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Deon Lacey

Football

From UWA to the Grey Cup; Former Tigers Doing Something That Matters

On most days it would be a bit of a reach to find anything that Edmonton, Alberta, Canada and Livingston, Alabama have in common. Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015 was not one of those days.
 
Shortly after sunset that day at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, the Edmonton Eskimos defeated the Ottawa Redblacks, 26-20, to lay claim to the 103rd Grey Cup, making the Eskimos the 2015 Canadian Football League Champions.
 
The team taking the Grey Cup back to Edmonton for the first time since 2005 included a definite University of West Alabama flavor. Four former Tiger players or coaches helped secure the Eskimos 14th CFL title.
 
Linebackers Otha Foster and Deon Lacey finished their second CFL season with a league championship after winning back-to-back Gulf South Conference titles at UWA in 2012 and 2013.
 
Patrolling the Edmonton sidelines with UWA connections were Edmonton head coach Chris Jones and linebacker coach Phillip Lolley. Jones, in his second season as Edmonton's head coach, is a former Tiger graduate assistant coach. Lolley was an All-Gulf South Conference baseball pitcher for the Tigers in the mid 70s.
 
Both Foster and Lacey were all-conference players at UWA, with Lacey earning GSC defensive player of the year honors in 2011. Both had brief stints in the National Football League, Foster with Kansas City and Lacey with Dallas, before finding a home in Edmonton.
 
During the Eskimos championship season Foster recorded 57 tackles, had one interception, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, two quarterback sacks, two special teams tackles and four knockdowns. 
 
Lacey was in on 19 defensive tackles, six quarterback sacks, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and 22 special teams tackles. He was voted the Eskimos Most Outstanding Special Teams Player. 
 
From Malcolm Butler's Super Bowl heroics to four Grey Cup champions, 2015 has been a banner year for former football Tigers. And now with the emergence of former UWA receiver Seth Roberts with the Oakland Raiders, 2016 only promises that former Tigers will continue to "Do Something That Matters."
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Chris Jones

Chris Jones

DE
6' 0"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Chris Jones

Chris Jones

6' 0"
Freshman
DE