The Gryphons’ Lair Issue 45 - Oct 2020

What Happened in September?

#Unpaused

The 2020 season has been cancelled.... but the Gryphons have not paused their efforts to stay engaged. Instead, Gryphon Football launched the #Unpaused season. Stay in touch with our daily celebrations, interviews, highlights, fundraisers and contests on our social media channels. We have so much to celebrate around our football program and are doing so around what would have been the 2020 home game schedule.

Introducing the Tony D’Angelo Equipment Room

This month we are pleased to introduce our newest named room in the Pavilion: the Tony D’Angelo Equipment Room. Many Gryphons donated to honour Tony. Some of the donors were able to surprise Tony and his family in his backyard with a presentation to celebrate the occasion. Tony retired in 1999 after two decades of making an impact with thousands of Gryphons.

Juwan Jeffrey on the Blitz with Beeksma

On the most recent episode of the Blitz, Jared Beeksma sit down with second year running back Juwan Jeffrey to discuss life in quarantine, his sophomore season as a ​ ​ Gryphon and the memory of his first touchdown.

Click here to watch the interview. ​ ​

Tracking Tavius: Breaking Down the Surprise Starters for Ole Miss in Week One

Ole Miss football released their slate of starters for the 2020 season opener against Florida on Monday afternoon.

Where some surprises came on the list of starters was on the defensive side of the ball. Here's a closer look at those four names that may have turned some heads to be Rebel starters for the 2020 season.

Buck: Tavius Robinson Buck can almost be a synonym for EDGE in the Ole Miss defense. It's a hybrid defensive end and outside linebacker role. Well, one of those two spots is going to be filled by a transfer from Canada who showed up at Ole Miss this summer having never played a snap of NCAA football.

(More on Robinson: "Tavius Robinson's Journey from Canadian Football to Ole Miss) ​ ​

Robinson, a transfer granted immediate eligibility from Guelph University in Ontario, has the sort of size and speed measurables that you simply can't coach into a player. Sure, he's going to be incredibly raw, but at 6-foot-8 and running a 4.6 40-yard dash, you can live with a few mistakes for that sort of raw athleticism.

To read more of this article written by SI’s Nate Gabler, click here. ​ ​

Stu Lang Featured on Gryph Nation Podcast

Episode 15 of the Gryph Nation Podcast has been released. This episode of the podcast chats with Stu Lang, former head coach of the Gryphon Football Program (2010-15) and the most generous donor in the history of the University of Guelph.

Check it out here. ​ ​

Gryphons in the Community

Big Brother Big Sisters Community Heroes

Thank you to Kristen, Victoria & Matt of our Gryphon Football family for stepping up and making a difference as a Big Sister & joint Big Brother/Big Sister to Alyvea & Keagan. You are all heroes in the city of Guelph and you inspire us all. Wear your Gryphon Football jackets proud.

Celebrations

Team of the Decade

The 2010-2019 Team of the Decade has been revealed and we would like to extend our sincerest congratulations to all Gryphons.

Did You Know?

Gryphon Football Wallpaper

Did you know we have Gryphon Football wallpaper available for download? Not only for your phone but tablets and desktops too. Click here to get yourself a little Gryphon Pride ​ ​ for your tech.

Training Talk

October Update by Coach Kania

This edition of the Training Talk update is exciting because we can talk about, well, th training. As of September 14 ,​ we gained the approval of the Athletic Department to ​ Return to Train, both on the field and in the weight room.

Our temporary space in the Gryphon Performance Center North currently accommodates 12 who can workout in their own designated space with their own equipment.. As we have 6 power racks, workouts are split up in a Day 1 / Day 2 format where those in the racks do the work outs created inside the rack space, while their workout partners have a designated “space” that includes access to a trap bar, dumbbells, kettlebells etc.

Two additional days for volume have been programmed via the app TeamBuildr, which we have adopted in lieu of my old-school ways of excel spreadsheets, papers and pens. This app allows all Coaches the access to see who performed the runs, how much weight was lifted in a given exercise, attendance, as well as body weight (mostly Coach Mike checking on his linemen!) This app is used internationally by many universities, NCAA programs, and professional teams.

Because of the numbers allowed in the weight room, we’ve also had to schedule out our running sessions prior to workouts, with similar numbers, in a bit of an assembly line approach. For these first six weeks, our focus is on reconditioning the athletes’ aerobic capacity, specifically the returning ones, in an effort to help translate that into faster recovery both on the field in future speed training sessions as well as in the gym. We do this twice a week during our workout days, and twice a week separately in the evenings during offensive and defensive practices. Everyone is happy to be back on the field working on footwork and running routes.

Our incoming rookie class is IMPRESSIVE. We believe that we had one of, if not the best recruiting class in all of USPORTS, and we say that in all sincerity. Many of our new Gryphon Football players come to us with great speed, great strength, and a maturity about them that will allow us to have great depth come game day. We are constantly evaluating their mobility, stability, running mechanics and strength base during this initial period of training. Friends, family and alumni: you should be very excited to see the product we will be putting on the field in 2021!

Finally, an update on the renovations at Alumni Stadium. As of the writing of this piece, we are set to review the supplied RFP’s by companies bidding for the right to supply our st new weight room. This should be done by the time this is posted on October 1 ,​ and the ​ winning bid will be notified then. Driving to and from workouts and practices, we can see the construction occurring outside Alumni stadium. I believe we are only a few days away from the wall where the expansion is occurring to come down, and the building of our extended space beginning.

