As of Saturday, June 21st the Canadian Football League's (CFL) eight teams had announced their rosters for the 2008 season. All told, there are now nine Golden Hawks drawing professional football paychecks. Justin Phillips, Dante Luciani, Corey Grant, Yannick Carter, Ian Logan, Anthony Maggiacomo, Scott Evans, Andre Talbot and Joel Wright have all taken their football careers to the next level.

Justin Phillips (Ottawa, Ont) returns for his second season with the Calgary Stampeders as a defensive lineman after being drafted fifth overall in the 2007 CFL Canadian Draft. In his rookie season he played 12 games and made a total of six tackles. Phillips wore the purple and gold from 2003 to 2006 and was a key component of the 2005 Vanier Cup win. He accumulated a career regular season total of 47.5 tackles and 11.5 sacks during his run with the Hawks.

The Edmonton Eskimos acquired Dante Luciani (Oakville, Ont) as the 34th overall pick in the 2008 CFL Draft.  After attending training camp this year, the Golden Hawks' top scoring receiver was named to the team's practice roster.  The 2007 season at Wilfrid Laurier was one of Luciani's best as he scored seven receiving touchdowns on 25 receptions for 259 yards.

The 2007 Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan Rough Riders have two former Hawks in the fold with Corey Grant (Stoney Creek, Ont) and Yannick Carter (Pickering, Ont). 

Grant is entering his tenth season in the CFL and his seventh with the Riders. In 2007, he started 17 regular season games at slotback as well as both playoff games and the Grey Cup game. As a Golden Hawk this standout finished the season with 38 catches for 458 yards. Corey played football at Wilfrid Laurier for four seasons from 1995 to 1998 and in this time was named OUA Rookie of the Year in 1995 and an OUA Second Team All-Star in 1998.

Yannick Carter is entering his sophomore season as a linebacker with the Rough Riders after being drafted 20th overall in 2007. In his first season, Yannick led the team in special teams tackles with 22 while dressing as a backup linebacker in 17 regular season games and all playoff games. While attending Wilfrid Laurier from 2003 to 2006, Carter was named to the 2006 CIS first All-Canadian team while picking up a total of 30 tackles that season. In total, this defensive leader obtained 68.5 tackles and 15 sacks in his Golden Hawk career.

The Grey Cup finalist Winnipeg Blue Bombers also have two former Hawks on their roster: Ian Logan (Waterloo, Ont) and Anthony Maggiacomo (Cambridge, Ont).

Logan is starting his third season in the CFL with the Blue Bombers after being signed as a free agent in 2005. This past season he dressed for 15 regular season games, garnering 16 defensive tackles and two interceptions which ranked him  second among Winnipeg's defenders interceptions. As a Golden Hawk, Ian finished his university career with a Vanier Cup in 2005. Playing five years for the purple and gold, Logan was twice named to the CIS First All-Canadian team and was a four time OUA All-Star.

Signing as a free agent this past January, Anthony Maggiacomo will soon embark on his rookie campaign as linebacker in the CFL. Most recently named Wilfrid Laurier's Presidents Award recipient, this defensive standout set Laurier's record for career tackles with 134. Playing for the Hawks for five straight seasons, Anthony was named an OUA First Team All-Sstar and OUA Defensive MVP for his 2007 campaign.

Continuing the trend of having multiple Hawks on their squad, the Toronto Argonauts have veteran Andre Talbot(Oshawa, Ont) and rookie Scott Evans (Cambridge, Ont) in the blue and white.

Playing all eight of his seasons with the Argonauts, Andre Talbot is a CFL veteran. As the team's go to receiver in 2007, he had 53 receptions for 803 yards and six touchdowns.  Inducted into the Golden Hawk Hall of Fame in September of 2006, Talbot was a two time CIS all-Canadian and team MVP. In his four seasons at Wilfrid Laurier, Andre garnered several team records including most receptions in a season (54) and most receptions in a game (19). His career totals are 108 receptions for 1891 yards and 20 touchdowns.

The CIS Lineman of the Year, Scott Evans came back to the Golden Hawks for his fifth season after a try-out with the Argos in 2007. This year the 6'7 offensive lineman will wear #58 on his jersey for the stories Toronto franchise. As a Hawk, Evans was a two time All-Canadian and OUA First Team all-star while playing a total of 32 regular season games and 10 in the post season.

The Montréal Alouettes recruited outspoken wide receiver and defensive back Joel Wright at the conclusion of the 2005 season. Wright tried out with the Green Bay Packers but came back to the Als for the 2007 season.  Entering his third year in the CFL, Wright has been on the team's practice roster for the past two years. While at Wilfrid Laurier, Joel managed 1,080 yards on just 84 receptions and scored 18 touchdowns. In his final season as a Hawk, Wright switched positions and played primarily on the Laurier defense.

The CFL regular season starts on Thursday, June 26th with the Montreal Alouettes visiting the Hamilton Tiger Cats at 7 p.m. and the BC Lions taking on the Calgary Stampeders at 10 p.m. Both games will be televised by TSN.

The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks will open their season at Knight-Newbrough field at University Stadium in Waterloo against the Guelph Gryphons at 1 p.m. on September 1st.