The Easter long weekend is typically the ‘calm before the storm’ on the CFL calendar. With just over a month to go before the start of training camps leaguewide, the holiday presents a chance for players and staff to enjoy their families, perhaps a little chocolate and a few beverages before getting back to the daily grind of preparing for another long run to the Grey Cup. This year, a storm is already brewing. And we hope it results in clear skies.
News early this week that Simon Fraser University had terminated its football program has sent shockwaves across the Canadian football world. Many prominent alumni members aren’t taking the news by simply lying down. An online petition has been started in hopes of getting the ball moved toward the goal line of having the Red Leafs program live on. Lions owner Amar Doman has even joined the fight, expressing his desire to be part of a possible movement to save football at SFU.
“We’re not going to go away. We’re going to see whatever we can do to try to get the season salvaged. We want to continue the tradition.”
A message from #BCLions owner Amar Doman on @SFUFootball @sfu_athletics@sfufbalumni pic.twitter.com/EvUBI9wC40
— BC LIONS (@BCLions) April 6, 2023
2023 was slated to be the Red Leafs’ final season in the Lone Star Conference. In wake of Tuesday’s shocking announcement, efforts are now being made to convince Canada West and U Sports to welcome them back. The end result is anyone’s guess, but it is a true testament to the dedication of several committed alumni backers.
The football history at Simon Fraser is remarkable and important. A record 217 players from SFU have been drafted to CFL teams. Port Moody product and Winnipeg Blue Bomber legend Doug Brown was the first from the program to sign a contract in the NFL before re-planting his football roots in the Manitoba capital.
The BC Lions’ current roster lists Michael Couture and Jordan Herdman-Reed as SFU alums. Each of those players had his draft stock rise considerably as a result of suiting up at the Burnaby Mountain campus. But when you really look into the history of Simon Fraser as it pertains to the BC Lions success over the last few decades, this week’s decision would really make any backer of the Canadian game upset.
The program officially started in 1965, one year after the Lions first sipped from the Grey Cup. According to our records, there are no less than 15 SFU grads who suited up for the other five Grey Cup championships in 1985, 1994, 2000, 2006 and 2011. At the top of that list is Lui Passaglia and his pro football record 3,991 career points.
The clutch kick to beat Baltimore on the final play of the 1994 game and going out in a blaze of glory with three field goals, including the winning kick in the late stages, to take down Montreal in 2000. That final championship for Lui would not have been possible without Sean Millington’s 137 yards from scrimmage and Most Valuable Canadian honours. Three years before that, ‘the Diesel’ won the league’s Most Outstanding Player Award.
The 1994 squad had three starting Canadians on defensive line, including Simon Fraser alum Doug Peterson. Our own Giulio Caravatta was on the roster as a quarterback and kickoff specialist. His impact on the franchise remains great to this day as a radio analyst while he has given countless hours as a coach at Coquitlam’s Centennial Secondary.
Who can forget a stout defence in 1985 that included Nick Hebeler and Rick Klassen? The late Klassen recorded 4.5 sacks over his three Grey Cup appearances, good for second all-time. He and Hebeler were added to the club’s Wall of Fame and 50th Anniversary Dream Team in 2003.
Angus Reid, Dean Valli, Bret Anderson, Dan Payne, Jamie Buis, Nelson Martin, John Pankratz, Dennis Guevin…. Many more suited up as well. The history speaks for itself. Kudos to everyone involved for letting their voices be heard.