Six former Simon Fraser University football players will take part in the 99th Grey Cup this Sunday in Vancouver as the B.C. Lions and Winnipeg Blue Bombers each boast three athletes that had suited up for the Clan.
Doug Brown of New Westminster will play in his final CFL game this Sunday with the Blue Bombers.
The veteran had 55 tackles and 8.5 sacks in his senior year at SFU in 1996 and was named an NAIA All-American that season as well.
Brown went straight to the NFL following his university career, signing with the Buffalo Bills in 1997.
After spending 1997 on the Bills practice roster, Brown moved on to the Washington Redskins where he played in 10 games in 1998.
In 2001, Brown came back to Canada and joined the Calgary Stampeders, who held his CFL rights. He was named the league's Most Outstanding Canadian in his first CFL season.
In 10 CFL seasons to date, Brown has been named a CFL all-star seven times.
Ibrahim Kahn played with Simon Fraser in Canadian Interuniversity Sport and won the J.P. Metras Trophy as the top lineman in the country in 2003.
The following year, Kahn was one of only three Canadians to participate in the East-West Shrine game, a showcase for the next generation of NFL football players.
He was drafted into the CFL by the Ottawa Renegades in 2004 and showed incredible versatility, appearing in every game with Ottawa as a rookie and playing at tackle, centre and guard.
In 2006, Kahn moved on to the Blue Bombers after being selected with the second overall pick in the Ottawa dispersal draft.
Rounding out the contingent of former SFU players on the Bombers is Aaron Hargreaves of Burnaby.
Hargreaves played with the Clan until 2007. He was named a CIS West Division all-star that year, after recording 45 receptions for 556 yards and one touchdown. He was named SFU's offensive most valuable player in 2006 and 2007.
Hargreaves has played with the Blue Bombers for four seasons and has made at total of 53 catches for 531 yards. He enjoyed his best professional season in 2011, making 29 catches for 292 yards.
The hometown B.C. Lions also have three former members of the Clan competing for them.
Angus Reid played with the Clan when SFU was still competing in the NAIA.
Reid was an NAIA All-American while he at SFU and still holds many of the school's strength records.
He was originally drafted fourth overall by the Toronto Argonauts in 2001 and later signed with the Montreal Alouettes after being released by the Argos. In July of that year, Montreal traded him to B.C. and he has been with the Lions ever since.
Reid has played in 164 career games in the CFL, nine playoff games and two Grey Cups. He was named a West Division all-star in 2004.
Dean Valli graduated from his hometown Clan only to be drafted by the Lions in the first round of the 2006 draft.
Valli was a fixture on the SFU offensive line for four seasons and was named to the Canada West all-conference team in 2005. He also represented the Clan at the 2006 East-West Bowl before being drafted by the Lions.
Valli has played 77 career games with the Lions, appeared in five playoff games and one Grey Cup.
Neil McKinlay played with the Bombers before signing with the Lions in 2011. He played at SFU from 1999-2003 and was named a CIS first team All-Canadian player and a Canada West first team all-star as a senior.
McKinlay also won the President's Trophy as the league's most outstanding defensive player.
In 2002, McKinlay set the CIS record for defensive tackles in a season with 77 and was subsequently named the Clan's most inspirational athlete of the season.
The six former members of the Clan will compete for the 99th Grey Cup this Sunday at B.C. Place.
