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Harald Hasselbach

Harald Hasselbach

International upbringing leads to NFL success

2003

A Canadian high school, African cricket ground and European rugby pitch aren't exactly typical breeding grounds for NFL linemen. Yet these diverse locales worked just fine for Denver Bronco Harald Hasselbach, one of the National Football League's former defensive ends.

Hasselbach, a native of Amsterdam, lived and played sports in Surinam, Indonesia and Kenya (his father was an agronomist) before settling with his family as a teenager in Canada. Hasselbach's first introduction to the game of American football came during his senior year at South Delta high school in Tsawassen, British Columbia. It didn't take long for the 6'6", 285-pound athlete to get noticed wandering the halls. He was convinced by a coach to give the game a try.

"It was all new to me, in fact I couldn't even list all of the positions on the field when I first started playing," said Hasselbach, when he was in Edmonton working with area youth at an NFL/CFL Practice with the Pros clinic. "I have never been afraid to try new sports though, so I gave it a shot."

Hasselbach's multi-sport background and coordination made him an instant success on the football field. Despite being new to the game, the two-way lineman was named to the Fraser Valley All-Star team, was an All-British Columbia choice, and had college scouts regularly attending games in Tsawassen. Hasselbach went on to play for the University of Washington Huskies, and in 1990 began his professional career with the Calgary Stampeders.

"I really developed my love for playing football while I was in Canada," said Hasselbach, who signed with the Broncos in 1994 as a free agent. "My experience in Canada was fantastic. In fact winning the Grey Cup with the Stampeders (1992) is maybe my fondest football memory."

In Edmonton Hasselbach had some advice for aspiring Canadian football players:

"I think kids should try to have fun no matter what sport they are playing. Everything sort of falls into place if you are having fun and having a positive experience."

Hasselbach retired at the end of the 2001 season after seven impressive seasons with the Broncos.