OTTAWA - Football Canada is pleased to announce the first players named to the Senior Men’s National Team, competing at the 2011 International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Senior Men’s World Championship in Austria, July 8- 16. Making the roster are former Saskatchewan DB Bryce McCall and former star RB David Stevens, Calgary running back Anthony Woodson and Dinos DL Josh Symons..
The partial roster includes 18 players hailing from six different provinces -- seven from Ontario, four from Quebec, three from Saskatchewan, two from Alberta, and one from each of British Columbia, and New Brunswick.
Michael Faulds, who holds the CIS record for most career passing yards (10, 811), led The University of Western Ontario to Yates Cup wins in 2007 and 2008, earning MVP on both occasions. Faulds is currently the offensive coordinator of the York University Lions. Thaine Carter became the first Queen’s player to receive the Presidents’ Trophy in 2008 as CIS defensive player of the year after leading the Gaels in tackles in 2007 and 2008. He was also named an all-Canadian linebacker for his defensive prowess. Nick FitzGibbon finished his 5th year at Guelph in 2010, as the all-time leading Gryphons’ rusher and was named a second team all-Canadian. He led the OUA in rushing yards this past year and has been a top 3 rusher in the OUA each of the past three seasons. He finishes his university career tied for 7h in career all-purpose touchdowns with 40. Shane Hall is a Toronto native who went on to play for the University of New Hampshire after honing his skills with the Metro Toronto Wildcats.
The initial roster includes two former Université Laval Rouge et Or teammates -- 2010 and 2008 first team all-Canadian defensive back, Maxime Bérubé, who capped-off his 5th season this past year by winning his third Vanier Cup, as well as fullback Michel-Pierre Pontbriand, who was also part of Laval’s 2006 national championship winning team. Acadia defensive lineman, Jacob Thomas from Douglas, NB, will once again represent his country after winning a silver medal at the 2009 IFAF Junior World Championship in Canton, Ohio.
Team Canada looks to be solid in the offensive backfield as FitzGibbon and Pontbriand will be joined by Anthony Woodson -- running back from the University of Calgary, who led Canada West in rushing in 2007 with 1,183 yards and was a 2007 second team all-Canadian, and David Stevens -- former University of Saskatchewan running back who was a Hec Crighton Trophy nominee in 2005 after leading his conference with 1, 229 rushing yards, 14 total touchdowns, averaging 100 yards per game -- a feat he accomplished four times by halftime.
The coaching staff, lead by former University of Western Ontario coach, Larry Haylor, the winningest head coach in CIS history with a career record of 178 wins, 47 losses and 4 ties, defensive coordinator Blake Nill (University of Calgary) and offensive coordinator Greg Marshall (Western) are targeting mid-May to name a final group of players to the roster. Football Canada is holding a final identification camp May 7 in London, prior to the CIS East-West Bowl. A training camp will be held at The University of Western Ontario starting on June 24th as the team prepares for Austria. For more information on the Canadian National Team please visit www.footballcanada2011.com
Name Pos. Hometown
Maxime Bérubé DB Valleyfield, QC
Thaine Carter LB Nanaimo, BC
Ricky Clarke REC Toronto, ON
Michael Faulds QB Eden Mills, ON
Nick FitzGibbon RB Pushlinch, ON
Shane Hall DB Toronto, ON
Alexander Hoad DB Rockwood, ON
Christian Houle LB Trois-Rivières, QC
Bryce McCall DB Regina, SK
Sammy Okpro DB Montreal, QC
Zachary Pollari DL, OL Guelph, ON
Michel-Pierre Pontbriand FB Ste-Adèle, QC
David Rybinski DL Kinistino, SK
David Stevens RB Moose Jaw, SK
Josh Symons DL Calgary, AB
Jacob Thomas DL Douglas, NB
Scott Valberg REC Kingston, ON
Anthony Woodson RB Calgary, AB
About Football Canada
Established in 1884, Football Canada is the national governing body of amateur football in Canada and a proud member of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF). Working closely with the provincial football associations, we develop programs and resources for players, coaches and officials in the three disciplines of Tackle, Flag and Touch Football. Football Canada’s vision statement is “from playground to stadium” where players can participate in the game of football throughout a lifetime recreationally, competitively and internationally.
About IFAF
The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) unites 59 countries on five continents through a burgeoning international sport. With national football federations in existence for more than 75 years, IFAF was created in 1998 to organize and further develop the game through international cooperation and global competition. The IFAF office is located near Paris, France. For more information please visit www.ifaf.info.
Football Canada