Simply put, it’s an outstanding time of year if you can’t get enough pigskin. The CFL playoff races are heating up and both the NFL and college seasons are getting underway. The excitement was more than evident this past weekend, and it all started in the NCAA where Central Michigan stunned 22-ranked Oklahoma State on an improbable Hail Mary and lateral on the final play. You’ll have to excuse Central Michigan Alum Eric Fraser if he was a little distracted behind the wheel as the upset was taking place.
“I was following the game on Twitter until about nine minutes left in the 4th quarter, then I had to drive my girlfriend to the ferry terminal so she was giving me score updates,” Fraser said. “When she checked and told me we had won I was super stoked, but it wasn’t until we were at the terminal and I saw the final play highlight that I realized how crazy it was.”
And so what if it was ruled Fraser’s former school was awarded an extra down and the scoring play that never should have happened? A win is a win and perhaps the football Gods were on Central Michigan’s side.
“It was very similar to the Bahamas Bowl a few years ago when we tied the game in a Hail Mary Situation,” Fraser recalled.
Proud to be a Chippewa!
— Eric Fraser (@efraser007) September 10, 2016
Not only was the former Chippewa more giddy than anyone in the passenger drop off area, he also began to reflect on his four-year career at the Mount Pleasant Campus, one where he recorded 103 solo tackles and even returned kicks in his Freshman and Sophomore years. The versatility led to Fraser being selected tenth overall by the Calgary Stampeders in 2010.
The fact he still uses “we” when describing Central Michigan football shows just how much he cherishes his time there. A lot of that has to do with the team success they enjoyed in the Mid-American Conference.
“The most memorable moments were beating Western (Michigan) four years in a row and then winning both the conference championship and a bowl game in my senior year,” the safety recalls. “We had won the conference in my freshman and sophomore years, but to do it in senior year with the handful of guys who all started as freshman in the Fall of 2005 and made it all the way through is a special bond I’ll never forget.”
Fast forward a decade and Fraser has made a pretty good name for himself in the CFL. After 70 games with the Stampeders and a brief stint in Ottawa, the Burnaby native, who grew up idolizing the likes of Lui Passaglia and Sean Millington, is living out his dream of suiting up for the BC Lions. Despite losing his starting free safety spot to Mike Edem in training camp, the Burnaby Central High School product has been a reliable part of the Lions’ revamped kick coverage and also chipped in with a big interception, where he was tackled one yard shy of the end zone, after Edem suffered an injury in Calgary on July 29th.
As for his bye week plans? After a couple rounds of golf on Vancouver Island he is planning on taking up his other big off-field hobby: flying.
“Hopefully on Sunday. The plan is Tofino if the weather permits,” Fraser said.
Fraser has been flying planes since early 2014 and is well on his way to becoming certified commercial pilot. The nice flying weather will be a far cry from the dog days of winter at Central Michigan.
“The coldest game I remember was against Western in my freshman year,” Fraser said. “It wasn’t that cold temperature wise, but it went from rain, to snow to freezing rain and then back to snow. It was the combination of being wet and cold that was pretty bone chilling.”
Starting a personal four-game win streak against the Chippewas’ state rivals no doubt made it feel a little warmer.
Matt Baker: mbaker@bclions.com