A year ago the Dartmouth's Rugby 7's team got a boost from senior football players who used their final spring to help the Big Green win a national championship. It was not surprising, then, that when the NFL didn't come calling this spring defensive back Shawn Abuhoff turned his attention to the rugby pitch.
But the rugby team will have to do without the Dartmouth corner and return man-extraordinaire after he signed a deal with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. JRO Sports Advisors announced his signing here. (JRO, by the way, is John R. Owens '91, a three-year letterman at Dartmouth.)
Abuhoff said yesterday he flew out to a tryout at College of the Canyons in California two weeks ago to earn the invitation to join the Ticats. He already has reported to the team, which has given him a shot at earning a regular-season roster berth both as a d-back and return specialist. The team's first exhibition game is in just over two weeks.
The Tiger-Cats announcement of Abuhoff's signing is here and his Ticat bio is here.
The 2012 Hamilton schedule:
