The Grey Cup comes to Gardenview

Students at Gardenview Elementary School in St. Laurent were treated to a visit from the Grey Cup, accompanied by two members of the victorious Montreal Alouettes: running back William Stanback, a Gardenview parent, and offensive lineman Jamar McGloster. The duo spent the better of the morning as they addressed an assembly of pupils and posed for selfies with teachers and staff members.

With radio personality and actor Terry Haig directing traffic as the event’s emcee, the pair fielded questions from the youngsters. The players, who are accustomed to being grilled by the media, were impressed by the thoughtful queries.

“Good questions,” the players said repeatedly as they discussed their football careers and the upset victories over Toronto and Winnipeg, which produced the Grey Cup title.

“We enjoyed being the underdogs,  but we believed in ourselves,” said Stanback. 

Stanback noted that the players were nervous before the big games, but the nerves disappeared once the game started and play began.

Both players talked about the importance of perseverance. At various times, they have been cut by teams, but they moved on to the next challenge.

Stanback and McGloster had very different introductions to football. Stanback started playing when he was nine, but McGloster, who stands six-foot-seven,  was 18 when he switched from basketball to football.

“My mother didn’t want me to play football, but my father convinced her to let me play because I had all this energy,” said Stanback.

McGloster played basketball at St. Anthony High School in Jersey City, a national powerhouse under legendary coach Bob Hurley. “I went to Syracuse University on a recruiting visit and they offered me a football scholarship,” he said.