Jesse Lumsden shines in Shriners game

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BY Department of Athletics & Recreation

January 17, 2005

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/lumsden_eastwest_action.jpg” caption=”Jesse Lumsden carries the ball past a West squad player during Saturday’s Shriners Game in San Francisco.”]McMaster running back and 2004 Hec Crighton recipient Jesse Lumsden rushed for a combined 41 yards on five carries to lead the East squad in rushing in the 2005 East-West Shrine game played at SBC Park in San Francisco on Saturday. The East team cruised to victory in the 80th version of the collegiate all-star game, 45-27.

Lumsden started the game on special teams, but entered the backfield at the start of the third quarter. He immediately impressed the crowd of 25,518 on hand carrying the ball four times for 40 yards including a 21-yard carry that lead to a Dave Rayner (Michigan State, Oxford Mich.) 29-yard field goal to give the East a commanding 38-13 lead.

Lumsden showed that he can do more than just run the ball. On his second series of the game he pitched the ball to Florida State's Chauncey Stovall (Gifford, Fla.) on a reverse that Stovall broke for a dramatic 29-yard rush for the East's sixth and final touchdown of the day. Lumsden also caught a pass coming out of the backfield.

Lumsden and Nick Johansson, a first team all-Canadian defensive tackle from the UBC Thunderbirds, were the two CIS players selected to suit up in the 80th edition of the East-West Shrine Game.

Lumsden and Johansson were the 40th and 41st CIS representatives since 1985 to be invited to the annual all-star showcase, which features more than 80 of the top United States college players.

Every year since 1925, the Shrine Game has been played to benefit children who receive free medical care at 22 Shriners Hospitals for Children throughout the U.S. To date, the game has raised more than $14 million for Shriners Hospitals.

Lumsden, a 22-year-old native of Burlington, Ont. was only the second CIS running back invited to the East-West Shrine Game, following former Marauders teammate Kojo Aidoo, invited in 2002. The 6-foot-2, 226-pound geography student enjoyed one of the best seasons in CIS history in 2004, establishing single-season records with 1,816 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns, and a career mark with 47 touchdowns.