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SLAM! Sports '00 Vanier Cup SLAM! CIAU HISTORY CIAU INTERACTIVE CONTESTS ALSO ON SLAM!  |
Saturday, November 27, 1999Mush, you Huskies!Former Edmonton players vying for Vanier Cup title with Saint Mary'sAs members of the Edmonton Huskies, they never reached the point where they could call themselves national champions. Now the former city football players are one win away from being crowned champions of the CIAU. The nine ex-Huskies and their two Edmonton-area comrades are currently suited up with the Saint Mary's Huskies representing the Atlantic Association, in today's Vanier Cup matchup in Toronto against Laval University. Running back Dean Jones had an amazing three-year stint with the Edmonton Huskies. The 23-year-old sophomore business student was the Prairie Football Conference and Canadian Junior Football League's top rookie in 1995 and the CJFL's most valuable player in '96. Recruited by then Huskies GM Bill LaForge, Jones's outstanding numbers and All-Canadian honours landed him a job in Halifax. "It's a little different not being the go-to guy every time, but it's all right. I'm a team player," said Jones, the No. 2 rusher in the Atlantic this season. "My time with the Huskies helped me immensely. It helped me adjust to more pro-style offences and see and read different types of defences. And just the structure of the practices is very similiar to what coach (Gary) Durchik had to what we have here under coach Blake Nill (a native of Hanna)." It's a long way from Irma to Nova Scotia, but the small-town kid with the quick feet couldn't have asked for a better scenario. Gone are the days of playing in an empty Clarke Stadium and being far, far down the list on the Edmonton sports scene. "Halifax is just great - I'm real happy with my decision," the five-foot-nine, 180-pounder said. RIGHT CHOICE Moving out east was also the right choice for McNally Tigers product John Salmas, a six-foot, 290-pound offensive lineman. "When we all graduated from the Huskies, we wanted to go to the same university and to a team where we thought we'd have a chance to win," said the 24-year-old, originally from Jasper. "I have friends who play at the U of A and at Calgary and the fan support isn't as great as it is out east. If you're winning, the people just surround you. In the community, the business people, and in the restaurants, everybody knows your name, what position you play. It's a big thing out here. They don't have the Drillers, the Trappers, the Oilers, the Eskimos - we're the big show." There's no chance Salmas and his mates from northern Alberta could possibly get that kind of recognition playing for the Golden Bears. But looking back in time, it appears as though the Bears missed the boat by not latching on to a group of dominant players right under their noses. The list includes WR Travis Tyler, DL Scott Mattuli and Mark Axhorn, OL John Ditchfield and John Simpson, LB David Francis and DBs Trefton Bollers, Chris Cameron and Steve Marques - many of whom expect family members in attendance for today's tilt at the SkyDome. RECRUIT AND PURSUE "A lot of us were recruited by different schools across Canada and they seemed to pursue us a lot more than the schools at home, like the U of A especially," recalled Salmas. "We talked to them maybe once or twice and they had the understanding that we'd go there for sure. "It's not that the U of A thought we weren't any good. They just didn't pursue us as hard as other teams did. We ended up leaving and I think it was a shock for them that so many of us left, not one or two. A lot of people didn't understand why we were leaving. To prove why, we just say look where we are now. For me, it's a dream to actually be here." *** U of A offensive lineman Carlo Panaro, a 1996 draft pick of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, received the TSN Russ Jackson Award yesterday which recognizes athletic performance, academic achievement and community service. The three-time academic All-Canadian was given a plaque and a $3,000 bursary for educational expenses. Panaro declined to play for the Roughriders, opting to return to Alberta to obtain his degree in sports medicine. 
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