This summer I conducted an independent poll, collecting
votes from multiple media personalities, current and former coaches, and former
players, in order to compile a list of the top 15 Mountie football players who
have suited up for the Mounties since the last season they won the AUS (then
the AUAA) championship, 1997.
A list of just over 30 players was provided to the
voters, who then ranked their top 15 picks. From those picks were calculated
the top 15 players, as selected by the voting panel.
Here they are, hope you enjoy the list.
15. Dave Thorne,
OL/Long snapper, 2000-04, #65
Thorne played five seasons for the Mounties, and played
nearly every position on the offensive line at one point or another. His
biggest impact was as a long snapper, going his whole career without a bad
snap, and was consistently the first man downfield on punt coverage, impressive
for an offensive lineman.
Thorne might be most well-known, however, for literally
being the Mounties’ offensive line for the better part of a season. In 2001,
with many linemen down to injury, they went to a “pod” offense, which featured
three receivers split on the line on either side. Thorne was the one-man line,
playing centre, and it was in this offense that the Mounties won their only
game of the season that year. A team Lineman of the Year, as well as Special
Teams Player of the Year, and a 2003 AUS All-Star, Thorne was drafted by the
Edmonton Eskimos in 2004 as a long snapper.
He never played a down in the CFL, but returned in the
2006 season as the offensive line coach, helping the Mounties earn the league’s
leading rusher, and a 2-5 record and playoff berth.
14. Callan Exeter,
Free Safety, 2007-08, 10, #18/26/10/8
Exeter only played three seasons in a Mountie uniform,
but made his impact felt in a big way.
His second season saw him set an AUS record for tackles
in a season with 77.5, and was a 1st-team All-Canadian. While you
never want your safety to lead the team in tackles, a fair amount of them came
in areas close to the line of scrimmage.
Exeter was a hard-hitting defensive back, of which
evidence can be found in the 2008 matchup against Sherbrooke. Exeter jumped on
a curl pattern in front of him and buried the intended receiver, popping the
receiver’s helmet high into the sky in one of the biggest hits in the AUS that
season.
Exeter also holds the AUS record for single-game tackles,
with 16, and sits 14th on the AUS career list with 134.5, an average
of almost 45 a season.
13. Scott Sheffer,
Defensive line, 2004-08, #55
A two-time AUS All-Star, Sheffer would be much higher on
this list had he not waited until late in the 2006 season to emerge as a force
to be reckoned with. His final two seasons, he was the premier defensive
lineman in the AUS, and many of his numbers come from the 2007 and 2008
seasons.
Interestingly, Sheffer came into his freshman season as a
quarterback, but after an off-season which saw him bulk up significantly, the
big man was moved to defensive line. As mentioned, he reached his stride late
in his third year, and was an All-Star the next two seasons.
His most impressive season was his final one, where he
played both end and tackle, and amassed probably the greatest All-Canadian
nomination tape I’ve ever seen by a defensive player.
Sheffer not only put up impressive numbers, but created
opportunities for teammates to do so as well by staying disciplined, either
eating up double teams or cutting off the runner’s lanes into his teammates’ waiting
arms. Sheffer was a great teammate to his team on and off the field.
At the time of his graduation, Sheffer held the record
for most career tackles by an AUS defensive lineman with 124.5. That record has
since been broken by another player on this list, but Sheffer will always
remain one of the best defensive presences the Mounties have had over time.
12. Matt Gauthier,
Defensive line, 1998-99, #4
An important piece of the Mounties’ defensive puzzle for
his career, Gauthier was a premiere pass rusher, earning CIS All-Canadian
honours in his final season.
Recruited by Marc Loranger as part of the Quebec
Pipeline, Gauthier was one of several standouts on a very talented Mounties’
defence, and was Mount Allison’s Male Athlete of the Year in 1999-2000.
With a very good nose for the quarterback, Gauthier set
an AUS record, which has since been eclipsed, of sacks in a season with 9.5 in
only eight games. That remains a team record.
That number also was the highest total in the country
that season, helping him to his All-Canadian selection.
Gauthier also played a very big role in the defence that
helped the Mounties to the championship in 1997, as well as first place
standing in 1998. He remains a loyal fan and supporter to this day, and is unofficially
credited with helping bring a swagger to the Mounties’ defence during his time.
