50TH VANIER CUP INTERVIEW SERIES: Brad Elberg, Queen’s (1992)

50^TH VANIER CUP INTERVIEW SERIES: 1992

A conversation with...

Brad Elberg, tailback, Queen’s University Golden Gaels

In Vanier Cup XXVIII, in front of a crowd of 28,645 at Toronto’s SkyDome, the Queen’s Golden Gaels recorded the only shutout in game history, defeating the Saint Mary’s Huskies 31-0 to capture their third national title overall and their second under legendary head coach Doug Hargreaves. Brad Elberg, a first-team all-Canadian tailback from Regina, was named game MVP after he carried the ball 23 times for 136 yards and tied the Vanier Cup record with three rushing touchdowns.   

What is your major memory of the entire Vanier Cup week and the overall experience?

The most significant Vanier Cup memory I have is being part of an exceptional group of coaches, support staff, trainers and players that worked very hard to accomplish something that meant so much to us -- winning the championship. We had some terrific players – Dan Wright, Jason Moller and Paul Kozan come to mind on offence and Joel Dagnone, Mike Boone and Jamie Lewin on defence. However, what made the 1992 team special is that despite all of the talent we had on the roster, it was a team whose whole was much greater than the sum of its parts. I now appreciate how rare that is and am grateful to have been part of it.

What is your one major lasting memory of the actual game?

We were fortunate to have built up a considerable lead by the beginning of the fourth quarter. Our coaches, Doug Hargreaves and Bob Howes, decided that Paul Beresford and Don Rorwick would be the running backs for the rest of the game. That gave me an opportunity to pay a bit more attention to what was happening in the stands. I have a lasting memory of looking up into the stands and seeing how proud our parents and family members looked. I also remember a sea of tricolour and thinking how much fun the fans appeared to be having. Part of me wanted to ditch my helmet and shoulder pads and join them for a bit.

What do you remember as the key play of the game?

There were a number of key plays. Our defence was the strength of our team. Defensive lineman Eric Dell forced a holding penalty that nullified a long Saint Mary’s pass early in the game. Our defensive coordinator, Bob Mullen, had put together a gem of a defensive game plan that put our defence in a position to make an important goal-line stand in the third quarter. Both of those plays were important.

However, Tim Pendergast's 78-yard touchdown pass to Brian Alford in the second quarter was the key play. That play changed the nature of the rest of the game. It gave us a 14-point lead, forced Saint Mary’s to deviate from its game plan and allowed us to focus on and execute ours.

(Note: Dell, a fourth-year senior from Sudbury, Ont., was the inaugural winner of the Bruce Coulter Award, presented to the player of the game on the opposite side of the ball from the Vanier Cup MVP. The Queen’s defence held Saint Mary’s to 198 yards of net offence, including only 93 passing. For his part, Pendergast completed only seven passes on the afternoon as the Golden Gaels rushed on 72% of their plays on offence, but each of his completions was good for a first down. Alford’s long TD catch was his only reception in the contest)

What was your personal greatest play or moment?

The greatest moment was when our team was presented with the Vanier Cup. Mike Boone, Don Rorwick and I had the honour of being chosen co-captains by our teammates. That gave Mike, Don and me the privilege of accepting the Vanier Cup on behalf of our teammates. That is something I will always cherish. I am sure Mike and Don feel the same way.

(Note: Boone was a fifth-year linebacker from Mississauga, Ont., and Rorwick a fourth-year fullback from Fitzroy Harbour, Ont.)

How did you or the team react to the stadium and the crowd?

Our coaches and the team worked hard to manage the stadium and the crowd. Preparing during Vanier Cup week is very different than preparing in other weeks. The media attention and preparing to play in SkyDome had the potential to be disruptive. We played in the Churchill Bowl in the Dome in 1991 and while that game was not one to remember for us, the experience did benefit us in 1992 in that we felt like we had been there before. That gave us an advantage and caused us to be less distracted than we might have otherwise been.

(Note: Queen’s lost 42-22 to eventual Vanier Cup champion Wilfrid Laurier in the 1991 Churchill Bowl)

What are your memories of the post-game celebrations on the field and/or in the dressing room?

As I mentioned earlier, our team being presented with the Vanier Cup right after the game is a very special memory.

I also remember that I missed out on some of the post-game celebrations. Before I left the field, the doping control personnel told me that I had been selected to be tested. By the time the testing process was done and I made it back to our locker room, the team had left for the reception at the hotel. By the time I got to the reception, the team had moved on to a local watering hole. By the time I caught up with the team there, the celebrations were well on their way with Dan McCullough and Mark Morrison leading everyone that was there in the Oil Thigh and various other cheers and songs. We had a lot of fun on that very special night.

At the time, how did winning the Vanier Cup change your everyday life?

At the time, winning the Vanier Cup did not really change anyone’s day-to-day life. The team certainly celebrated a bit after we returned to Kingston, but we had to get back to business soon after that. The run up to the Vanier Cup took up a lot of our time. I recall each guy on the team having to focus and scramble a little bit to get ready for the final exams that we had to write shortly after the game. That being said, the Vanier Cup has had a significant effect on our lives. It is a common experience that has played a huge role in the guys from the 1992 team maintaining close contact. Many of my closest friends today were teammates in 1992.

What did it mean to win the Vanier Cup for Queen's, a school with such a rich football history?

Each of the players on the 1992 team appreciates the significance of being part of a Queen’s team that won a national championship for our university. Each year there are many teams that start the season with a Vanier Cup championship as their goal, but only one of those teams will be successful. We are immensely proud of the fact that we were part of that team in 1992.

What did you study at Queen's and what career path did you follow after graduation?

After completing my undergraduate degree at Queen's, I played nine seasons in the Canadian Football League, including three with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, two with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and four with the Toronto Argonauts. I earned my law degree at Queen's while playing in the CFL and have been a lawyer since 2002. I am currently a partner at the national law firm of Miller Thomson LLP and I practise out of the firm’s offices in Toronto and Regina.