Former Queen's Gael signs NFL contract with Bengals
KINGSTON, Ont. – Former Queen's Gaels offensive lineman and 2009 Vanier Cup Champion Matt O'Donnell of Kingston, Ont., has signed a professional contract with the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League.
O'Donnell who stands at a towering 6-foot-10 and weighs 340 pounds, spent four seasons with the Gaels and dressed for every game since joining the team in 2007. He is a two-time All-Canadian and was the 2010 recipient of the OUA J.P. Metras Award for the top lineman in the conference.
O'Donnell was a participant in the 2010 East-West Shrine Bowl and ranked as a top 10 CFL prospect for the entire 2010-11 season.
Matt joins Cory Greenwood as the second Kingston resident currently in the NFL.
Five Queen's players have participated in NFL camps, most recently Brad Elberg with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1993. Former Gaels offensive lineman Mike Schad was taken in the first round of the NFL draft by the then Los Angeles Rams 23rd overall in 1986.
Schad was the most famous Gael to play in the NFL having played for the Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles. In total, Schad accumulated 62 total games played in the NFL over six seasons.
O'Donnell is Pat Sheahan's fourth player who has graduated to the NFL level and first with Queen's.
He is currently the eighth CIS alumnus who will attend an NFL training camp this year in search for a regular assignment.
The others include: former Manitoba Bison Israel Idonije, a defensive end with Chicago since 2003; former Regina Ram Jon Ryan, a kicker with Seattle since 2008 and a five-year NFL veteran; former Western Ontario Mustang Vaughn Martin, a defensive end with San Diego since 2009; former Concordia Stinger Cory Greenwood, a middle linebacker who dressed in all 16 regular season games in his rookie season with Kansas City in 2010; former Waterloo Warrior Joel Reinders, an offensive tackle who spent the 2010 campaign on Cleveland's practice roster; former Sherbrooke Vert & Or Samuel Giguère, a wide receiver who played one game for Indianapolis in 2009 and signed as a free agent with the New York Giants last fall; and former Western Mustang Andy Fantuz, a wide receiver who will attempt to crack Chicago's roster after five successful seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the CFL that included a Grey Cup championship in 2007 and the Most Outstanding Canadian Award in 2010.
