CFL.ca will profile a number of key Canadian university prospects leading up to the CFL Evaluation Camp from March 12-14 in Toronto. Today we feature a pair of offensive threats from Bishop’s University.
Brian Snelgrove
CFL.ca
They are two of the most electrifying players in the QUFL. And they both play for the Bishop’s Gaiters.
“We use each other as motivation. We train together. If one of us is down, the other one helps pick him up.” -Steven Turner
“We recruited both these guys,” says Bishop’s Head Coach Leroy Blugh. ”It gives us so many weapons, so many different things we can do. They are both a big part of what we do. They are both team guys who are willing to do anything to help us win.”
Steven Turner, a 5’9” 185 lbs. wide receiver/returner from Brampton, Ont. excels in special teams play. Last season, the fourth year Social Science student led the team in kickoff returns with seven for 150 yards, an average of 21.4 yards per return. He was second on the Gaiters in punt returns with 13 for 265 yards and a phenomenal 20.4 yards per return average. He was also the only Bishop’s player to return a punt for a touchdown – and he did it twice. In 2007 he led the league in kickoff returns with five for 334 yards and three touchdowns – a mind-boggling average of 67 yards per return.
“I have constantly been told since I started playing that I was too small so I always had to prove myself at every level due to my size,” says Turner. “Michael ‘Pinball’ Clemons has inspired me to play professional football. Being a smaller player all his life and overcoming that to become a legend.”
In addition to being a special teams threat, Turner proved himself as a more than capable receiver. Despite missing three games last year he finished fourth on the team with 11 catches for 207 yards. In 2008 he had six receptions for 129 yards.
Three times he has been named a QUFL conference all-star returner and twice he has been selected Bishop’s special teams player of the year. He was a team captain in 2009 and played in last year’s CIS East-West Bowl.
“He’s an explosive impact player who can change the momentum of a game in one play. Any time he touches the ball he can go the distance,” says Blugh. “He has great speed; he is very, very fast. Not many people can match his speed. He is also extremely strong.”
Turner went to St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Brampton, Ont. where he starred in both football and track and field. Speed events were his specialty – the 100 metres, 200 metres and the 4×100 relay. He finished fifth in the province in the 100 metres.
He would like to be a lawyer one day but for the time being is “really interested in sociology. I like how people interact in society and I like to study people,” he says.
“Having missed a few games thought I might not be going to E-Camp,” Turner adds. “It will be amazing that all the hard work I have put into football is paying off. It is a chance to go to the next level. It is a great stepping stone and to know that I have achieved what I wanted since I was young.”
Teammate Shawn Gore, the other half of the Gaiters offensive arsenal, will accompany Turner at E-Camp. “We use each other as motivation,” says Turner. “We train together. If one of us is down, the other one helps pick him up. On the field we play on opposite sides of the ball so defenses can’t focus on both of us.”
“We are quite different players,” adds Gore, a 6’1” 200 lbs. Social Sciences student from Toronto. “He is a little faster but is quite a bit smaller. We both make an impact. We both have the ability to make people miss us and both have the ability to make a big play. It’s great to have two playmakers on one team.”
Gore was the go-to guy last year for the Gaiters as he led the team in all three major receiving categories with 32 receptions for 496 yards and five touchdowns. He also played in the annual East-West Bowl game in London.
In 2008 Gore was second on the team with 12 receptions for 232 yards. “I think I am very versatile,” he says. “I love special teams play. I try to go all out all the time. I have always played for fun, trying to make a tackle, trying to block somebody. I do it to the best of my ability.”
In high school, Gore played basketball and rugby at Don Mills Collegiate. In his final year he transferred to Newtonbrook Secondary School in Toronto and that was the only season he played football prior to university.
“I wanted to play defensive back but during some drills the coaches thought maybe I could play receiver,” says Gore. “We were a little weak at that position so I moved over there.”
The move paid off as the first-year player scored 18 touchdowns in 11 games at Newtonbrook. He was named by The Toronto Star as one of the 35 best high school football players in the country.
When not tying up defensive backs on the field, the 22-year-old Sociology Major is a research fanatic off the field. “I’m a research buff,” says Gore. “And not just football. With anything. If somebody wants to know something I will go on the internet and try to find out. I am very curious and I like to stay in the know.”
“I’m ecstatic about the invitation to E-Camp,” says Gore. “I am extremely confident and happy. It’s an honour; only about 50 payers are invited. I want to make the most of this opportunity. I’ve been working hard for the past six months and it should be a great three days. I will leave everything on the field and believe I will impress the coaches.”
“Shawn is a complete football player,” says Blugh. “He does everything 100%. He has a great work ethic; you never have to worry about him working hard. Whether it’s going to school, going to practice, working out on his own, he is a tremendous football player. He is also a great blocker on running plays. He never takes a play off. He is a receiver and a great special teams player that plays like a linebacker. E-Camp will be a chance to see how good he is.”
