SASKATOON — One of the newcomers at last year’s Saskatchewan Roughriders rookie camp was 59 years old.
Inexplicably, the team kept him around all season.
In fact, he’s still here!
Now, while making a compelling case for 60 as the new 90, I am back in Saskatoon for my second rookie camp (to be followed by main training camp) as a proud employee of the Green and White.
A year ago at this time, I was still trying to get my bearings, having debuted as the resident Senior Journalist and Roughriders Historian on Feb. 21, 2023 at 9:58 a.m.
The first few weeks were a blur. Before I knew it, camp had arrived.
There was a great deal of getting-to-know-you and “how does this work?” and “where is the buffet?” and “sorry I stole the mashed potatoes from your plate.”
Fast forward to May 8, 2024 — Day 1 of rookie camp — and I feel (and certainly look) more like a grizzled veteran.
But I still feel the same buzz that invariably accompanies the beginning of football season. That never changes, regardless of when you were introduced to Roughriders and the CFL.
It doesn’t matter if the first Roughriders quarterback you watched was Glenn Dobbs, Frank Tripucka, Ron Lancaster, Joe Paopao, Kent Austin, Kerry Joseph, Darian Durant or Trevor Harris.
You always live for, and love, a day like this. Spring is the air and, yes, in one’s step.
My first steps on Saskatoon soil last night were outside one of the dorms. It was a priority to pick up a pass that, thankfully, will allow me to enjoy the cuisine that is offered at the University of Saskatchewan cafeteria. This, as you must have ascertained by now, is crucial.
Just after getting parked, I bumped into an all-world nice guy, Shea Patterson.
Like me, Shea is preparing for his second rookie camp, as contradictory as that may seem.
Veteran quarterbacks, you see, also take part in the pre-main camp sessions. As a result, Shea will be joined on the Griffiths Stadium turf on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings by Harris, Mason Fine and Antonio Pipkin.
The two actual rookies in the quarterbacking equation are Jack Coan (formerly of the Wisconsin Badgers and Notre Dame Fighting Irish) and Eli Hetlinger (Alberta Golden Bears).
Hetlinger is here as part of the CFL QB Internship Program. Jokingly, I want to ask him if he will require a bodyguard while on campus in Saskatoon over the next few weeks.
This past Nov. 4, Hetlinger broke some hearts in this city quarterbacking the Golden Bears to a 40-17 victory over the visiting U of S Huskies in a Canada West semi-final.
Hetlinger threw four (4!) first-half touchdown passes, including three in the second quarter, to help Alberta assume a 34-10 lead after 30 minutes.
Mind you, he did throw an interception in that game. The pick was made by the Huskies’ Katley Joseph — who will also be at rookie camp. A two-time Canada West All-Star, Joseph signed with the Roughriders on April 29.
Quirky (and admittedly nerdy) angles like this are my oxygen.
Rookie camp is something to savour if you happen to enjoy football and writing.
Fresh, never-before-told stories are everywhere. It is almost like (dare I say it?) a buffet.
Where to start?
Jake Parker, a receiver, was a teammate of Patrick Mahomes in high school football and Little League baseball.
C.J. Avery, a linebacking hopeful, made the first interception in the history of the revived XFL. When the original XFL began play in 2001, Paul McCallum was the first player to hit the scoresheet (courtesy of a 25-yard field goal). McCallum is most commonly remembered as someone who played for the Roughriders and B.C. Lions en route to the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
Then there is Holton Hill. As a member of the Texas Longhorns, he registered three NCAA interceptions — and returned each one for a touchdown! (What are the odds?)
Jerrion Ealy, running back, was chosen by the Arizona Diamondbacks in Round 31 of the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft.
Expect to hear plenty of squealing, emanating from yours truly, when Ealy accepts a handoff from Patterson. That will almost certainly be the first all-MLB exchange in Roughriders history. (Shea was a 39th-round choice of the Texas Rangers in 2018.)
In some cases, the torch has been passed. Mark Fields was a star NFL linebacker from 1995 to 2004. Mark Fields II, a defensive back, is at rookie camp with the Roughriders.
The elder Fields played in two Pro Bowls — one fewer than another elite linebacker, Bryan Cox. Bryan Cox Jr., a participant in last year’s rookie camp, is now a second-year defensive lineman with the Roughriders.
I should stop now, because: (a) I don’t want to give away all my angles; and, (b) As I write this, it is Wednesday at 12:55 a.m., and the alarm is set to go off in (eek!) six hours.
Yeah, I stayed up too late. Rookie mistake.
