Ed Tait 

They hail from small towns like Douglas, New Brunswick and Dolbeau-Mistassini, Quebec. They call places like Edmonton, Kelowna, Montreal, Regina and Winnipeg home.

And they’re all proud to be representing the red and white while wearing the blue and gold of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Canada Day is upon us, and as we celebrate this great nation’s 149^th anniversary, the Bombers will be in Calgary to face the Stampeders at McMahon Stadium.

So, excuse somebody like Sam Hurl – a Canadian, a Calgarian by birth and now a Bomber – if he doesn’t stand a little taller when the national anthem is belted out on Friday.

“I loved going to the Calgary games growing up and a lot of the guys who helped me in high school were ex-Stampeders like Stu Laird, who coached me in high school,” said Hurl.

“I remember going to games and thinking, ‘Man, this would be so cool to play in front of this many people one day.’”

Sam Hurl

“So to be able to do that now is amazing. It’s incredible. I don’t think that feeling will ever go away. To be on the sidelines all suited up and in pads during the anthem and looking across at the guys you will be going up against… how can you describe that?”

The Canadian Football League is unique in that it guarantees work for homegrown talent. Each 44-man active roster must include 21 Canadians – ‘Nationals’ is the now the official designation in the rule book – of which seven must be starters.

The Bombers 46-man roster (including two reserves) includes 23 Canadians while two more, Jeff Keeping and Addison Richards, are on the six-game injured list and another pair, Tim Cronk and S.J. Haidara, are on the practice roster.

The Canadian content also includes three players who weren’t born in Canada – Jamaal Westerman (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Garrett Waggoner (Sarasota, Florida) and Julian Feoli-Gudino (San Jose, Costa Rica) – but meet the description, as spelled out in the collective bargaining agreement:

                  The following Players shall be classified as National Players (formerly non-import):

                  (a)   Canadian citizens at the time of signing of the Player’s first contract;

                  (b)   A Player classified as a non-import prior to May 31^st, 2014; OR

                  (c)    A Player who was physically resident in Canada for an aggregate period of five years prior to attaining the age of 18 years.

Keith Shologan was born in Edmonton, but grew up on a farm in Rochester, Alberta (the 2011 Census lists the population at 101), about 93 kilometres north of the Alberta capital. He moved to Spruce Grove to play high school football and ended up at the University of Central Florida before being selected by Saskatchewan in the first round (4^th overall) in the 2008 CFL Draft.

And he thanks the heavens every day he is able to play the game he loves for a living.

“I’m just very proud that we have a league we can call our own.”

Keith Shologan

“It’s awesome that there’s lots of opportunity for us to play and live our dreams out. This league is the stage for us to do that. I’m immensely proud that I’m able to represent my small town back home and my family. I’m humbled, too.”

Jesse Briggs doesn’t grab the headlines of Canadian stars like an Andrew Harris with the Bombers, Brad Sinopoli in Ottawa, Andy Fantuz in Hamilton, or Rickey Foley in Toronto. He’s a foot soldier, a reserve linebacker who makes his living on special teams.

And he absolutely couldn’t be more thrilled.

“It was always, for sure, a dream to play professional football,” said Briggs. “It means everything. You grow up idolizing these guys. I grew up watching this league.”

Briggs’ career has brought him all over the Canadian map, from Kelowna in high school to McGill University in Montreal during his college days, to the Canadian Prairies as a Bomber draft pick.

And his favourite team growing up? Don’t tell anyone, but…

“Believe it or not, I was a Toronto Argonauts fan and I don’t think Coach O’Shea (a long-time Argo) knows that,” said Briggs with a grin. “I grew up watching him, Pinball Clemons, Doug Flutie.… those were my guys.

“It’s still surreal to me to be here every day. Sometimes you look around and it’s like, ‘I can’t believe I’m still here.’ It’s very cool. I’m honoured and blessed.”

THE RED AND WHITE ON THE BLUE AND GOLD

Here’s a look at where the Canadians on the Bomber roster come from, with a little info on their hometown connections.

LEGEND:

B.C.

