By Michael Murillo,
CFL.ca
NCAA football fans don’t have to lose track of their favourite players when they leave their competitive teams and conferences. Each week, College Connection looks at a pair of former college stars who are making waves today in the CFL. Their teams will meet in an upcoming match-up, televised in the U.S.
This week: Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Toronto Argonauts, September 23, available on TSN.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers: Milt Stegall, SB, Miami RedHawks. Stegall will always be associated with the CFL: He leads the league in all-time touchdowns scored and is second in career receiving yardage. But before he was shattering records in Canada, he was a standout receiver and kick returner in Ohio.
His college career (1988-1991) began nearly two decades ago, but he set RedHawks’ records that stood for several years. His 1,377 kick return yards lasted for more than a decade before being broken in 2002 (the same year Stegall was named CFL Most Outstanding Player). His 106 catches for 1,581 yards and eight touchdowns rank him in the school’s all-time top 10 in receptions and receiving yards, and he earned an all-Mid-American Conference honourable mention as a junior. In addition to lettering every year of his collegiate football career, Stegall was also a track star, and his name still appears in the top lists of 100-meter and 200-meter dash times.
Stegall spent three years with the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals before going to Winnipeg in 1995, and the team has wisely held onto him ever since. His name is all over the CFL record books, and he doesn’t seem ready to slow down anytime soon: In his 13th season, Stegall currently leads the CFL in receiving yards and has the Blue Bombers in first place in the East.
Toronto Argonauts: Kenny Wheaton, DB, Oregon Ducks. Wheaton’s three seasons as a Duck (1994-1996) started with an All-Pac 10 selection, two Pac 10 Defensive Player of the Week awards and the team’s top first-year player award as a sophomore. He earned an All-Pac 10 nod as a senior, recording a team-high 73 tackles while playing cornerback. In each of his three seasons, he recorded an interception return of at least 70 yards, with 10 total interceptions during his college career. In fact, his 380 interception return yards broke a school record that had stood for nearly 50 years.
After spending time three years in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys, Wheaton went to the CFL where he has been a star for Toronto. He set a CFL post-season record with a 116-yard interception return for a touchdown in 2004, helping Toronto claim the Grey Cup. He has been named an East Division All-Star the past two seasons, and has 37 tackles, one sack and two fumble recoveries so far in 2007.
If you’d like to see a specific school or player featured in College Connection, contact Michael Murillo at vivamurillo@hotmail.com.
(The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily of the Canadian Football League)
