There were few players who played as big a role in the on-field success of the UBC Thunderbirds as Mike Emery did in the 1980s.
Following a standout high school career at Steveston High School in Richmond which saw him named an Outstanding Linebacker (1978-1979), it didn’t take the Richmond, BC native to become the big man on campus when he made the move to UBC and earned a starting position as linebacker in his rookie year.
Mike was a three-time co-defensive captain (1980-82) and was twice named a Canada West All-Star and All Canadian (1981-82).
After helping guide the Thunderbirds to a Hardy Cup appearance in 1981, Emery and his teammates would finish the job in 1982 when they went undefeated in Canada and captured the school’s first-ever Vanier Cup Championship with Mike leading the team with 102 tackles during the season. For his efforts, he was named the Bruce Coulter Vanier Cup Co-Defensive MVP.
He was also a two-time (1981-82) All Canadian, and was awarded, for two consecutive years (1981 &1982), the national President’s Trophy as the Defensive MVP in Canadian University Football.
Emery went on to be drafted in the first round, 3rd overall, by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1983 and enjoy a five-year CFL career playing with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Calgary Stampeders, Montreal Concordes, and Toronto Argonauts.
