Noah Sidel
CFL.ca
It might be a struggle at times to compete for on-field supremacy in the Quebec Conference for Bishop’s University, but if college football is truly about building character over winning games, then the Gaiters surely have one of the most successful programs in the country.
“A big reason for me going to Bishop’s was Coach (Leroy) Blugh and everything he represents on the field, in the classroom, and in training. One of the great things is that it’s a small school in a small community and you know you can have a relationship with your professor,” said Bishop’s alumnus and current BC Lion running back Jamall Lee.
“For us, without the education there’s no football. Coming up in today’s world you need to have both and Bishop’s is about making sure we’re prepared for the next level and the real world. We don’t just study football there.”
But none of that is to say Bishop’s has a weak football team – the Gaiters are usually not far from challenging for the top.
And they certainly have a history of producing the talent to do so with guys like Lee, receiver Shawn Gore, and 2010 Argonauts draft pick, running back Steven Turner.
“I think the only thing that separates Bishop’s from Laval would be the money, I feel many players these days are more into the jersey they will be wearing or where the will be working out. If Bishop’s was as well off as Laval we would be able to compete every year, but not being able to guarantee the nicest gym or the most rings makes it tougher,” Turner said.
“But if you look at the stats from the recent years at Bishop’s, we have dominated (E-Camp) and are slowly making our way into the CFL because of the hard work ethic and determination we have developed at BU.”
The roster of 2011 CFL E-Camp invitees certainly reflects Turner’s statements with Gaiters like his cousin, Junior Turner, Kyle Exume and Matt Boulay all being invited to strut their stuff for CFL personnel this March.
“I think that players like the kind of atmosphere we have here and we encourage that. We try to instil work ethic, training, and teamwork above all else, and these guys buy into it,” said Blugh, who has coached the Gaiters since 2005, amassing a 19-30 record along the way.
“We attract blue chip athletes, but also good men. Our purpose is to take talent and recognize that they must develop and we preach that it takes time.
“Jamall, for example, came to us as a shy young man with great abilities and he developed the confidence he needed to excel here. We’re very proud to have had him and he set the stage for other players to look up to.”
Lee says playing football at Bishop’s helped him learn important life lessons.
“A big part of getting good grades is discipline and if you don’t have that in the classroom, you won’t have it on the field or in meetings,” he said.
“Nowadays athletes know they actually need the education – they know football or whatever sport they’re playing doesn’t last forever. Bishop’s preaches that.”
Steven Turner agrees.
“Bishop’s prepares players well to have success. Our coaching staff knows what it takes to get to the pros and instils that attitude into the players. Leroy Blugh had a very successful CFL career and he allows players to see first-hand that if you work hard, anything is possible,” Turner said.
“At Bishop’s, you build a work ethic that makes you wake up every morning asking yourself ‘how am I going to get better today?’ This is the attitude that prepares you not only for the CFL, but for a life outside of football in the real world as well.”
