Lawrence Gill Fenerty, aka "Gill the Thrill", (born August 24, 1963) is a former

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

in the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

, and the

Italian Football League Italian Football League (IFL) is the top level American football league in Italy established in 1980. History In the 1970's teams formed and played in Italy. In 1980 the first official American football league in Italy was established and crow ...

. Fenerty graduated from

Jesuit High School (New Orleans) Jesuit High School is a private, non-profit, Catholic college-preparatory high school (grades 8–12) for boys run by the USA Central and Southern Province of the Society of Jesus in Mid-City New Orleans Louisiana. The school was founded in 1847 ...

and attended the

College of the Holy Cross The College of the Holy Cross is a private, Jesuit liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts, about 40 miles (64 km) west of Boston. Founded in 1843, Holy Cross is the oldest Catholic college in New England and one of the oldest ...

, where in 1983 he had an amazing game, rushing for 337 yards (on 18 carries) and 6 touchdowns versus

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

in a 77 to 28 victory. He is the program's all-time leading rusher with 3,680 yards

Fenerty started his professional career in 1986 playing in the

for the Bolzano Jets, where he rushed for 610 yards in the second half of the regular season in (5 games). He helped the Jets win two playoff games before losing in the league semi finals to the Bologna Warriors. In his first year with Toronto, 1987, he rushed for 879 yards and caught 53 passes, winning the

CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie Award The Most Outstanding Rookie Award is annually awarded to the player judged to be the best player in his first year in the Canadian Football League. The two nominees for the award are the Frank M. Gibson Trophy winner from the East Division, and the ...

. He also scored a thrilling 61-yard touchdown reception in the Argos last second loss in the classic

75th Grey Cup The 75th Grey Cup was the 1987 Canadian Football League championship game that was played at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, between the Edmonton Eskimos and the Toronto Argonauts. The Eskimos defeated the Argonauts 38–36, on Jerry Kauric's last ...

game. In 1988, he would rush for 968 and catch 51 passes. On August 31 of that year, Fenerty rushed for a team record 215 yards in a single game against the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-old ...

, eclipsing

Ulysses Curtis Ulysses "Crazy Legs" Curtis (May 10, 1926 – October 6, 2013) was an American professional football player who was a running back in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Toronto Argonauts from 1950 to 1954. He won two Grey Cups with T ...

' 36-year-old team record by seven yards. In 1989, Fenerty set a then team record with 1247 yards rushing. He was a CFL all star selection in every season he played, totalling 48 games. Fenerty moved to his hometown to play for the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

of the

for the 1990 through

1993 season File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

s. He would play 31 games, rushing for 335 yards in 1990 and 477 in 1991, also catching 44 passes in the two years, as well as returning punts and kickoffs. He spent 1992 and 1993 on the Saints injured reserve with knee operations. He ended his career with a brief stint with the CFL expansion

Shreveport Pirates The Shreveport Pirates were a Canadian Football League team, playing at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, United States, in 1994 and 1995. Despite a relatively strong fan base, they were one of the least successful of the CFL's A ...

in 1994.

References

1963 births Living people Players of American football from New Orleans Players of Canadian football from New Orleans American football running backs College of the Holy Cross alumni American expatriate sportspeople in Italy American players of Canadian football Canadian football running backs Toronto Argonauts players New Orleans Saints players Shreveport Pirates players Holy Cross Crusaders football players Canadian Football League Rookie of the Year Award winners American expatriate players of American football {{runningback-1960s-stub