Hometown boy drafted by Montreal Alouettes

Four Stingers are headed to the big time after being drafted at the Canadian Football League (CFL) draft, May 8.

Two players were picked in the first two rounds.

Anthony Barrette (55), who is finishing his undergraduate degree this spring, says if he were to return for a master’s degree, he’d study American history. “There was so much action, so much bloodshed.” | Photo by Concordia University

Defensive lineman Maurice Forbes, who was unranked entering the draft, was the top Concordia pick, going 13th to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Offensive lineman Anthony Barrette, the draft’s 13th-ranked prospect, was picked 16th by the Montreal Alouettes.

It’s an outcome Barrette says he’s pretty excited about.

“It’s unreal,” says the beefy 320-pound, six-foot-five history student from the Verdun neighbourhood of Montreal, who is happy he can stay close to his family. He’s a big fan of his mom’s home cooking, he says.

Two other Stingers are heading west: Slotback Liam Mahoney went 41st to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and receiver Jared Manchulenko went 45th to the Calgary Stampeders.

Head coach Gerry McGrath says seeing his boys launch into the big leagues makes him feel “just like a proud daddy.”

“Part of the job is getting them ready for a career. As a coach, you’re proud when that happens.”

McGrath, a Verdun native himself, knows first-hand the strength Barrette brings to the Alouettes. “He’s a Verdun kid, so he’ll fight anybody for anything. He has a big-time toughness.”

And he’ll need it, says offensive coordinator and line coach Bryan Chiu.

Chiu, who joined the Stinger’s coaching staff in the fall of 2010 after a 13-year, two-time Grey Cup championship career on the Alouettes offensive line, says the difference between the Canadian Interuniversity Sport league and the CFL is night and day.

“Anthony is a big, strong, fast player, but everyone in the league is equally as good as him,” says Chiu, who was drafted 18th overall in 1996 by the Montreal Alouettes. “It’ll be a huge challenge, but it’s one he’s prepared for.”

Barrette says the experience of this past year (his fourth) with the Stingers and Chiu’s guidance may have provided the extra support needed to become a coveted pick.

“Coach Chiu was fresh out of the league and still had the passion,” says Barrette. “He taught me a lot of small details about the game that made me a better player.”

Related links:
•    Concordia Stingers football
•    Canadian Football League