London, ON – The Mustangs Football program celebrated the 2022 class of the Wall of Champions on Friday night at the Hellenic Club.

The class included 5 individuals (4 players and 1 builder) and 1 team this year:

• Bruce MacRae – Fullback (1968-1971)
• Sean McKeown – Defensive Line (1981-1983)
• Paul Blenkhorn – Offensive Line (1995-1999)
• Lirim Hajrullahu - Kicker/Punter (2009-2013)
• Tom Whealy – Builder
• 1986 Team

Bruce MacRae

MacRae was a running back out of Port Credit high school and made an immediate impact on the Mustang football program becoming a starter in the backfield as a true freshman. The six-foot, 200-pound burly back was a key cog in the Mustang run game becoming the feature back in his first season, helping the Mustangs to a 5 and 3 record.

The Calgary Stampeders saw his talent and chose him in the 6^th round of the CFL draft, held in February of 1971.

The 1971 season would become one for the ages amongst the greats who have carried the ball for Western. In the OUAA semi-final game against the Capital division champion Queens Golden Gaels. The Mustangs pulled off a stunning upset, crushing the Gaels 42 to 3, thanks to two hundred and fifty yards rushing, led by Bruce MacRae's 21 carries and 76 yards. The Yates Cup final witnessed wet snow and blizzard rain conditions while MacRae racked up 163 yards on his own, on one drive the Mustangs called MacRae's number on six consecutive plays until he finally plunged in for a 2-yd TD. Defeating the Ottawa Gee Gee's 13-0.

Playing Saint Mary's in the Atlantic Bowl the Mustangs dominated the Huskies relying once again on their power running game led by MacRae's 23 carries and 117 yards and a touchdown in a 44-13 victory.

The Mustangs advanced to take on the number one ranked University of Alberta in their very first Vanier Cup College Bowl appearance. Led by MacRae's 24 carries and 89 yards rushing, the game was a hard-fought thriller, where the Mustangs were able to hang onto a 15 to 14 decision and claim Western's first-ever Vanier Cup Championship.

Sean McKeown

A heavily recruited defensive lineman, Sean McKeown was the only freshman to crack the veteran loaded, 1981 Mustang dress roster. Coming directly from Banting High School in London, the 6'5" 250-pound lineman known to all by his nickname "Milt' after the 1960's cartoon character "Milton the Monster"  the gentle giant made an impact from the first day of training camp and played an important role in helping the Mustangs go undefeated during the 1981 regular season and capture the Yates Cup OUA championship.

In the 1983 season, McKeown was awarded the OUA league's most outstanding lineman award, the John P. Metras Trophy and was named an All-Canadian at the defensive tackle position. He was also recognized by the Mustangs as their most valuable overall lineman with the Vince Callaghan Trophy.

Drafted in the first round of the 1984 CFL draft with the 5^th overall pick by the Calgary Stampeders, McKeown turned down a free agent offer by the Cleveland Browns of the NFL and reported to the Stampeders training camp where he quickly backed up the hype when he ran a 4.9 – 40 on the first day of camp.

Upon his retirement in 1991, McKeown would join the Mustang football coaching staff, as the defensive line coach and eventually the offensive line coach for a total of 15 seasons, helping the Mustangs win three Yates Cup, two National Semi-finals and a Vanier Cup.

Paul Blenkhorn

A graduate of Sarnia Northern high school, Paul Blenkhorn arrived on the Western campus for the 1995 football season. Impressing the Mustang coaching staff from the very first day of training camp, by midway through the season Blenkhorn had won the right offensive tackle spot as a true freshman on the Vanier Cup defending team.

In October of 1996, the Mustangs accepted a Japanese invitation to play against a University All-Star team. In a historic game, it represented the first time a CIAU football team has competed in Japan.  Game day was May 11, 1997 in Osaka's Nagai Stadium. Where Blenkhorn and his Mustang teammates physically dominated a combined Japanese University squad, 69-7 in a game played under U.S. college rules.

After the completion of the 1997 OUA season, Blenkhorn would receive national recognition as a first-team All-Canadian offensive tackle and was awarded the Vince Callaghan trophy as the Mustangs best lineman.

At the completion of the 1998 season, Blenkhorn was once again recognized as a first-team All-Canadian and was an OUA nominee for the J.P. Metras Trophy as the most outstanding lineman in the province.

The 1999 season marked the end of Blenkhorn illustrious 5-year career where he became one of the most decorated offensives tackles in school history. Recognized for the third consecutive season as an All-Canadian his teammates awarded him the Vince Callaghan trophy again, as the team's best lineman.

