Michael
O’Connor is somewhat of a rarity in professional sports
– he is a Canadian quarterback who has a legitimate shot
at one day playing in the Canadian Football League at his
favourite position.
The Orléans
native recently took part in the CFL combine where he earned
rave reviews for his immense talent, his poise and his football
IQ.
The combine
is held every year in the lead up to the CFL draft to give
teams a chance to meet potential prospects face-to-face
and ask them questions about everything from Xs and Os to
possible issues in their personal lives.
O’Connor
was a busy man at the combine, sitting down with six different
teams. That’s high for any prospect and is usually indicative
of the type of interest shown in someone who ends going
pretty high in the draft.
For his
part, O’Connor made the most of the opportunity to express
his love and commitment to the sport.
“I went
into it with a mission to show the teams a little bit more
of my person- ality, how passionate I am about football
and the type of person that I am,” O’Connor said in a recent
interview with the Orléans Star. “I think I really
did that, teams got to know me better on a more personal
level.”
O’Connor
has spent the last four years at the University of British
Columbia where he led the UBC Thunderbirds to the 2015 Vanier
Cup as a freshman.
In the
three years since reaching the pinnacle of Canadian college
football, O’Connor and his Thunderbird teammates lost to
the University of Calgary Dinos in twice the Western Conference
champ-ionship in 2016 and 2017 by less than four points,
and this past season they lost their opening playoff game
in overtime.
The defeats
not only made O’Connor appreciate the Vanier Cup win that
much more, they made him appreciate the sport on a much
deeper level.
(This
story was made possible thanks to the generous support of
our local business partners.)
FREE
FAMILY BUDGETING WORKSHOP hosted by the Community Pentecostal
Church /Christians Against Poverty(CAP), 1825 St Joseph
Blvd. at 6:30 p.m. Learn how to save and pay off your debts
workshop. For more information call 613-837-3555.
FIRST CHOICE will
entertain from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. at the Orléans Legion,
800 Taylor Creek Dr. for your listening and dancing pleasure.
Buffet dinner served from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. For reservations
call 613-590-7227.
COMMUNITY
FUNDRAISER hosted by the Royal Oak Pub Orléans in
support of Habitat for Humanity from 1 p.m. to 11 p.m. Community
BBQ with live bands and a silent auction...The action starts
at 1 p.m. with the first musical act. House band Mandie
& JF and the Chris Evans Band will take to the stage starting
at 7 p.m.!! Come have some fun and show your support!!
ORLÉANS
CRAFT BEER FESTIVAL from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. on June 6 and
7 and from 2 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, June 8 in the
Centrum Blvd. Festival Plaza. Presented by Orléans
Festivals and the Heart of Orléans BIA featuring
craft beer from 29 different craft brewers. Food vendors
will include Orléans own Meatings BBQ. Live music
all three days. For more information visit 
