CALGARY β A day they had long awaited finally came β and after some nervous anticipation, all six University of Calgary Dinos football players on the board were selected in the Canadian Football Leagueβs 2011 Canadian Draft Sunday.
Led by slotback Anthony Parker, who went No. 3 overall to the hometown Calgary Stampeders, the Dinos had the biggest draft day of any CIS team and sent six of the eight Canada West players who were drafted on the day. It was arguably the best draft in Dinos history, comparable to the 1986 affair when eight players were drafted by CFL teams, including No. 1 overall selection Kent Warnock. But while the 1986 draft featured eight rounds, the 2011 edition has just six.
Dinos head coach Blake Nill, who recruited all six players as part of a memorable 2007 recruiting class at the University of Calgary, was pleased to see his playersβ work pay off.
βThe key thing for me is that these are all Alberta kids that were drafted today,β said Nill, who was part of TSNβs live draft coverage Sunday. βItβs an indication of the type of talent the athletes in this province have, the work that all of their coaches through the years have put in, and it really reflects well on our Dinos program too. I truly believe we have one of the best coaching staffs in CIS football, and Iβm always getting complements about the conditioning of our players. Thatβs a testament to our strength coaches, and kudos to guys like (Dinos offensive line coach) Rohn Meyer, who had three more offensive linemen drafted today.β
The Dinosβ two speedy receivers, Parker and Nathan Coehoorn, both went in the top five picks in the first round. Drafted third overall, Parker is the highest draftee for the Dinos since 1997 when Ben Fairbrother was selected second overall by Saskatchewan, while Coehoorn went two picks later to the Edmonton Eskimos.
βRed is my favourite colour,β Parker laughed, βso itβs great to be able to put that back on. Iβm very excited to be picked by Calgary. Itβs awesome that I can literally walk down the hallway and be at my new home. I have some history in this stadium, and itβs going to be fun to extend that. The Dinos have created a fantastic opportunity for me here, and itβs going to be great not only to play in the same stadium, but to be able to still catch some CIS games here.β
βCalgary will be a really good fit for Anthony,β said Nill. βIβm very confident in Coach Hufnagelβs structure, and this is the kind of organization where he will really be able to thrive.β
Okotoks, Alta. native Parker follows in the footsteps of his father and uncle, both of whom also suited up for the Stampeders.
While Parker was meeting the media down at the south end of McMahon Stadium, in the Dinosβ clubhouse the Coehoorn clan was celebrating. A physical wide receiver, Coehoorn was selected fifth overall by the Edmonton Eskimos and will now face off against Parker in the Battle of Alberta.
βIt was getting pretty stressful there, but Iβm happy to be an Eskimo,β said the Redcliff, Alta. native. βIt has been a lot of hard work, dedication, and sacrifice to get to this point, but Iβm pretty pumped now. It was awesome to have my whole family here, this is a day Iβve been dreaming about for a long time.
βItβll be interesting lining up against Anthony in our first pre-season game!β
βWe knew weβd be facing off at some point, and what better place for him to go than Edmonton?β Parker said. βIβll see him on Labour Day!β
Coehoorn holds the distinction of being the 100th Dino in program history to be drafted into the CFL.
The fourth round saw a trio of Calgaryβs vaunted offensive linemen selected in rapid succession. Left tackle Paul Swiston was taken by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 24th overall, followed three picks later by centre Alex Krausnick-Groh, who went to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Right guard Reed Alexander wrapped up the fourth round with his selection by the Montreal Alouettes.
βIβm really excited to see where I could fit in there (in Winnipeg),β said Swiston, who graduated from Calgaryβs Dr. E.P. Scarlett High School. βItβs good to finally go, sure brings the heart rate down a little! And my whole momβs family lives there, so itβs going to be a good fit.
βMan, Iβm so excited right now,β Cochrane Highβs Krausnick-Groh said upon learning of his selection by the Saskatchewan Roughriders. βI didnβt ever think this day would come. It was good to see our guys go, but Iβve just been nervous and Iβm just really excited now that itβs here.β
Running back Matt Walter out of Bishop OβByrne High School sat on pins and needles all day waiting for his name to be called. Despite being ranked No. 14 by the CFLβs central scouting staff leading up to the draft, Walterβs name still hadnβt been called as the fifth round got underway β likely because of his decision to return to the Dinos for the 2011 season to finish his degree, a decision he made public last week.
So when his name popped up as the Calgary Stampedersβ fifth round selection, 34th overall, Walter was visibly relieved and thrilled to head down the hall to rejoin his current and future teammate, Anthony Parker.
βI honestly had no idea what to expect coming in, and as time passed I started to think that my chances were running slim,β said Walter. βItβs an amazing feeling, and I think the Stampeders made an awesome decision.
βItβs a big trip, you know β I probably should have booked a flight to travel 400 metres,β laughed Walter as he made the trek to the Stampedersβ end of McMahon Stadium. βItβll be great to be back with Anthony, but also to be behind guys like Joffrey Reynolds and Jon Cornish is going to be an awesome experience.β
βMatt will play in the CFL if he wants to, Iβm sure of that,β said Nill. βBut he is choosing to come back, play one more year for us, and finish his degree β and I applaud that decision.β
Already the Dinosβ all-time touchdowns leader, Walter is likely to become Calgaryβs all-time leading rusher in 2011, entering his fifth season with 3,472 yards β just 312 back of Elio Geremiaβs (1983-87) record of 3,784.
Since 1970, 104 Dinos football players have been drafted by CFL teams. The Stampeders continue to lead the way with 48 of those picks, followed by Edmonton (15), Toronto (10), Winnipeg (9), Saskatchewan (7), B.C. (5), Montreal (5), Hamilton (3), and Ottawa (2).
Ben Matchett
Sports Information Director
Advocating for football prospects one story at a time.