11. Chris Begley,
Free safety, 1998, #20
While only playing one year after the championship
season, Begley was another one of those defensive standouts who was a big part
of the 1998 first-place team. An All-Canadian selection that season was very
much deserved for maybe the only player the Mounties have had who is a harder
hitter than Exeter.
Begley was a punishing player who was extremely
intelligent and very quick to react to the play in front of him. He was near
the top of the AUS list for interceptions in 1997 and 1998, and also forced a
few fumbles.
The 1998 highlight tape in particular shows evidence of
his heavy hitting, with at least a couple of plays leaving opponents rolling on
the ground as their teammates waved frantically for the trainers.
The BC native is one of the most intelligent and physical
players in recent memory, and rightly deserves a spot in this top 15 list.
10. Kelly Hughes,
Quarterback, 2006-08, #9/6
I just described Chris Begley as one of the most physical
players the Mounties have had. Despite his being a quarterback, Kelly Hughes
belongs in that conversation as well.
Arguably the best quarterback to don the garnet and gold,
Hughes holds Mountie records for single-season passing yards with 2048 and
completions with 153, as well as career records for completions with 380,
passing yards with 5145, and passing touchdowns with 36.
But it is as a runner that Hughes might be best
remembered; his physically dominant running style was second to none in the AUS
at the time, and he led the team in rushing his final two seasons, including finishing
second in the conference in rushing yards in 2008.
The only Mounties quarterback to be named AUS MVP – in 2008
– Hughes’s best games were when he was passing and running lots. One game which
springs to mind is a game at Acadia in his MVP season where he passed for 244
yards and two touchdowns while running for 152 yards and a score. Two weeks
later he repeated that, passing for 272 yards and running for 167.
One of the toughest Mounties ever, Hughes was almost
unanimously a top 10 selection.
9. Ryan Downe, DL,
2008-12, #44
The only active Mountie to make the list, Ryan Downe has
become one of the top pass rushers in Mountie history over his five-year
career.
Downe broke into the AUS in his first year, earning a
starting spot late in the season opposite Scott Sheffer. Since then, Downe has
gotten better and better, and is currently in the midst of his best season yet.
The Fredericton native is the AUS career leader in tackles by a defensive
lineman, beating Sheffer’s mark a couple of weeks ago.
With one regular season game remaining in his career,
Downe has accumulated 138.5 tackles, 49 tackles for a loss and a team-record 21
sacks. In his fifth year, he has gotten better every game, and the 2010 AUS
All-Star should be a shoe-in for another nod this season.
What makes his story even more remarkable is that Downe
has gone through off-season surgeries nearly every off-season, but has always
made full recoveries, and has made a name as a force in the AUS trenches.
8. Mike Filer, OL,
2008-11, #64
One of two former Mounties in the Canadian Football
League, Filer came in the same as Downe and didn’t waste much time making an
impact.
By week three of his rookie campaign, Filer had cemented
a starting spot at right guard, and started every game there until the late
stages of his fourth season, when a knee injury derailed what could have been
another All-Canadian season.
In his junior season, Filer led a potent Mounties attack,
earning 2nd-team All-Canadian honours. He is a two-time AUS All-Star
as well as a two-time team Lineman of the Year, and in 2011-12 was a nominee
for Mount Allison Athlete of the Year.
In 2012, Filer was a draft pick of the Calgary
Stampeders, and after being released on the final day of training camp was
picked up by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, where he is currently playing as a backup
lineman.
Filer was a dominant lineman, and one of the strongest
players around. His road to the CFL was not necessarily due entirely to natural
talent, either, as there aren’t many players who have ever worked as hard as
Filer did to get to where they are now. It’s not often an offensive lineman
cracks a top ten list for players on any team, but Filer is definitely
deserving of this honour.
7. Adam Molnar,
WR, 2007-11, #12
The Beamsville, ON native sits fifth all-time in the AUS
in receptions with 156 and ninth all-time with 2107 receiving yards. He led the
AUS in receptions in 2010 and 2011, and was a 2nd-team All-Canadian
in 2010.
A transfer from Holy Cross College in the USA, Molnar
quickly earned a reputation as a stellar route-runner, and a very dependable
receiver with great hands. By his second season as a Mountie that reputation
had already spread to the rest of the conference, as he earned his first
All-Star selection with 30 receptions for 452 yards.
