King's student-athletes drafted to Canadian Football League
May 8, 2020
Congratulations to King’s student-athletes Dylan Giffen and Marc Liegghio, both of whom were selected in the 2020 CFL Draft, held on April 30, 2020. Giffen, a Criminology major with a minor in Disability Studies, was selected in the 3rd Round, 28th overall by the Toronto Argonauts. Liegghio, a Criminology major with minors in Sociology and Disability Studies, was selected in the 5th Round, 39th overall, by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
“We are so proud of the accomplishments of Marc and Dylan and look forward watching their careers develop in the CFL. We value our strong partnership with the Western Mustangs so that student-athletes can have the strong classroom experiences at King's and combine that with participation in high performance athletics,” says Joe Henry, Dean of Students.
Liegghio, a kicker for the Mustangs, set career highs in field goal completion rate (92% or 22 for 24) and average punting yards (47.5) in 2019, while punting for 1757 yards. On April 29, 2020, he was awarded a Purple Blanket as a part of the Western Mustangs Season of Celebration.
He relates sitting on his couch on the night of the draft, waiting for his name to be called. “I couldn’t help but think of how unbelievable it is to be in this position waiting from my lifelong dream to come true,” he says. He received a call from his agent announcing he had been drafted into professional football, and then he saw his name appear on the screen. Winnipeg head coach Mike O’Shea was the next call, welcoming him to the Blue Bombers.
“I was overcome by emotion. The realization my dream just became a reality,” says Liegghio. As he heads to the next chapter in his career, Liegghio wants to thank King’s professors and administrators for all their support. “It was great to be a student-athlete at Kings, and I will forever be a Mustang!” he says.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers posted a story on Liegghio being selected at https://www.bluebombers.com/2020/05/04/almost-surreal-liegghio-excited-learn-medlock/
Offensive Lineman Giffen played a leading role on the Western Mustang’s offense in 2019. Giffen, like Liegghio, was named to the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) All-Stars in November 2019. Listed at six-feet-eight inches and 348 pounds, Giffen grew up on Strathroy, Ontario and played for the London Jr. Mustangs football club before coming to Western in 2015, enroute to a career that saw him win the Vanier Cup with the Mustangs in 2017.
The Western Mustangs posted the following story on team members selected in the CFL Draft at https://westernmustangs.ca/news/2020/4/30/football-giffen-liegghio-femi-cole-selected-in-2020-cfl-draft.aspx
To learn more about King’s student-athletes, please visit https://www.kings.uwo.ca/current-students/campus-life/athletics/