A gifted athlete with tremendous instincts and natural ability, Harry Van Hofwegen is remembered by teammates and opponents as one of the most dominant defensive players in Canadian university football in the 1990s. Despite only playing two seasons at Carleton, Van Hofwegen was a multitalented force on the Ravens defensive line, as well as a gifted punter and kicker. Van Hofwegen took the conference by storm as a rookie, taking home OQIFC All-Star and CIAU First-Team All-Canadian honours in 1993.
Despite missing most of the 1994 season, Van Hofwegen returned for a memorable 1995 campaign that saw him capture the J.P. Metras Trophy as the country’s Outstanding Down Lineman in addition to being selected as a CIAU First-Team All-Canadian. Van Hofwegen was chosen as Carleton University’s Male Athlete of the Year in 1995-96, and he was selected to represent Canada in the 1996 NCAA East-West Shrine Game in California. That same spring, Van Hofwegen was taken 11th overall by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 1996 CFL Draft. Van Hofwegen spent the 1996 preseason with the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, which was a great professional development opportunity prior to beginning his tenure in the CFL. Over the course of his three-year pro career, Van Hofwegen competed for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1996, 1997), BC Lions (1997) and Edmonton Eskimos (1998).