An engineering graduate, Blenkhorn would be drafted in the 5^th round by the Calgary Stampeders in 2000 CFL entry draft. Blenkhorn would spend two seasons with the Stampeders, the 2000 season where the Stampeders finished first in the Western Division and the 2001 season where the team advanced to the 89^th Grey Cup title game and defeated the heavily favoured Winnipeg Blue Bombers for the Grey Cup championship.

Lirim Hajrullahu

The path Lirim Hajrullahu took to Western University was very different from your average college student.  At the age of eight, he and his family escaped the devastation, tanks and violence of war-torn Kosovo. Fleeing Macedonian refugee camps they eventually secured spots on the last plane out to Canada. Speaking no English when he arrived, his soccer background led him to try out as the kicker for his high school football team. A highly recruited player Lirim decided on Western and began a new journey cementing his name in the Western, OUA and CIS record books.

Eventually securing both the punting and kicking duties at Western, Hajrullahu was named the OUA All-Star punter in 2012 and 2013 and a 2^nd team All Canadian as a placekicker.

One of his greatest moments as a Mustang came in the 2010 Yates Cup game with just 2.1 seconds left on the clock.  Hajrullahu nailed a 34-yard field goal, sealing a 26-25 victory over the Ottawa Gee Gees.

In the 2013 Yates Cup Championship game Hajrullahu was perfect on four field goal attempts, hitting his longest attempt from 49 yards. He also sent four kickoffs through the Gaels end zone, tallying a single point each time, winning his second Yates Cup as a Mustang.

In the last regular season of the 2013 season Hajrullahu needed 10 points to become the CIS all-time scoring leader. He booted five field goals and added five converts for twenty- points, establishing the new career mark at 422 points. At the conclusion of his Western career, he was the all-time scoring leader, the all-time field goal leader with 77, the most points in a season, most field goals in a season, most converts in a game and most field goals in a game with six. Establishing himself not as only as the greatest kicker in Western history but in Canadian University football.

An excellent student, Hajrullahu graduated with an MBA and was an academic All Canadian in 2012 and 2013 and was awarded the Darwin Semoutiuk trophy as the best student athlete on the team.

Signing with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2014 he took the CFL by storm, being announced as the winner of Winnipeg's most outstanding Canadian, most outstanding special teams, and most outstanding rookie awards and was named the West Division Most Outstanding Special Teams Player.

 In 2016 he moved to the Toronto Argonauts as a free agent, continuing his success as the winner of the Toronto Argonaut's Most Outstanding Canadian and Most Outstanding Special Teams award and was named to the CFL East Division's All-Star team.

In 2017 he found himself in a moment of déjà vu. He was standing 32 yards away from the goal posts at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario, with 49 seconds left in the Canadian Football League's 105th Grey Cup match against the Calgary Stampeders. Seven years earlier, he had stood in nearly the same place on that same field during the 2010 Yates Cup.  His boot held steady in the slushy conditions – connecting with the ball to send it soaring over the uprights as over 36,000 fans looked on at TD Place Stadium. The field goal gave the Argos a 27-24 edge and secured the Grey Cup title.

In 2018 he would sign with the Hamilton Tiger Cats and would be named 2019 CFL East divisions All-Star for the second time in his career. Always having eyes on the NFL, Lirim signed with the Los Angeles Rams in 2020. During the 2021 NFL season, the Dallas Cowboys signed Hajrullahu for their game against the Atlanta Falcons, making him the sixth Western Mustang football player to ever play in an NFL game. He went a perfect 5 for 5 on all his conversion attempts. Later in the season, he was signed by the Carolina Panthers appearing in three games and connecting on four of his five field goal attempts.

Tom Whealy

Arriving at Western in 1960, Tom Whealy would play for the Western Colt football team which competed in the Intermediate division of the Ontario Collegiate football league.  Recognized as the freshman football player of the year for the 1960 class at Western, he would spend the next four seasons suiting up for the London Lords of the ORFU Intermediate league, playing as an offensive end and cornerback on defense.

Graduating from Western with a Political Science degree. Whealy started a successful development company with Lords teammate Bob Harris. A strong connection to football saw the two leading an initiative to secure a CFL franchise team for London. Too many roadblocks in Canada resulted in them looking south; as a result, they purchased the Portland Storm, a team that operated for one season in the World Football league, a rival to the NFL.

