CFL.ca Staff
CALGARY — BLG Award and two-time Hec Crighton winner Erik Glavic will lead the University of Calgary Dinos into their 47th season of Canada West football this fall with just one goal in mind: hoisting the Vanier Cup in late November at PEPS Stadium in Quebec City.
Getting back on the field will finally give the Dinos a chance to remove the bitter taste of a national championship that got away last season, when Calgary gave up an 18-point halftime advantage to lose the Vanier Cup 33-31 to the Queen’s Gaels.
Head coach Blake Nill enters his fifth season at the helm and will field a deep, talented team featuring eight current or former All-Canadians. As two-time defending conference champions, there’s no question the Dinos will be considered a favourite in 2010, but Nill will be preaching against complacency – especially because Calgary opens the season for the third straight year against their number one rivals, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.
The Calgary offence was at the very top in CIS last season, averaging an incredible 581.5 yards per game during the Canada West regular season. Five All-Canadians are back from last year – QB Erik Glavic, RB Matt Walter, SB Anthony Parker, WR Nathan Coehoorn, and RT Kirby Fabien – while the only losses on the offensive side of the football are utility receiver Taylor Altilio and backup quarterback Deke Junior.
The embarrassment of riches on offence doesn’t end there. The last three Canada West rushing leaders have worn the red ‘UC’ helmet, and the 2007 champ, former All- Canadian Anthony Woodson, is back after sitting out last season with a broken foot. Expect Woodson to be used in a variety of positions in the offence.
Nill takes on the additional role of defensive coordinator in 2010 and has a solid group of returning players to build his new defence around. However, the defence is where the Dinos suffered most in off-season departures – DL Andrew Obrecht, LB Chase Moore, and DB Matt Grohn all graduated after five seasons, while DL Deji Oduwole made the jump to the Canadian Football League after impressing the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ coaching staff.
The main focus of rebuilding will be the secondary, anchored by the newly arrived All- Canadian free safety Anthony DesLauriers who transfers from Simon Fraser. Doctor Cassama is an impressive athlete from Kristianstad, Sweden who could be a dark horse to start in the defensive backfield.
Head coach Blake Nill on the 2010 Team: “There are a lot of expectations this year and rightfully so. We’ve definitely made strides, but at the same time Canada West is so tough that you’re going to have to play to your best every week. Starting against Saskatchewan, you’ve got to be ready to go right now.”
2009 in review
2009 regular season record: 7-1
2009 regular season standings: 2nd (Canada West)
2009 playoff record: 3-1
2009 playoff finish: Lost 33-31 to Queen’s in Vanier Cup
Head Coach – Blake Nill
Number of seasons as head coach with team (including 2010): 5
Number of seasons as head coach in CIS (including 2010): 13
Career regular season record with team: 18-14
Career regular season record in CIS: 67-29
Career overall record with team (reg. season & playoffs only): 23-17
Career overall record in CIS (reg. season & playoffs only): 84-37
OFFENCE
Key returning players:
QB ERIK GLAVIC enters his fifth year of eligibility, ready to call signals for a potent offensive unit. He is the reigning Hec Crighton trophy winner and the 2010 BLG Award recipient as the top athlete in all of CIS.
RB MATT WALTER has won the last two Canada West rushing titles and was a first team All- Canadian last season. The 2008 conference MVP, Walter rushed for 1,103 yards and 12 TDs last season and will look to churn up even more in 2010.
SB ANTHONY PARKER was the leading receiver in Canada West last year and landed on the second All-Canadian team. He hauled in 46 catches for 816 yards last year, an average of 17.7 yards per catch, and scored five touchdowns each through the air and along the ground.
WR NATHAN COEHOORN was just behind Parker on the receiving yards chart last season with 765 on 41 catches. The first team All-Canadian is in his fourth year of eligibility.
OL KIRBY FABIEN cracked the second All-Canadian team in his freshman season last year and sits at one end of a solid, experienced offensive line that was the backbone for Calgary’s offensive attack last season.
Key recruits (or newcomers: transfers):
QBs ADAM BALLINGALL, ERIC DZWILEWSKI, and KIEFER OLSON will battle to be the pivot of the future for the Dinos. Ballingall arrives from Kamloops, B.C. while Dzwilewski hails from Boise, Idaho. Olson, meanwhile, transfers back to his hometown after spending a year as a redshirt with the University of Regina Rams.
Key losses:
QB DEKE JUNIOR spent just two seasons with the Dinos but won the Canada West title twice and was the Hardy Cup MVP in 2008. He backed up Glavic for the 2009 season.
SB TAYLOR ALTILIO had 11 catches for 191 yards last season and was the Dinos’ holder on field goals.
DEFENCE
Key returning players:
DL LINDEN GAYDOSH was the CIS rookie of the year last season. He started all eight games on the defensive line, recording 10 tackles and helping the Dinos post the best run defence in the conference.
LB ANDREA BONAVENTURA was a second team All-Canadian in 2009 after reaching the first team a year previous when he was the conference nominee for the defensive player of the year award. He will anchor an experienced linebacking corps that includes four fifth-year players.
LB GEOFF PAIEMENT had a breakout season for the Dinos last year, finishing fourth on the team with 36 tackles. Like Bonaventura, he will exhaust his eligibility this season.
Key recruits (or newcomers: transfers):
DB ANTHONY DESLAURIERS was the All-Canadian free safety last season and transfers from Simon Fraser University for his fifth year of eligibility. Drafted 42nd overall by Toronto in the 2009 CFL draft, he attended the Argos’ camp this year but was released after injuring his thumb early in the week.
LB CHRIS FOLK was a Canada West all-star at linebacker last season, recording 26 tackles for the Simon Fraser Clan. Ineligible to remain with SFU because of its move to the NCAA, Folk will play out his fifth year of eligibility with the Dinos.
DB DOCTOR CASSAMA was born in Gambia, raised in Sweden, and is playing his university football in Canada. An athletic specimen with speed to burn, Cassama caught Coach Nill’s eye while starring for Sweden at the World Junior Championships in Canton, Ohio.
Key losses:
DL DEJI ODUWOLE forwent his fifth year of eligibility when he stuck with the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers this season after signing as a free agent in the spring. He has dressed in eight games for the Bombers as of Aug. 19.
DL ANDREW OBRECHT was a stalwart on the defensive end for the Dinos as well as the team’s long snapper. He completed his eligibility last season.
LB CHASE MOORE was the team’s leading tackler in 2009 with 43 and graduated after the season.
DB MATT GROHN also graduated after a solid five-year career with the Dinos, recording 38.5 tackles
in his final season last year.
-With files from the University of Calgary Dinos
