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Homecoming? Coming out of CEGEP, Dave Parent was a two time all-star quarterback with killer agility and speed. Heavily recruited, the Quebec City native finally made his choice, and decided to leave the confines of his home province and travel to Nova Scotia to play at Acadia. That trip lasted a year and a half, culminating with Parent transferring to Bishop’s University to start the 2001 season, a decision that Parent says was the best he could have made. At the time, then Acadia head coach Sonny Wolfe promised Parent the world. “He told me that I would be a slash style quarterback for them, probably second on the depth chart, playing a significant amount of time at receiver,” says Parent of his former coach. “He also told me that I would be able to play both basketball and football for the school.” So Parent trained for both sports over the summer, concentrating on improving his agility and skills for both the field and the court. But literally as Parent stepped off the plane in Halifax, the situation changed, and Parent’s time at Acadia would never be the same. “When coach Wolfe was driving me to Acadia right after I got off the plane, he told me that I would have to choose between basketball and football,” said Parent. “And he told me that I only had one hour.” Parent was also told that instead of being a quarterback/wide receiver as he was told, Wolfe wanted Parent to switch to defence and play halfback for the Axemen, and for one and a half seasons he did. But an injury in his second year ended the season early for Parent after four games as the team’s starting halfback, and a trip home in November opened his eyes to another world. “When I was at home I watched Bishop’s play Laval on RDS, and it was a very close game,” says Parent. “Bishop’s definitely left a good impression on me. One of my good friends also played for Bishop’s, J-F Roy, so I decided I was ready to come home to Quebec and become a Gaiter.” Parent transferred after the fall semester, but had to wait a full year until he would be able to play. “It was hard to wait that long to get a chance to play, but I am so happy I came here. This year I will graduate with a degree in Education, and I am sure I made the right choice.” Last season Parent was especially pleased when his brother Tommy chose Bishop’s as well, suiting up for the Gaiters as a slotback/kick returner for the team. “He is my best friend, so it was awesome when we got the chance to play together these last two seasons,” says Parent, who after graduating hopes to become a sport coordinator and football coach in his hometown of Quebec City. “But this weekend is very important, both for me personally and for the team. We need a win against a legitimate opponent before we play McGill. In a one game playoff, anything is possible, so we need to get there.”
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