Despite a break from football and a concentration on the business and development world, Whealy's friendships and connections to Western stayed strong. He served as the Chairman of the Building Committee for the Development and Construction of the Robarts Research Institute and the Siebens Drake Research Facility, both world renowned facilities on the campus of Western.

In 2007, the OUA brought in a new policy allowing Athletic Scholarships to be given out to student-athletes.  This completely changed recruiting in varsity sports.  Western like most universities provided some start-up or seed funds but to sustain and grow these awards, teams would have to raise the funds through donations.  

Tom Whealy stepped up from that very first year and began to fund athletic financial awards for Western athletes.  Over the past 15 years Tom has funded over 100 Mustang football players.  His significant contributions have had a major impact to the success of the football program and the student athletes he supports.

In 2021 friends and family of Tom Whealy got together to raise funds to have the Mustang football locker room named in his honour.  The Thomas G. Whealy Locker room has been completely renovated in preparation for the 2022 season and is a fitting tribute to Tom's legacy and support of Mustang football. 

1986 Mustangs Football Team

Football training camp saw the return of twenty starters from the 1985 Vanier Cup finalist team, including OUA MVP Steve Samways at quarterback, a steam roller for a fullback in Blake Marshall and was captained by linebacker Matt Janes. At the beginning of the season, the team ran the traditional hill climb, so that each player could touch the towering maple tree by University College.

An exhibition tune-up game was scheduled with the University of Windsor that witnessed Western scoring early and often before the Mustangs emptied their bench in the second half. The final score was 35-15.

The season opener started with a bang as Robbie Stewart returned the opening kick-off 104 yards. The first of many big plays that would define the '86 team. Western proceeded to give the Waterloo Warriors a free lesson in basic football. Tight end Tim Spriel reeled in 108 yards receiving from the pinpoint passing of Steve Samways and Blake Marshall ran for 102 yards and scored two touchdowns in the first half.  The Mustangs would go on to crush the Warriors 53 to 9.

In a lopsided crushing defeat of the Windsor Lancers 51 to 1, fullback Blake Marshall had a statement game rushing for 180 yards on only 17 carries, scoring three times, one a 46-yard romp that made it look like it was men against boys.  It was his 5th consecutive league game where he rushed for over 100 yards.

The homecoming game witnessed 11,000 fans jammed into JW Little Stadium. Down 24 to 7 in the second half, the Mustangs would rely on big plays to get themselves back in the game. A Samways to Andy Filipiuk 52-yard pass completion was the catalyst to spark the comeback. The play that really got the fans out of their seats was an electrifying 72-yard punt return by freshman sensation Dave Sapunjis, solidifying a 36 to 24 comeback victory over the McMaster Marauders.

The final league game was a battle for first place. In a well-balanced team effort, the Mustangs cruised to a dominant 51 to 1 trouncing of Guelph.  
After a 30-15 win over McMaster Marauders in the OUA semi-final, the Mustangs would meet the Guelph Gryphons.

On the last play of the first half in the Yates Cup game, Robbie Stewart would turn a screen pass into a 60- yard touchdown giving the Mustangs a 10 to 6 lead over Guelph. The second half would witness the Mustangs explode for 39 points on numerous big plays. Linebacker Bruce Elliot's 33-yard interception return was fumbled into the end zone and eventually recovered by Steve Huggins. Andy Filipiuk would turn a hitch pass into a 65-yard touchdown, Blake Marshall would gallop for a 59-yard TD and a 61-yard TD catch by game MVP Rick Wolkensperg gave the Mustangs their second consecutive Yates Cup title.

After topping Acadia in the Atlantic Bowl, 29-22 victory, The 1986 Vanier Cup game was played between two evenly matched teams struggling back and forth to gain and keep control of that elusive intangible moment. Unfortunately, the Mustangs where on the wrong end of a miraculous final-minute comeback when the UBC Thunderbirds scored with four seconds left on the clock giving them a 25-23 come from behind Vanier Cup title.
 
A the end of the season, 15 Mustangs would be honored as  1^st or 2^nd team OUA All-Stars, four would be recognized as first team All-Canadians and Blake Marshall would be the recipient of the Hec Crighton Trophy as the most outstanding football player in Canada. Twelve members of the '86 team would go on to professional football careers.  Blake Marshall and Dave Sapunjis would go on to win the Most Outstanding Canadian player award in the CFL and Pierre Vercheval would be enshrined in the CFL Hall of Fame.

Congratulations to all the inductees to the 2022 Mustangs Wall of Champions, they are all Mustangs Legends.