October 14, 2005 - LONDON, Ontario, Canada –

Western Mustangs star Andy Fantuz has proven to be the most lethal threat at his position in Canadian Interuniversity Sport football this season. And if numbers are a true indicator, the fourth-year Chatham, ON should go down as the greatest wide receiver in university history. Fantuz needs just seven more catches to eclipse the all-time CIS receptions record of 186, established by Stefan Ptaszek of the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks from 1990 to 1994.

After hauling in seven balls for a season-high 151 yards and two touchdowns in Western’s loss to Laurier last Saturday, Fantuz is on the cusp of establishing his third and final major career receiving record. His current total of 3,940 yards is 753 more than the number two player on the list, Ryan Janzen of the McMaster Marauders (3,187 yards from 1996 to 2000). Fantuz broke that record in 2004, just his third year of Western football. His 39 touchdowns are also a CIS best for a receiver, leaving Ptaszek’s reception mark as the only record still to fall.

What’s arguably most impressive about Fantuz’s accomplishments is that he is constantly the centre of attention for opponents but that extra awareness doesn’t help defenses slow him down. Secondaries have no answer for his superior hands and athletic 6-4, 220-pound frame.

“He is the best at the ball I've ever seen,” says Western head coach Larry Haylor. “The absolute best possession receiver ever. He gets doubled constantly, impeded, fouled, and yet he puts up huge numbers each game.”

The 21-year-old has manufactured some prolific statistics over the course of his record-breaking career. In the final two regular season games of his rookie year in 2002 – in which he set the regular season mark of 1,300 receiving yards -- he had a combined 18 catches for 500 yards and six touchdowns, three in each outing. Fantuz finished with a career-high 57 receptions that season and then followed that with 39 catches for 905 yards and eight touchdowns in 2003 and 49 catches for 1,093 yards and nine touchdowns in 2004.

Despite recovering from emergency surgery on his thigh this summer, an injury that threatened his football future, he has been dominant in 2005, going just one game in his first six without scoring at least a single touchdown. Fantuz has registered 100-plus yards in four of those games and leads the CIS with 10 touchdown receptions. His best performance may have been in Western’s 55-31 comeback win over McMaster in week three of the regular season when four of his six catches went for touchdowns, three of which came in the final 4:03 of the second quarter to rally the Mustangs.

Fantuz’s playoff numbers are equally impressive. In five career post-season games, he has made 26 catches for 538 yards and four touchdowns. He is considered the early favourite to go first overall in the 2006 Canadian Football League draft.