MONTREAL -- A sellout crowd of about 2,000 is expected for the McGill football Homecoming Game on Saturday when the Redbirds (1-3) play host to No.6 ranked Laval (2-2) in a 1 p.m. kickoff at Percival Molson Stadium. It will be the second meeting of the season between these rivals. The Rouge et Or hung on for a 17-11 victory in Quebec City on Aug. 29. A limited number of tickets remain for the contest, which will also be broadcast live on the
McGill Streaming Network.
McGill Sports Hall of Fame inductee
Michael Soles will be remembered in a pre-game ceremony. A three-time all-star running back who led McGill to the Vanier Cup national championship in 1987, he passed away on July 7, at the age of 54. Soles, who had tryouts with two NFL teams and played 11 seasons in the CFL with Montreal and Edmonton, succumbed after a 16-year struggle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a neuro-degenerative condition more commonly known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease.
Many of his old McGill teammates are expected to be on hand for the event. The Redbirds will be wearing a black decal on the their helmets, adorned with No. 22, for the remainder of the season in memory of the fallen warrior. The McGill coaching staff will also be sporting a special memorial lapel pin.
Arguably one of the best football players ever to suit up for the University, Soles was born in Pointe Claire, Que., on Nov. 8, 1966. He graduated from McGill in only three years, earning a bachelor of arts degree in 1989, majoring in history and economics.
A two-time All-Canadian, Soles won 48 awards over his three seasons at McGill, including 13 as a freshman when he captured the Peter Gorman Trophy as CIAU rookie of the year in 1986. In his sophomore season, Soles led McGill to a stunning 32-16 upset over Bishop's in the OQIFC championship game, a thrilling 30-29 last-second win over Saint Mary's in the Atlantic Bowl and a 47-11 rout over heavily-favoured UBC in the
Vanier Cup. He won the Ted Morris Trophy as most valuable player in the national championship game, rushing 25 times for a McGill playoff record of 203 yards in addition to scoring a pair of touchdowns.
Soles was named Team MVP in each of his three seasons and twice won the Forbes Trophy as McGill's male athlete of the year. Over his university career, Soles averaged 112 yards on the ground per game, reaching the 100-yard plateau in rushing 19 times in 25 league and playoff games. He became the school's all-time leading rusher with 2,231 yards in 20 regular season contests, a record he held for 10 years. Perhaps his most impressive statistic was that he handled the ball 559 times and was charged with only two fumbles, both being recovered by his teammates.
The first CIAU player selected in the 1989 CFL Draft, he went fifth overall and played seven seasons for Edmonton, four more with the Montreal Alouettes and was a three-time CFL all-star, winning a Grey Cup ring with Edmonton in 1993. In his first season with the Alouettes, Soles won the Lew Hayman Trophy as the most outstanding Canadian player in the CFL East Division. In the Alouettes initial game after returning to Percival Molson Stadium on Nov. 2, 1997, he scored the team's first touchdown en route to a 45-35 win over the BC Lions in the Eastern semifinal. He also tallied a TD in his last CFL game on a pass from quarterback
Tracy Ham, fittingly at Molson Stadium. Soles retired from the CFL in April, 2000 with 3,007 rushing yards on 579 carries, 3,501 receiving yards on 325 receptions and 70 career touchdowns (45 rushing),
In 2014, his McGill teammates
established an endowment fund in his name that generates annual scholarships for the current team. For those who wish to do so, donations in his memory to the
Michael Soles Football Award or the
ALS-Quebec would be appreciated
SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Communications Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-398-7012 (Tel.)
m.athletics.mcgill.ca (mobile website)
www.mcgillathletics.ca
earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca
