June 24, 2011
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By Joe Hornstein
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Three former Knights, all native Canadians, are once again ready to take to the field as the Canadian Football League opens its 2011 season next week. Two of UCF's former Knights, Taylor Robertson and Cedric Gagne-Marcoux, will have the opportunity to open the season on our neighbor's to the north national holiday, Canada Day, July 1, as their Toronto Argonauts take on the Calgary Stampeders. Keith Shologan's Saskatchewan Roughriders take on the Edmonton Blue Bombers on July 3 to kickoff the season.
Recently, both the Argos and the Roughriders began the preseason with victories. Saskatchewan edged Edmonton 23-22, while Toronto upended the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, 31-12. Gagne-Marcoux began his professional career with Hamilton before joining Robertson on the Toronto offensive line last season.
A nine-year veteran entering his fifth season in Toronto, Robertson (Brantford, Ontario) has been named the Argonauts' Outstanding Lineman three of the past four seasons from his right guard post and started all 18 games in 2010. He began his CFL career with four years in Calgary, helping the Stampeders to the 2005 and 2006 playoffs before that club traded him eastward prior to the 2007 season.
Gagne-Marcoux (Baie-Comeau, Quebec) will again line up at left guard during in his second season in Toronto, after starting 15 games for the Argos in 2010. Impressively, in his first season with Toronto was named a CFLPA All-Star at the offensive guard position. He was a first round draft choice of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2006 and played for the club from 2007-09. He started all 18 games as a rookie in 2007 before injuries hampered him the following year. Coincidentally, the Tiger-Cats' head coach in 2007-08 was Charlie Taaffe, the current offensive coordinator at UCF.
A first round pick by the Roughriders in 2008, Shologan (Spruce Grove, Alberta) is beginning his fourth year in Regina and is entrenched at defensive tackle. Last season, he started in all 18 regular season games; both playoff games and the Grey Cup game at defensive tackle and finished with 30 tackles, three sacks, one forced fumble and one tackle for a loss. Most notably in 2010, he was named Most Valuable Canadian in the Grey Cup game, which his team narrowly lost 21-18 to Montreal, after recording two tackles and two sacks. It was the second straight season Saskatchewan dropped a nail-biter to Montreal in the Grey Cup, also dropping a 28-27 decision in 2009. In his three CFL seasons, Shologan has 59 total tackles and six sacks.
The former Knights will be in action together during Week 8 of the CFL season on August 18 when Saskatchewan travels to Toronto. Toronto returns the visit to Saskatchewan in Week 12, Sept. 17.