In his 2010 All-Canadian season, Molnar hauled in 35
passes for 367 yards, which he then exceeded again with 571 yards on an
AUS-leading 37 receptions. His best game was in week 7 of the 2011 season at
home against St FX, when Molnar caught 10 passes for 202 yards and a touchdown,
and passed for a touchdown as well on a trick play.
The son of former CFLer Steve Molnar, Adam quickly made
his impression felt at Mount Allison, and will likely always be in the
conversation of top receivers at Mount A and in the AUS. He is one of only two
Mounties to achieve over 2000 receiving yards and 100 receptions. Many of those
receptions were difficult, memorable catches that will grace the highlight reels
for years to come.
6. Derick Fury, DB/LB,
1998-99, 2001-03, #22/11
“Fury-ous,” as he was known by his teammates, graduated
from Tantramar High School in the summer of 1998 as a very successful high
school quarterback, but his transition to the defensive side of the ball in the
CIAU was very smooth and effortless.
Like many Mounties on this list, Fury wasted no time
earning recognition, as he was named the AUFC Rookie of the Year in 1998,
playing defensive halfback as the Mounties finished first in the conference in
the regular season. Fury played the next season before taking a year off,
returning in 2001 as an outside linebacker, where he continued to excel before
being drafted by the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts.
Fury sits 12th in the AUS in all-time tackles
with 136, which was the second most in the AUS at the time of his graduation.
The two-time AUS All-Star and 2001 All-Canadian played a huge leadership role
in his later years, the majority of two of which were played with a full cast
on one of his arms.
What Fury may have lacked in speed, he made up for tenfold
in terms of physicality. It’s been said that the hometown boys are often among
the toughest the Mounties have seen, and in this case it is definitely true.
5. Matt Harding,
LB, 2002-05, 2007, #8/9/24
You know the top four of a list is impressive when at No.
5 sits the AUS all-time leader in tackles.
Not many defenders in the AUS were able to read plays
like Matt Harding did, and the talented middle linebacker frustrated opposing
offences for five years.
During Harding’s career, he helped lead the Mounties’
defence to some surprisingly good performances as a unit, and together with
outside linebackers Fury and Darren MacDonald, formed one of the best and most
physical linebacking corps the league has ever seen.
A three-time AUS All-Star at middle linebacker, a 2-time
All-Canadian and 2-time Mount Allison Male Athlete of the Year, Harding was a
quiet leader, but players listened when he spoke on the field.
Harding accumulated 41.5 tackles for a loss in his
career, including an AUS record 15.5 in 2003. He sits second in single-game
tackles with 15, and of course sits first all-time with 231 tackles in five
seasons, including a career high of 57.5 in 2005.
4. Bradley Daye, WR/DB/Returner,
2006-10, #20/88/1
Only recruited by Mount Allison coming out of high
school, “Two-Way” Daye is among the best all-around players the AUS has seen in
recent history.
His first two seasons, Daye started at both receiver and
corner, and also returned kicks and punts. The Halifax native found a full-time
home at corner in the 2008 season, and in his fifth and final season he earned
1st-team All-Canadian honours at that position.
The versatile Daye, while playing both ways, did it all
for the Mounties, racking up receptions, carries, and even pass attempts on
offence, and making plays defensively. Most memorable of these plays was an AUS
record for longest interception return, a thrilling 109-yarder at Saint Mary’s
in the 2007 season finale.
In that same game, Daye recorded a receiving touchdown,
making him the only player in recent memory to score both offensively and
defensively in the same game.
The lightning-quick defensive back was virtually
unstoppable in his All-Canadian season, making multiple big plays and leading
the conference in passes defended with 11.
One half of the infamous “Daye and Ross” combination, it
is also worth noting that as a holder on field goals, Daye never had a bad hold
in his career.
The versatility of Daye is unrivalled by any Mountie in
recent years, and he has since moved on to a professional football career in
Europe for the Nimes Centurions.
3. Sebastien Roy,
LB, 1999-02, #45
One of the most intense and feared defenders in AUS
history, Seb Roy is the highest-ranking defensive player on the list, and was virtually
a unanimous vote for the No. 3 spot.
Roy broke onto the scene in 1999, and was the CIAU Rookie
of the Year. He would also be named an All-Canadian twice in his career, as
well as a three-time conference All-Star.
