OTTAWA – Western Mustangs defensive tackle Daryl Waud can add another impressive accomplishment to his resume, as the senior has been selected to play in the 90th East-West Shrine Game on Saturday, Jan. 17, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Waud is one of two CIS players selected for the annual all-star showcase alongside wide receiver Addison Richards from the Regina Rams.
The longest running university all-star game in the United States, the Shrine Game has been played annually since 1925 to raise funds for Shriners Hospitals for Children and to raise awareness about the expert orthopedic, burn, spinal cord injury rehabilitation, as well as cleft lip and palate care, available to patients and families through the 23 Shriners Hospitals for Children in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Waud, a Hamilton native, will be the third Western player to suit up in the Shrine Game, joining Fantuz (2006), a current CFL all-star receiver with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and former offensive lineman Pierre Vercheval (1988), who was voted to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 2007 following an exceptional 14-year career in the CFL.
In his fourth university campaign, Waud was named a first-team OUA conference all-star for the third straight year and a CIS all-Canadian for the third consecutive season, including his second first-team nod. In eight league games this fall, the 6-foot-5, 270-pound social sciences student racked up 14.5 tackles, three sacks, five tackles for a loss and two pass breakups as the Mustangs defence finished first in the OUA and second in the country allowing only 83 rushing yards per contest.
After playing in the CIS East West Bowl last May, Waud was ranked fifth by the CFL Scouting Bureau in September on its initial prospect list for the league’s 2015 Canadian draft. He moved up to No. 3 and was the top-ranked CIS player on the second list of the season, released on Dec. 10.
“It’s an unbelievable honour to have the opportunity to participate in the 90th East-West Shrine Game,” Waud said. “Few Canadian players get this opportunity and I am looking forward to the week. I want to make a good impression and represent Canadian football well down south.”
“The East-West shrine Game is an excellent opportunity for Daryl to showcase his considerable talents,” said Western head coach Greg Marshall. “Daryl has had an outstanding career here at Western. He is most deserving of this invitation and will be an outstanding ambassador for CIS football.”
Since 1985, CIS has been represented annually at the event which features over 100 all-stars, primarily from NCAA institutions. Two CIS players have made the trip every year, with the exception of 1985 (one), 2008 (four) and 2012 (three).
The impressive list of past CIS standouts invited to the Shrine Game includes current NFL linemen Akiem Hicks of the New Orleans Saints and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif of the Kansas City Chiefs, who starred for the Regina Rams and McGill Redmen, respectively; former NFLers Mike Schad (Queen’s), Randy Chevrier (McGill), Dan Federkeil (Calgary), Samuel Giguère (Sherbrooke) and Israel Idonije (Manitoba); as well as Hec Crighton Trophy winners Don Blair (Calgary), Kojo Aidoo (McMaster), Jesse Lumsden (McMaster) and Andy Fantuz (Western).
Highlighting the list of NFL greats who have participated in the event are Tom Brady, Dick Butkus, Larry Csonka, John Elway, Brett Favre, Walter Payton, Gale Sayers, Roger Staubach and Kellen Winslow. Coaches include Paul “Bear” Bryant, Jerry Glanville, June Jones, Don Shula, Steve Spurrier and Dick Vermeil.
More than 70 Shrine Game alumni have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
In St. Petersburg, Waud and Richards will suit up for the East and West, respectively, and will get a chance to play for a pair of high-profile coaches.
The East team will be led by Mike Singletary, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998 following a remarkable playing career with the Chicago Bears. A two-time All-American at Baylor University, the linebacker was named to 10 Pro Bowls in 12 seasons with Chicago and helped the Bears capture Super Bowl XX in 1986. Singletary’s coaching career got underway in 2003 as a linebackers coach with the Baltimore Ravens. He then joined the San Francisco 49ers in 2005 as the assistant head coach/linebackers coach and was handed the reins midway through the 2008 season, holding the post until the end of the 2010 campaign. From 2011-13, he was an assistant head coach/linebackers coach for the Minnesota Vikings.
Another former NFL bench boss, Jim Zorn, will be in charge of the West troops. A gifted quarterback, Zorn enjoyed a 12-year playing career in the NFL (Seattle, Green Bay, Tampa Bay) and the CFL (Winnipeg), earning a second-team All-Pro selection in 1978 and being named to the Seattle Seahawks Ring of Honor. He started his coaching career at the college level with Boise State (1988-91), Utah State (1992-94) and Minnesota (1995-96) before making the jump to the pro ranks in 1997 as an assistant with the Seahawks. Following a three-year stint with the Detroit Lions (1998-2000) and a return to Seattle (2001-07), he became head coach of the Washington Redskins for two seasons in 2008 and 2009. He has since been quarterbacks coach with the Baltimore Ravens (2010) and the Kansas City Chiefs (2011-12).