upset after a strong end to the regular season.
