Three members of the Concordia Stingers 2006 football team have been named CIS first team all-Canadians on defence and will be honored at a Vanier Cup awards gala in Saskatoon on Thursday night.
Linebacker Patrick Donovan of Laconia, N.H., halfback Sammy Okpro and cornerback Moe Sidibe are the standouts. All three were 2005 all-Canadians.
Donovan is also a finalist for the President's Trophy presented annually to the outstanding defensive player in Canadian university football. Should he win the award it will be a three-peat for Concordia. Older brother Mickey Donovan, also a linebacker for the Stingers, was the recipient in 2004, and Patrick won in 2005.
In six games Donovan, a fifth-year Leisure Sciences student, collected 36 total tackles, but more importantly he forced other teams in the QUFL to scheme and plan attacks around him.
With Donovan in the lineup, the Stingers gave up 11.8 points a game (No. 1 in the CIS) and allowed only 55.8 yards rushing a game (No. 1 in the CIS). In addition, the defence allowed only three touchdowns – and all of those were passing TDs.
Okpro led the QUFL in tackling with 37 solo tackles and 14 assists for a total of 44. He also had three interceptions and two pass breakups. The Pierrefonds, Que. native is a third-year Economics student.
Sidibe had four solo tackles and four assists for six total tackles in five games. The veteran corner also had two interceptions. The Toronto native who transferred to Concordia from Syracuse University is a Sociology major.
Donovan has used all five years of his CIS eligibility, but Sidibe and Okpro can return to the Stingers for the 2007 season.
Concordia's three first-team selections were tops among the 27 CIS football-playing schools. Laurier and Saskatchewan had two apiece.
