Lapointe, Connellan to be inducted into Canadian Football Hall of Fame

OTTAWA (CIS) – Éric Lapointe, an electrifying running back at Mount Allison University, and Peter Connellan, a record-setting coach at the University of Calgary, are about to become Canadian football immortals.

The duo was announced as part of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame’s 2012 induction class on Sunday, along with former CFL players Jack Abendschan, Damon Allen, Tyrone Jones (posthumously) and Milt Stegall, as well as Senator David Braley, who will enter the Hall in the builders category.
The week-long induction festivities are set for September 2012.
Lapointe and Connellan follow in the footsteps of former Saint Mary’s quarterback Chris Flynn and the late Gino Fracas, a legendary coach and administrator at Alberta and Windsor, who in September became the first individuals in decades to be inducted into the CFHOF for their accomplishments in the Canadian university game.
“These inductees were outstanding CIS ambassadors who set a standard of excellence that was without parallel,” said CIS chief executive officer, Marg McGregor. “We are very proud of their induction into the Hall which will give them the recognition and visibility they deserve alongside other football greats.”
Lapointe will join the Hall in the players category. The native of Brossard, Que., moved to Sackville, N.B., in 1995 to begin his university career at Mount Allison and quickly became one of the most dominant and exciting players in the country.
In his freshman campaign, he led the Atlantic conference and finished second in the nation with 1,062 rushing yards en route to CIS rookie-of-the-year honours. In his sophomore season, he exploded for 1,619 yards on the ground in only eight games – a CIS record at the time – and claimed the Hec Crighton trophy as the most outstanding player in Canadian university football. Following an injury-plagued 1997 season during which he was held to 470 rushing yards, he was back to his usual standard in his final year with the Mounties in 1998, capturing his second CIS MVP award thanks to a 1,515-yard tally.
Thirteen years after his final university outing, Lapointe, who scored 29 rushing touchdowns and 31 all-purpose majors in 28 conference games during his CIS career, still holds numerous AUS records including most rushing yards in a game (311), season (1,619) and career (4,666). One of only two CIS players to reach the 1,000-yard plateau three times, he recorded five of the 10 best single-game rushing performances in AUS history. One of five multiple Hec Crighton trophy winners, his 1996 and 1998 rushing totals still rank second and third best on the single-season CIS list, while his 4,666 career yards are good for third place overall and rank first among running backs who played only four university campaigns. His lifetime average of 167 rushing yards per contest still stands as the CIS standard.
In 1997, Lapointe led the Mounties to the then AUAA championship, marking the last time Mount A won the Jewett Trophy. A member of the Mount Allison Sports Hall of Fame, he went on to a successful eight-year career in the CFL that included a 1999 Grey Cup championship with Hamilton. In 2005, a nationwide fan poll selected him as the best Canadian university football player of all time. Now 37, the three-time CIS all-Canadian works as a financial analyst in Montreal.
“We are very proud to have Eric recognized with this tremendous honour,” said Pierre Arsenault, director of athletics and recreation at Mount Allison. “The fact that he follows only Chris Flynn as a CIS player being inducted speaks volumes of the significance of his career here at Mount Allison. He is one of the iconic faces of our program and he represents the Mountie spirit in every way imaginable.
“It’s wonderful to know that the accomplishments of Eric and his teammates will now live on forever through his induction.”
Connellan, who is already a member of the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame (1998) and the U of C Hall of Fame (2008), will be inducted in the CFHOF as a builder.
Few coaches in any sport at any level have had the success and career Connellan enjoyed. He joined the Dinos football program as an assistant coach following a career with the Calgary Board of Education in the late 1970s and took over the head job on an interim basis for the 1977 season – winning the conference title, a sign of things to come. He was given the full-time head coaching position prior to the 1983 campaign, sparking one of the most successful coaching tenures in CIS history.
In his 13 years at the helm, the Dinos never had a sub-.500 season, reached the Canada West playoffs 10 times – in an era where only the top two teams reached the post-season – and won eight conference championships. Calgary advanced to five CIS national finals, winning the Vanier Cup four times (‘83, ‘85, ‘88, ‘95). Connellan became the first head coach in history to lead his team to four Vanier Cup titles, a record that stood until last year when current Laval sideline boss Glen Constantin guided his program to a fifth banner.
Connellan’s regular season winning percentage was a staggering .673, with 70 victories and only 32 losses. His post-season record was even more stunning at .727 (16-6), and his overall coaching mark against Canadian universities was 87-38-2 (.682). He won the Frank Tindall trophy as CIS coach of the year in both 1977 and 1985. He also developed a significant number of players into the professional ranks, with 45 of his athletes selected in the CFL entry draft during his tenure.
Connellan, who hails from Regina, retired from coaching following the Dinos’ 1995 Vanier Cup title, a 54-24 defeat of Western Ontario, but did return to serve as offensive coordinator for the team for two seasons in 2004 and 2005.
“Peter Connellan was the consummate teacher and coach. His record at the helm of the Dinos speaks for itself – few university football coaches in this country have experienced such success,” said Ron Wuotila, director of athletics and recreation at the University of Calgary. “His teams were extraordinarily well prepared and along the way, he developed outstanding football players and citizens – many of whom have given back and directly impacted our current football team.
“All CIS coaches should strive to live up to Peter’s coaching standards. The University of Calgary is pleased that the Hall of Fame has chosen to induct him – they simply could not select a more deserving coach.”
CFHOF website: www.cfhof.ca
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