Stinger quarterback Liam Mahoney made Concordia history last night when he was awarded the Peter Gorman Trophy as the outstanding rookie in Canadian university football at a gala dinner in Toronto.
Although several Stingers have been nominated for the prestigious award, Mahoney is the first to win the Gorman Trophy which was initially presented in 1976.
Mahoney joins an elite class of football players that includes Andy Fantuz (2002) of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Jerome Pathon (1993) of the Atlanta Falcons, Eric Lapointe (1995) of the Montreal Alouettes and Mike Soles (1986) also of the Alouettes.
The six-foot-one, 180-pound pivot, who turns 20 on Dec. 13, took over as the Concordia starter in the fourth game of the regular season when veteran Rob Mackay went down with a knee injury. In just over four conference outings, the elusive freshman rushed for four touchdowns and 606 yards, good for third place in Quebec, while completing 60.2 per cent of his passes (50 of 83).
His performance helped Concordia finish second in the Quebec conference and reach the Dunsmore Cup final.
The Leisure Science student, named Male Athlete of the Year at Vanier College in 2006 after leading the Cheetahs to the Quebec Cegep AAA title, had the best game of his young CIS career in a 58-30 win over McGill when he threw four touchdown passes and added one rushing major as the Stingers racked up 639 yards of offence.
“I have never seen a rookie make so few mistakes,” said Concordia head coach Gerry McGrath. “I have never had a rookie quarterback play at the level Liam has been playing at. I never have to tell him anything twice. I tell him once, he sees it and he executes it the next time. He is composed, intelligent and has a great aptitude for the game of football.”
Mahoney, a native of Lachine, Que., is the fifth Stinger to win a national award in the last four seasons. In 2004, linebacker Mickey Donovan was named the outstanding defensive player in the country, while defensive end Troy Cunningham was recognized as the top lineman in university football.
In 2005 and ’06, Patrick Donovan, Mickey’s younger brother, took over at middle linebacker for the Stingers and won the respect of his peers across the country. He was named the outstanding defensive player both years.
