The Monty Awards

What happens when you let a sports reporter hand out his own awards?

Derek Montague – The Aquinian –

With the STU athletic banquet being held April 7, I thought I would hand out my own selection of awards.

The awards handed out at the banquet are nothing compared to my own selections. So, welcome to the first (and maybe only) annual Monty awards.

Please dress formally before reading this article.

Rudy Ruettiger Award

This award was a no-contest.

The winner, by unanimous decision, is Danny Carson of the men’s basketball team.

If you’ve ever seen the movie Rudy, you would understand the award. Rudy and Danny have had eerily similar university athletic careers.

Rudy didn’t make the Notre Dame football team until his third year of eligibility. Danny didn’t make the basketball team until his third year at STU (not quite Notre Dame but close enough).

Rudy didn’t dress for a game until the very end of his athletic career. Danny has yet to play in a regular season game, but like Rudy, he works his ass off in practice. My prediction: Danny will play in his last game of eligibility and do something epic in the final seconds.

Best Dressed During a STU Athletic Event

Not surprisingly, this award goes to a professor. After all, professors are usually sharply dressed in suits and ties and all.

But Dr. Rick Myers brings new meaning to the term “sharp dressed man.”

During the men’s basketball team’s final home game of the season, Dr. Myers received an honorary award for his continued support of the basketball program (an award almost as prestigious as this one).

When he went up to receive the plaque, it became apparent that he was wearing track pants and green rubber boots. After this display, there’s no doubt who deserves this award.

Moustache Movember Awards

The men’s hockey team participated in Moustache Movember this year. The guys had mixed results to say the least. So here are the best and worse from the month.

Best ‘stache: The best ‘stache is always the dirtiest one. With that in mind, the winner has to be Andrew Andricopoulos.

He looked like a legitimate porn star!

I hope people didn’t get confused when he mentioned certain hockey terms like “man on man,” and “playing the body.”

Worst ‘stache: This one goes to Scott Judson. If you saw Judson’s ‘stache during November, it didn’t look that bad. But I heard from a reliable source that he dyed it. That, my friends, is grounds for disqualification.

Honourable mention: Mike Eagles for bringing out the classic handlebar moustache.

Honourable mention: Jason Cassidy; I thought he was a sheriff all month. He also claims to be one of the few not to dye his moustache during the completion.

Bobby Clarke Award

Every hockey team should have a player like Bobby Clarke. The opposition hated Clarke, but his play was invaluable and entertaining. Clarke was a rough, sometimes dirty hockey player, who could also play offensively.

Mike Reich is the Tommies’ version of Bobby Clarke.

Reich scored 19 points in 28 games this year, and his rough play earned him 72 penalty minutes.

To top it all off, he also has a front tooth missing. All he needs to do is knock out the other tooth and he’s a perfect match.

Ultimate Fan Award

This was a tough one to give out. It came down to two people; Ron and Kyle.

Both go to nearly every men’s hockey home game, and are really spirited.

Ron waves a big flag around before the start of the game. It’s quite an impressive routine. I should know, I’ve nearly been hit in the head with that flag a couple of times.

But the award goes to Kyle.

This guy goes to every home game in a dress shirt and tie. He loves it when the Tommies win, but doesn’t feel down when they lose. He even goes to the practices in the afternoon and helps the team out.

Way to go, Kyle buddy, you deserve the award. Better luck next year, Ron.