Biography of Anand Pillai

Equipped with a ton of potential, a healthy dose of talent and little experience, Pillai won the rights to the Redmen's placekicking and punting duties within the first week of training camp and hasn't looked back since.

Now in his fourth season as a Redman, the veteran Pillai has established himself as one of the surest things in Canadian university football. This season in particular, however, Pillai has stood out from the crowd. He has made 14 of 17 field goals or an impressive 82.7 per cent of his attempts. He is perfect on seven of seven attempts from 30 yards and in. He is also a perfect 25 for 25 in point after attempts, is second in Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) scoring and leads the Quebec Intercollegiate Football Conference in punting with a strong 38.6 yard punting average. There are even rumblings in the football ranks that Pillai is a legitimate candidate for possible All-Canadian honours at the end of the season, the most distinguished individual accolade a player can receive.

Still, in a game ruled by behemoth linemen and pretty boy passers, Pillai is really, after all, the kicker.

"I still get a hard time from some of the guys but not too often anymore," Pillai says. "I don't really care too much about what people think of me in general. I realize that I'm a specialist, a special person, and I may be the kicker, but you still have to respect me."

Pillai is as quick to credit those around him for his success as he is to defend his place within the game.

"Whenever I've not done my job on the field, my teammates and coaches have always been supportive," he said. Off the field, partying with the boys has been my favourite part of university, we hang out all year."

Still, the well-spoken Pillai, who is affectionately known as 'Pineapple' to his teammates (the approximate English translation of his first name in French), considers himself first and foremost as a football player and as a kicker secondarily.