Mississauga – One of
the most revered and respected defenders in CFL history will continue
his reign as the heart and soul of the Toronto Argonauts. LB Mike O’Shea has agreed to a contract extension with the club through the 2009 season.
Commented O’Shea,
“It’s good to be able to pursue my passion for another year. I wasn’t
ready to leave the locker room yet; it has been like a second home to
me. My kids are extremely excited to see dad play again this year.”
A native of North Bay, Ontario, O’Shea possesses everything a Canadian middle linebacker should: grit,
determination, leadership and the ability to recognize offences. A
model of consistency, the Argos’ captain on defence is coming off a
2007 campaign that saw him rack up 77 defensive tackles, 4 special
teams tackles, 4 QB sacks and 2 forced fumbles.
O’Shea currently sits third all-time in defensive tackles (behind Alondra
Johnson, 1,084, and Willie Pless, 1,241) – first all-time by a Canadian
– with 1,083 and holds five East Division All-Star and one CFL All-Star
nominations to his credit. In 1999, he was named the CFL and East
Division Outstanding Canadian (the only Argo to do so) and helped lead
the Argos to three Grey Cup victories in 1996, 1997 and 2004.
Remarked Argonauts’ GM/Vice President Football Operations Adam Rita,
“Finally! The negotiation took almost as long as his tenure with the
Argos. We are thrilled that we were able to come to terms, and we now
have our defensive leader back on the field.”
Argonauts Head Coach Rich Stubler
commented, “It feels great to have our defensive captain back. His play
has been as good, or better, in the past few seasons as it ever has. I
look forward to seeing Mike play for many more years to come.”
“Osh” holds the Argos’
club record with 754 career defensive tackles, is fourth place all-time
in games played at 186, and in October, he was named to the All-Time
Argo depth chart at linebacker by fans, alumni and media.
A Hall of Fame linebacker for the University of Guelph Gryphons (1989-1992), O’Shea was originally drafted in the 1st round (4th overall) in 1993 by the
Edmonton Eskimos. His rights were immediately traded to Hamilton, as
part of a deal that sent Damon Allen back to Edmonton, where he
generated 239 defensive tackles and 3 QB sacks before joining the Argos
in 1996. He would instantly inject success into an Argos defence that
won back-to-back Grey Cups. In 2000, he returned to Hamilton in a trade
for RB Eric Lapointe and current all-star safety Orlondo Steinauer. He
was reunited the very next season with Toronto after signing as a free
agent and has since become a staple in the Argos’ defence.