Media

OTTAWA, January 15, 2010  —  Gee-Gees defensive back Soonbum Cha (Burlington, Ont.) and linebacker Tyler Sawyer (Metcalfe, Ont.) have been named to the roster of the World team of American football to play against Team USA at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Saturday, January 30, 2010.

Soonbum Cha completed his first season with uOttawa last fall, becoming a starter for the Gee-Gees right out of Assumption High School. The 5’11”, 180-pound electrical engineering major was also a force for the team as a punt returner.

“Soonbum is a tremendous athlete with great speed, vision and a mean streak you like to see from a defensive back,” says Denis Piché, Gee-Gees head coach.

Tyler Sawyer, a Cumberland Panthers alumnus, has been with the Gee-Gees football program for two years and is considered one of the best tacklers on the team.

“Tyler is a very smart and technically sound player,” Piché said. “He has reached maturity way beyond his years as a CIS student-athlete. This experience will only make him better. This is an exciting time for both of them and for the program as well. We are very proud of them.”

Forty-three players from eight IFAF (International Federation of American Football) member countries and four continents will come together during NFL Pro Bowl Week to take on USA Football’s junior national team.

The World team is composed of the best IFAF players aged 19 and under while the American squad boasts 45 of the top high-school seniors from the United States.

The World team roster has players representing American Samoa (2), Australia (1), Canada (31), France (1), Germany (1), Japan (3), Mexico (1) and Sweden (3), who were selected from a preliminary list of 100 players nominated by IFAF federations.

The NFL Network will provide live coverage of the match-up, which is designated an official Pro Bowl Week event by the NFL, at 12 noon ET on January 30.