A dominant force in the Okanagan Sun secondary for the past three seasons, Brennan Van Nistelrooy will now look to make his mark at the university level.
The 22-year-old Lethbridge native has signed a letter of intent to play this coming season with the University of Calgary Dinosaurs.
Van Nistelrooy was recruited by all six Canada West schools, and had offers from as far away as McMaster and Mount Allison.
In the end, the 6-foot, 195-pound Van Nistelrooy saw Calgary as the best fit.
“Calgary is close to home for me and I like the winning attitude with the Dinos,” Van Nistelrooy said. “When I left the Okanagan Sun we had a close knit family atmosphere, and on my recruiting visit saw the same atmosphere existed with the Dinos.”
A multi-talented player, Van Nistelrooy starred both on defense and on special teams for the Sun.
He was the BCFC’s top defensive back in 2013, 2104 and 2015, and the conference’s all-star punter in 2015.
In his final season of junior football, he was named the conference’s MVP on defense and the BCFC’s special teams player of the year.
On the national level, Van Nistelrooy was a Canadian Junior Football League all-star defensive back for three seasons (2013-15) and a finalist for the CJFL defensive player of the year in 2015
“Brennan is a mature physical player with outstanding football instincts,” said Dinos coach Wayne Harris. “He was a leader on a very successful team and we look for him to contribute immediately.”
Van Nistelrooy is also excited to get a chance to work with Dinos’ secondary coach Marcello Rapini. “Marcello is a great coach and look forward to playing for him.”
Van Nistelrooy will join former Sun teammate and quarterback Josiah Joseph who committed to the Dinos in the fall. Joseph is currently attending classes at the University of Calgary.
