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Sean McGuire
Larry Dean

McGuire's Blue Bombers Claim 107th Grey Cup Title

Western's all-time leading passer is now a CFL Champion.

MACOMB, Ill. – Western Illinois' all-time leading passer added Canadian Football League (CFL) champion to his long list of credentials Sunday (Nov. 24), as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers claimed the 107 Grey Cup title.

The game pit former Leatherneck teammates against each other in Sean McGuire and Jaelon Acklin (Hamilton Tiger-Cats), and the final resulted in a 33-12 decision for McGuire's Blue Bombers.

Acklin finished with a game-high 88 receiving yards on five catches, and though on different sides of the field, the numbers aren't surprising to any Leatherneck fan. 

As one of the best tandems in Western history, McGuire and Acklin helped WIU to FCS Playoff appearances in 2015 and 2017. The 2017 season saw Acklin set the school's single-season records with 84 receptions and 1,369 receiving yards, while McGuire graduated a year later as the program's all-time leading passer with records in passing yards (9,819), completions (772), and touchdowns (72).

"In college we were successful because we fed off each other," McGuire said in an interview with The Toronto Sun. "I always knew, if there was one kid who is going to go down swinging, it'll be me and Jaelon. We had plenty of times at the end of games, two-minute drives, I'll never forget them, we look back on them all the time and laugh.

"This rookie season has been unbelievable. I learned so much and came a long way. I'm just proud to be here and really, really humbled. And it's just unbelievable we can experience this together."
 
McGuire earned NFL camp invites with the Minnesota Vikings and Miami Dolphins before signing with Winnipeg earlier this year. He was a three-time All-MVFC Honorable Mention (2016-18) and three-year team captain. 

Acklin signed with the Baltimore Ravens after the 2018 NFL Draft and joined the Ti-Cats in March of 2019. He crowned his Leatherneck career 10th all-time in school history in receiving touchdowns (12) and eighth in receiving yards (1,733). 
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