Wayne Giardino is a former award winning linebacker

Linebacker

A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...

 and Grey Cup

Grey Cup

The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...

 Champion in the Canadian Football League

Canadian Football League

The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....

A graduate of Florida State University

Florida State University

The Florida State University is a space-grant and sea-grant public university located in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is a comprehensive doctoral research university with medical programs and significant research activity as determined by the Carnegie Foundation...

, Giardino joined the Ottawa Rough Riders

Ottawa Rough Riders

The Ottawa Rough Riders were a Canadian Football League team based in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1876. One of the oldest and longest lived professional sports teams in North America, the Rough Riders won the Grey Cup championship nine times. Their most dominant era was the 1960s and 1970s, a...

 in 1967. Rushing 3 times for 15 yards and blocking a kick in his rookie season was good enough to win the Gruen Trophy

Gruen Trophy

The Gruen Trophy was a Canadian Football League trophy, given to the most outstanding Canadian rookie in the East Division. The award, sponsored by the Gruen Watch Co...

 as best rookie in the East (this at a time when only Canadians were eligible for the award.) He later became a starting linebacker and depenable back up fullback, his best year being 1971 when he rushed for 201 yards. On defense he intercepted 6 passes, returning 3 for touchdowns, and took fumble recoveries back for another 3 TDs, including 146 yards in 1972, still the second best in CFL history On offense he rushed for 536 yards and caught 44 passes during his career. He was a Grey Cup

Grey Cup

The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...

 champion three times: 1968, 1969 and 1973. Finally, he was the head coach of the Ottawa Sooners

Ottawa Sooners

The Ottawa Sooners are a Canadian football team based in Ottawa. The team originally played in the Ontario Football Conference of the Canadian Junior Football League. The team had achieved success during its play in the CJFL, winning a total of 4 National Championships...

junior team in 1994, leading them to a 7 win and 2 loss season.