2014 RSEQ Awards: CFC 100 Laval QB Richard Player of the Year; Stingers Donovan Coach of the Year

Montreal, November 14, 2014 – The RSEQ (Reseau du Sport Etudiant du Quebec) today at a press conference unveiled its individual award winners for the 2014 university football season. 

CFC 100 Hugo Richard, Vincent Desloges, Boris Bede and CFC 100 Christopher Amoah of the Laval Rouge et Or, Byron Archambault, Alexandre Leganière and CFC 100 Régis Cibasu of the University of Montreal Carabins, as well as Karl Forgues of the McGill University Redmen and Concordia Stingers head coach Mickey Donovan were announced as this year’s winners.

Quarterback Hugo Richard (St-Bruno, QC) of the Laval Rouge et Or is the winner of the Jeff Russel Trophy awarded to the RSEQ player of the year. By virtue of winning this award, Richard is now automatically a nominee for the Hec Crighton Award as the player of the year in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS).

In his first season at the university level, Richard started every game for the Rouge et Or, leading them to a 7-1 record and No. 1 ranking in the nation. The Mechanical Engineering major also broke several team and league records in 2014, including the RSEQ mark for touchdown passes in a season (22) set by Jordan Heather in 2013. He also set a new league record for touchdown passes in a single game with 7.

Richard also earned RSEQ rookie of the year honours this season, making him a nominee for the Peter Gorman Award as national rookie of year.

Top defensive player honours went to Byron Archambault (Montreal, QC) of the Université de Montreal Carabins. The fourth-year linebacker had an exceptional season as he helped lead the Carabins to their No. 2 ranking in the country. He powered the Montreal defence with 49.5 tackles and 9 quarterback sacks. He also led the nation in tackles for loss with 14. Archambault is now a nominee for the Presidents’ Trophy as the top defensive player in Canada.

Vincent Desloges (St-Augustin-de-Desmaures, QC) of the Laval Rouge et Or earned the honour of lineman of the year. In his fifth season, Desloges dominated university football in both Quebec and across the country with 12 sacks, leaving him just 0.5 sacks shy of the Canadian record. He now becomes the RSEQ candidate for the J.P. Metras Trophy awarded to the top lineman in the CIS. After being drafted by the CFL’s Ottawa REDBLACKS, Desloges decided to return this season to finish his stage at Université Laval.

Alexandre Laganière (Québec, QC) of the Université de Montreal Carabins received the award for leadership and social engagement and is now a nominee for the Russ Jackson Trophy given to the university football player having excelled both academically and in the community all while maintaining a high level of performance on the field.

In addition to being one of cornerstones of the Carabins’ excellent offensive line and a team captain, the fourth-year management major at HEC Montreal is very involved in his community. He’s been the driving force behind several projects connecting Carabins student-athletes with youth in the community, including several visits to Saint-Justine Hospital and local schools.

Concordia University’s Mickey Donovan (Laconia, NH) was named RSEQ coach of the year, earning him a nomination for the Frank Tindall Trophy awarded to nation’s top coach. In only his first season as Stingers head coach, Donovan led his team to a playoff berth thanks to a 5-3 record—the school’s best finish since 2008. It marked quite a turnaround for a Concordia squad that went winless last season, finishing in last place in the RSEQ at 0-8.

2014 RSEQ University Footall Individual Award winners

Player of the year
(Hec Crighton Trophy nominee – CIS)
CFC 100 Hugo Richard, Université Laval

Rookie of the year
(Peter Gorman Trophy nominee – CIS)
CFC 100 Hugo Richard, Université Laval

Defensive player of the year
(Presidents’ Trophy nominee – CIS)
Byron Archambault, Université de Montréal

Lineman of the year
(J.P. Metras Trophy nominee – CIS)
Vincent Desloges, Université Laval

Leadership and social engagement award
(Russ Jackson Trophy nominee – CIS)
Alexandre Laganière, Université de Montréal

Coach of the Year
(Frank Tindall Trophy nominee – CIS)
Mickey Donovan, Concordia University

Offensive Rookie of the Year (RSEQ)
CFC 100 Régis Cibasu, Université de Montréal
CFC 100 Christopher Amoah, Université Laval

Defensive rookie of the year (RSEQ)
Karl Forgues, McGill University

Special Teams Player of the Year (RSEQ)
Boris Bede, Université Laval