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Canadians at the Shrine

Canadians at the Shrine

By Randy Chevrier, Calgary Sun

Playing in Shrine Game is more than just fun and games as youngsters focus on careers with pro clubs

The Calgary Sun

Randy Chevrier is a linebacker and long snapper with the Calgary Stampeders. His column appears Fridays in the Sun.

During my first-ever meeting with my former McGill head coach Charlie Baillie, I remember looking at all the memorabilia on his wall and noticing two pictures that struck me immediately.

In each of the pictures, coach Baillie could be seen standing on a field with one of his players.

The players were known to me, but the stadium they were in was completely foreign. It stood out because of the sheer size of the stands in the background.

I asked him where they were taken, and he told me those photos were taken at the East-West Shrine Game in Palo Alto, Calif. I asked for more info and he told me that since 1985, the East-West Shrine Game -- the oldest U.S. college all-star game -- had begun inviting Canadians to play due to the Shriner's presence in Canada.

Basically, one Canadian would play on the East team and one on the West. It has always been that way until this year, when they will invite two Canadians for each team. He also proceeded to tell me how hard it is to be selected to go to the game and that McGill was very fortunate to have sent players two years in a row.

The next thing I told him -- in our very first meeting -- was I would be at that game after my final year of university. With a sly smile, he told me, "If you work hard enough ... who knows?"

My university career is a whole other story in itself, but, in a nutshell, after numerous ups and downs, I was selected to play in the 76th Annual East-West Shrine Game in 2001 after my fifth year at McGill.

I can never forget flying out to San Francisco to play the game or meeting my Canadian counterpart from the University of Alberta, Carlo Panaro.

The whole experience lasted a week. We practised in the morning and most were shortened because of rain. There were meetings at lunch and then various organized activities throughout the afternoons.

We visited Alcatraz, spent time at the local Shriners Hospital and attended a host of banquets. It really was an amazing time.

Carlo and I hung out a lot because we were the only Canadians there. It was our first encounter with big-time American football culture. We made a lot of good friends. We traded helmet stickers and filled our helmets with stickers from NCAA colleges. It was really neat having my McGill logo next to a Notre Dame logo and all the others that I collected.

We had a good laugh, as we dazzled the Americans with stories of the three-down game up north. I remember guys' jaws dropping when we explained that one team could punt the ball into the end zone for a point and the other team could punt it back to avoid the point. We told them this could go on for minutes at a time. We definitely had a lot of fun and enjoyed the camaraderie.

For everyone but Carlo and I, the game seemed almost secondary. A lot of the players were busy trying to get meetings with the numerous NFL scouts that hung out in our hotel. I went to a few of those meetings, one of which included a two-hour personality test for the New York Giants, and one had me write the Wonder Lick test for the Miami Dolphins. Most of the meetings, though, were of the get-to-know-you variety.

We also had an NFL weigh-in that saw us all herded like cattle into an auditorium -- in our underwear, I might add. Then we were paraded across the stage one by one as they weighed us and took any sort of measurable you can imagine. Meanwhile, the room was filled with about 100 scouts and people taking notes on every move we made. It was pretty intimidating.

There were so many distractions that week, it really was a circus. I remember being on the team bus heading to practice when one of the players behind me could be heard on his cell telling his agent to purchase a Jaguar for him. It really was a culture shock for me.

For me, I just wanted to play a great game, snap perfectly and prove I can hang with the big boys. And maybe, just maybe, get an NFL team to notice me. Well, I did exactly that. I had four tackles, including three for a loss, and my snaps were all on the money. I really credit that game with helping me start my pro career in the NFL.

From my year, some of the guys that really used that game to springboard their careers were guys like T.J. Houshmandzadeh (Begals), Steve Smith (Panthers), and Correll Buckhalter (Eagles). All these guys were on the fringe of being early-round draft picks, and their performances in the game upped their status. Other notables I had an opportunity to play with or against were Leonard Davis (Cowboys), Casey Hampton (Steelers), and Charles Roberts (Blue Bombers).

Some of the CFL's current crop of fine Canadians got their feet wet in the East West Game. Jason Clermont, Andy Fantuz and Jesse Lumsden all got to rough it with the big boys, as did I.

Israel Idonoje and Dan Federkeil made the jump straight to the NFL because of their participation in the Shrine Game.

Had we never played a down of football after that one game, I am sure it would have been the crowning achievement of our careers.

But the East-West Shrine game opened more doors for us than we could have imagined. This year, the opportunity lies with Dylan Barker, Brenden Labatte, Eric Miranda, and Samuel Giguere to leave their mark on the game and bust open the doors for their football careers. (The East West Shrine Game will be played Saturday, Jan. 19)