The City of London laid out the red carpet for Western Mustang athletes Thursday to celebrate their national championship wins.
Escorted by London police, the players rolled up in two Mustang buses in front of city hall on Dufferin Ave. They were greeted by Mayor Matt Brown before walking a red carpet into the building, with two football players carrying the Vanier Cup trophy leading the way.
Inside council chambers, certificates of achievement were presented to the football, men's tennis, women's softball, men's lacrosse, women's rowing, and cheerleading teams.
"We are absolutely thrilled with your achievements. I know that it can't be easy," Brown told the athletes.
For the first time in 23 years, the Western Mustangs won the Vanier Cup after beating the Laval Rouge et Or 39-17 at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton last Saturday.
"To achieve what each of you have been able to achieve, individually and as teammates, must take phenomenal effort and phenomenal committment... you've got to be really proud of that. And your city is impossibly proud of you. We all stood up a little bit taller as we learned about each of your achievements over the course of the last little while. When you win, when you achieve like this, it is great for Western and it is great for London as well," Brown concluded before the room erupted in a round of applause.
Football coach Greg Marshall called the city recognition amazing.
"We are part of London and there are boys on our football team that are from all across the country, but the heart and nucleus of our team are boys that went to high school here in London. They along with all the other players on our team are proud to represent London," said Marshall.
He also pointed out that on top of their university studies, which can be demanding on their own, student athletes invest 40 hours a week in their chosen sport.
"We are very proud of them, not just for what they do on the field, on the courts, in the swimming pools, and the hockey arenas but also more importantly what they do in the classroom," said Marshall.
London native Mackenzie Ferguson, who plays defensive back for the Mustangs, said the city recognition helps build up all students who play university sports and reinforces that they have the backing of an entire city.
"A lot of my high school coaches played for Western back in the day and loved London so much that they stuck around. There are great alumni supporters and the support we get from the city has been tremendous," said Ferguson. "It is nice to finally bring a Vanier Cup back to London. The last time we won it I was two-years-old, so it is something that is really special."
The Western football team is also being honoured during the halftime show at the London Lightning game at Budweiser Gardens Thursday night.