Photo: Matt Walter, the Dinos' all-time leading rusher, during a pre-season Canadian Football League contest with the Calgary Stampeders in the summer of 2011.
CALGARY - It's official - the University of Calgary's all-time leading rusher is headed down the hall at McMahon Stadium.
Calgary Stampeders head coach and general manager John Hufnagel announced Monday that the Stampeders have signed non-import running back
Matt Walter. As per team policy, terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
A Calgary native, Walter recently completed his fifth and final season with the University of Calgary Dinos, helping the team win its fourth consecutive Canada West Hardy Cup title and reach the Mitchell Bowl. Walter had a memorable 2011, setting a new standard for Dinos running backs by becoming U of C's all-time leading rusher with 4,014 career yards. In 2010, Walter earned a third straight Canada West all-star nod at running back after finishing second in the conference with 763 rushing yards.
Walter was drafted by the Stamps in the fifth round (34th overall) in the 2011 CFL Canadian Draft and attended Stamps training camp last season.
“I was impressed with Matt's skill and competitiveness last year at training camp and look forward to his continued improvement in his attempt to become a Calgary Stampeder,” said Hufnagel. “Matt showed during his university career that he can be a dominant running back.”
Walter played for Canada at the 2011 world football championship in Austria, scoring six touchdowns in three games as Canada won silver. He was named to the all-tournament team. In 2007, he was a member of Team Alberta that won the Football Canada Cup and was named to the Canada Cup all-star team as offensive MVP. Walter was an all-star at Calgary's Bishop O'Byrne High School.
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