Thanks to the efforts of Coach Stuart Lang and the Gryphon Athletic Department, as well as our generous donors over the years, this promises to be one of the most impressive training facilities in USPORTS, and nationally. The goal is to have a “WOW” experience every time an athlete or guest steps foot inside the facility. This will help us grow as athletes individually, be stronger as a team, and aid in bringing more of the best athletes football has to offer in 2021.

Featured Alumnus

Our Featured Alumnus for this month is former Gryphon, Johnny Augustine.

On the Gryphon Football team, Johnny was a standout running back. After his graduation in 2013, Augustine went on to be an incredible player in the CFL. He currently plays professional football for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and has been branching out into many other avenues of interest including starting his own personal training business.

During his time at the University of Guelph, Johnny studied Criminal Justice and worked with troubled youth in both group home and foster home settings for 3 to 4 years. He says that the opportunity was a very “rewarding job”. Today, he strives to pursue his passion for real estate and says that he “will be looking to get [his] license late fall or early winter”. “Real estate is a passion of mine,” says Augustine. “I am looking forward to what lies ahead in that field”.

When asked to reflect on his Gryphon Football experience, Johnny says that being a Gryphon taught him everything from working hard to staying organized. He recalled the challenges associated with being a student athlete, but said that at Guelph he quickly learned how to excel “as a student in the classroom and as a player”. He explains that he has carried these principles into both his career and life work. “Being a Gryphon meant attention to detail, as Stu Lang (my former coach and biggest role model) always taught me,” he states. “Every little thing you do, you have you to put your focus and full attention towards it and details matter. I would rather make a mistake knowing that I put all my efforts and details to it as opposed to making a mistake and not giving my full efforts. This is what it means to me to be a Gryphon”.

Johnny says that his favourite memory from playing with the Gryphons was the 2015 ​ season, when the team won the Yates Cup. “We worked so hard for so many years and a lot of hard work and sacrifice went into that season. I developed bonds, friendships, and brotherhood with each and one of those guys and with the coaching staff that year. It’s still something I cherish to this day,” he reminisces. ”The Yates cup was the best feeling”. Seeing everyone’s joy and drinking from the cup with Stu Lang were among his highlights from that day.

We are so proud of Johnny’s contributions to Gryphon Football. Thank you for agreeing to be our featured alumnus, Johnny!

Featured FOGF Member This month’s Featured FOGF Member is Bryan Maltby.

Bryan Maltby, former Gryphon defensive back, became an FOGF member as a way of staying connected with the program and giving back in order to see “young athletes get the opportunity to experience a moment that will touch them forever”. Bryan says, “Many lifelong relationships are built during one’s time as a student athlete playing for such an excellent program and it’s very satisfying to see young people getting the opportunity to encounter a very special experience that I had the privilege of being a part of”.

Bryan fondly recalls his own experience as a Gryphon Football player and says that one of his most vivid memories was walking into the locker room as a rookie and thinking, “Oh my God, there are some enormous dudes here and maybe I should turn right around before I get myself squashed out here”. He went on to share that “Fortunately, for me, coaches and fellow teammates believed in me and made me feel I belonged which is that tremendous sense of family,” says Maltby. This belief and strength translated to Bryan’s everyday life when encountering barriers and self-doubt.

Upon graduation with a Bachelor of Arts Degree (majoring in Economics), Bryan spent 27 years working in the Financial Services Industry. He now owns his own financial planning practice firm, Adviant Financial Partners, located in the Niagara Region where he’s been practicing for the past 17 years. He says he has “enjoyed applying some of the principles learned at UofG in [his] practice because an office can be just like a team in the sense that we must all be on the same page and work in a positive and upbeat environment to help overcome obstacles to meet client needs”.

Today, Bryan continues his involvement with FOGF by attending the annual gala and gold tournament every year. He participates in special dinners honouring past players, coaches, and staff. Finally, he has made attending Homecoming an annual event along with his family for many years.

Thank you so much for your support, Bryan. We truly appreciate your continued involvement in Gryphon Football. You’re such a valuable member of the Gryphon family.

Tweet of the Month

The October tweet of the month was published by John Galt Public School. Gryphon Football is so excited to see local students sporting our donated masks.

To keep up with us on Twitter, click here. ​ ​

Monthly Pick-Me-Up

Check out these shots of our players edited by the incredible Matt Sharpe.

Arts & Culture

This month’s Arts & Culture feature is the “The Storm”. This piece is located in the Red ​ Zone of the Pavilion, the large meeting and event space that overlooks the field.. It was created by Gryphon men’s basketball player Emmanuel Chukwu. This concept piece represents the Gryphons as “being the storm” and was created using pastel.

Gryphons Gone Pro

This month’s "Gryphon Gone Pro" is the outstanding Kyle Walters. Kyle was a former ​ professional CFL defensive back and coach and is currently the general manager for the ​ ​ ​ Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Walters built the Winnipeg team that won the 107th Grey Cup ​ 33-12 over Hamilton. He played for seven seasons for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and won a Grey Cup championship as a player with the team in 1999. We are so proud of Kyle's success!

Save the Date

Virtual Season Events: October 17, 2020

Gala Dinner: May 15, 2021 * ​

Golf Tournament: July 23, 2021* ​

*dependent on COVID-19 restrictions closer to the event

FOGF Memberships

Become a Member

Interested in becoming an FOGF Member? There are three different tiers to our memberships: Red, Gold and Black. To find out more information about our memberships and what is involved in each level, please click here. For questions about ​ ​ ​ the membership, please contact Bill Brown at [email protected]. ​ ​

Share Your News If you have any news or updates, we would be more than happy to share them in our upcoming newsletter. Please reach out to [email protected] for any celebrations, ​ ​ announcements of bereavements that you would like us to share.