The only Mountie defender in recent memory to score two
defensive touchdowns in one season, Roy had amazingly good speed for a
heavy-duty linebacker of his size, once being clocked in his 40-yard dash at
4.5 seconds.
Currently fourth on the all-time tackles list with 173,
Roy was drafted into the CFL by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, where he played his
rookie season before having stops in Montreal and Calgary over the next two
seasons before retiring from football.
A fearless leader, Roy was known for his toughness as
well as anything. In 2001, after suffering what was thought to be a
season-ending knee injury, Roy was back on the playing field in only a couple
of weeks, playing through severe pain the rest of the season.
Roy was an excellent defender; smart, athletic, and
physical, and forced teams to gameplan around him to try and minimize his
impact, which was something not many teams were able to do during his four
years.
2. Gary Ross,
WR/Returner, 2006-10, #80
The most electrifying player since No. 1 on the list
graduated, Ross showed up to Mount Allison as a relative unknown, having been
out of football for several years before suiting up in the Garnet and Gold.
By the time he graduated, however, he was a household
name in the Maritimes and elsewhere, earning multiple accolades and records.
As a receiver, Ross lit it up in his five years, holding
virtually every team receiving record, and holding AUS records in single-season
receptions (60), and career receptions (206) and receiving yards (3106). He is
the only AUS player and one of only six players in the CIS to have 3000+
receiving yards, and is one of only three CIS players to eclipse the
200-reception plateau in their career.
As a returner, Ross was equally good, setting AUS records
in single season kick return yards (607 in 2007), and career punt return yards
(1981) – which was only just recently eclipsed – and kickoff return yards (1537).
Ross also sits fourth in single-season receiving yards
with 818, and holds down first, fourth, and seventh place in single-season
all-purpose yards, the highest being 1936 achieved in 2007. That season, he
became the first player in CIS history to have 600+ yards in each receiving,
punt returns and kickoff returns.
A five-time AUS All-Star, and five-time All-Canadian as a
returner and/or receiver, Ross is the most exciting player the AUS has seen
recently, and his legend will live on as a great player and leader on the
field, but also as a role model off the field to his teammates and people of
Sackville.
Ross was an human highlight reel over five years, with
several spectacular catches, exhilarating catch-and-runs, and hair-raising
returns. Should there ever be a list of the top Gary Ross plays, it would be a
very long list to choose from.
1.
Eric
Lapointe, RB, 1998, #5
It is fitting that Lapointe holds down No. 1 on this
list, as soon he will be inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame for
his Mountie career. While only playing one season during the time span that
this list covers, that season alone is impressive enough to put him on the
list.
Lapointe is easily among the best players Canadian
University Football has ever seen, accumulating 4,666 rushing yards in what was
essentially three and a half seasons, as his third year was cut short due to injuries.
In 1998, Lapointe rushed for 1515 yards in eight games,
while sitting out most of the second halves of the season due to his value to
the team. At the time, his sophomore season total of 1619 yards was easily a
CIAU record, and to this day his 1996 and 1998 season totals still rank first
and second in the AUS record books.
Lapointe also sits 1-2 in the AUS for most rushing yards
in a single game, at 311 and 308 yards. The game in which he ran for 311 yards
was one of the greatest individual performances in AUS playoff history, coming
in the Jewett Cup at #1-ranked St FX and their CIAU #1-ranked defence. Lapointe
lit them up, including the greatest run I’ve ever seen, a 91-yard romp which
saw him elude and evade over half of the St FX defenders.
The CIAU Rookie of the Year in 1995, Lapointe was also
the Hec Crighton Trophy winner as the top player in the country in 1996 and
1998, the only Mountie to win the award. A three-time All-Canadian, Lapointe
rushed for over 1000 yards in each of his All-Canadian seasons.
After graduation, Lapointe earned himself a name in the
CFL, leading all CFL rookies in rushing in 1999 with the Grey Cup champion
Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the first of two Grey Cups in Lapointe’s career. In 2005,
Lapointe started at running back in the Grey Cup game for the Montreal
Alouettes when they lost in an overtime thriller to the Edmonton Eskimos.
Lapointe is not only the greatest Mountie of the past 15
years, but likely of all-time, as not many players have been able to make and
maintain the legendary reputation that Lapointe has.
The 1998 team featured a few people on this list (Gauthier, Begley, Fury, Lapointe), the highlight tape from that season is posted below.
