ROURKE BROTHERS LIGHTING IT UP
By: Stephen Lylyk, RP Show Intern
From Venus and Serena Williams in tennis, to the NBA’s Pau and Marc Gasol, sports history has produced many dominant siblings.
After quarterback Kurtis Rourke’s 317 passing yards and 5 TD’s performance Tuesday evening in an Ohio University Bobcats victory over Buffalo, another duo could be destined for that list.
Kurtis burst onto the scene back in September with a record breaking 537 passing yard performance, shattering the former school record of 409 passing yards (set by Donnie Harrison in 1983).
CFL scouts have taken notice of his form this season, as Toronto Argonauts Assistant General Manager Vince Magri had this to say in an October interview with Sportsnet Mike Koreen.
“It’s cool to see that offense kind of open up, and really tailor to Kurtis’s skill set,” said Magri. “Seeing him throw the ball all over the field has been very impressive as well.”
It has been a newsworthy year for the Rourke household as while Kurtis has caught the eye of CFL scouts, his older brother Nathan (former Ohio University Quarterback) was the breakout star of the 2022 CFL season.
In 9 games of action Nathan produced a 79.2 Completion Percentage, 3281 passing yards, while throwing for 25 TD’s in 9 games of action. He also won 5 player of the week awards for his play during the year.
As Kurtis was positioned to take over for Nathan as starting quarterback for Ohio University, this is how Nathan described his brother in a 2020 interview with SBNation reporter Steve Helwick.
“He’s so fun to watch,” said Rourke. “I had such a great time watching him when he was in high school. He’s a very good teammate, and for him to be the next guy up, that would be awesome!”
Magri had this to say when describing how Kurtis plays quarterback in comparison to his brother.
“They definitely have different playing styles. Nathan being naturally a better runner. But at this point in his career, Nathan wasn’t as developed as a passer.”
The topic of the Rourke siblings was discussed on Wednesday’s Rod Pedersen show where Chief Operating Officer Lee Genier offered this comment.
“What a lineage there. To have [Nathan] putting up those kind of yards (during the 2022 campaign) and then your younger brother is better than you,” explained Genier. “It’s a little bit like the flutie brothers (CFL Hall of Famers Doug and Darren Flutie) .
While Kurtis still has two years of eligibility left it’s never too early to look at the future and see if, like his brother, Kurtis will succeed as a professional QB.
Calgary Stampeders draft co-ordinator Dwayne Cameron is a believer in Kurtis, as he had this to say in an October interview with Sportsnet’ Mike Koreen.”
“Based on what [Nathan] has shown us, I wouldn’t doubt [Kurtis] in any chapter or form,” said Cameron. “I’m confident [he’s] going to have a successful pro career regardless of what league it happens to be in.”
