10 former Western Mustangs on CFL rosters as season kicks off

Although the Western Mustangs football season doesn’t get underway until August 25th, the purple and white will be well represented on the gridiron this week with 10 former Mustangs players listed on Canadian Football League rosters as the league’s season begins.

“We’re really excited about our players making CFL teams,” said Mustangs’ head coach Greg Marshall. “From last year’s team we have Shane Bergman in Calgary who made their team and Harold Mutobola with the Tiger-Cats. It’s a real testament to the recruiting and the coaching we’ve done at the university.”

“It speaks well of the work that coach [Jeff] Watson has done training our players,” Marshall added. “Our players are prepared, they go to training camp knowing what they need to do and are physically ready to compete.”

In addition to Bergman and Mutobola, eight other former Mustangs are listed on active or practice rosters, the highest total of any OUA school. The full list of Western players in the CFL is available below.

Entering the first week of the regular season, the defending Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts lead the way with four former Mustangs on their roster. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have the second most Mustangs with two, while the BC Lions, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and Saskatchewan Roughriders each boast one.

Although the presence of these former Mustangs on CFL rosters leaves them unavailable to play for the Mustangs, Marshall is proud to see so many Western players move onto another stage of the game.

“We’re going to miss Shane and Harold this year,” Marshall said. “Over the past four years we’ve lost a lot of players that could have made a big impact on our season, but one of the things that we take pride in is what our players do and accomplish.

“Whether it’s med school, law school, teachers college, or playing pro football we’re pretty excited about helping them get to where they want to be.”

Full list of former Western Mustangs currently on CFL rosters:

Matt Norman (G) – BC Lions
Shane Bergman (OL) – Calgary Stampeders
Craig Butler (S) – Saskatchewan Roughriders
Chris Greaves (G) – Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Harold Mutobola (DB) – Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Andy Fantuz (WR) – Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Jeff Keeping (C) – Toronto Argonauts
Jonathan Hood (LB) – Toronto Argonauts
Alexander Robinson (FB) – Toronto Argonauts
David Lee (DE) – Toronto Argonauts