1. Matthias Goossen – Richmond, B.C.: Played his high-school ball with the Vancouver College Fighting Irish and helped Team B.C. win a bronze medal at the 2010 Football Canada Cup before moving on to Simon Fraser University.
2. Michael Couture – Burnaby, B.C.: Another Simon Fraser product, Couture played community football in North Vancouver and then switched from Burnaby Mountain Secondary to Centennial High School in Coquitlam to play high school ball.
3. Sukh Chungh – Port Coquitlam, B.C.: A graduate of Terry Fox High School in his hometown, Chung was the school’s top lineman for two straight years and won provincial titles in 2006, 2007, 2008.
4. Taylor Loffler – Kelowna, B.C.: Named the 2010 British Columbia High School Most Valuable Player as a senior while playing for the Ecole Kelowna Secondary Owls.
5. Jesse Briggs – Montreal, Québec: Born in Montreal Briggs moved west for high school and, like Taylor Loffler, is a product of the Kelowna Owls. Played his college ball at McGill and was a second-round pick, 17^thoverall, in 2014.

Alberta

6. Keith Shologan – Edmonton, Alberta: Shologan grew upon a farm in Rochester, about 100 km north of Edmonton and moved to Spruce Grove in Grade 10 to play for the Parkland Predators while being billeted with a local family.
7. Derek Jones –  Edmonton, Alberta: Derek’s father is Ed Jones, a five-time Grey Cup champion with the Eskimos who was originally from New Jersey. Attended J. Percy Page High School in Edmonton.
8. Teague Sherman – Edmonton, Alberta: Attended Harry Ainlay Composite High School in Edmonton before a stellar career with the University of Manitoba.
9. Chad Rempel – Sherwood Park, Alberta: Attended Salisbury Composite High School in Sherwood Park before moving on to the University of Saskatchewan and then a long and respected career as a long-snapping specialist.
10. Sam Hurl – Calgary, Alberta: Played at Centennial High School in Calgary and then for his hometown Dinos in University. His father Wesley was a football player at the University of Alberta.

Saskatchewan

11. Patrick Neufeld – Regina, Saskatchewan: A product of Luther High School in Regina, Neufeld was selected in the fifth round by his hometown Roughriders in 2010 and attended camp that year before returning to the University of Saskatchewan.
12. Addison Richards – Regina, Saskatchewan: Played his high-school ball at Sheldon-Williams Collegiate before an outstanding college career at the University of Regina.
13. Rory Kohlert – Regina, Saskatchewan: Originally signed by Hamilton as an undrafted free agent in 2011, Kohlert was a high-school star receiver and quarterback for the Winston Knoll Wolverines in Regina.

Manitoba

14. Andrew Harris – Winnipeg, Manitoba: Began his high school career at Grant Park, switched to Oak Park and then worked his way to the CFL through the Vancouver Island Raiders of the junior ranks.

Ontario

15. Jeff Keeping – Uxbridge, Ontario: Attended Uxbridge Secondary School and in his senior year was captain, MVP and the school’s most-outstanding athlete.
16. Brendan Morgan – Pickering, Ontario: A product of St. Michael’s College School, Morgan had 20 TDs as a senior. He began his college days at Virginia before transferring to Queen’s.
17. Tim Cronk – Kingston, Ontario: Attended Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School in Kingston, then with Bishop’s in college before landing with the B.C. Lions as an undrafted free agent.
18. Trent Corney – Brockville, Ontario: Did a little bit of everything at Thousand Islands Secondary School. Had 16 TDs on 35 carries in 2011 while playing linebacker, anchored the 4×100 and 4×400 relay teams and set a national junior record for the javelin.

Quebec

19. Paschal Lochard – Montreal, Québec: Attended College Notre Dame in Montreal before Cegep du Vieux Montreal. Then was part of three Vanier Cup championships at Laval in 2010, 2012 and 2013.
20. Kris Bastien – Saint-Lambert, Québec: A product of Saint-Lambert International High School who then went on to become a star at Concordia University.
21. Christophe Normand – Bromont, Québec: Played at College Edouard-Monpetit before Laval and also was an accomplished rugby player.
22. Shayne Gauthier – Dolbeau-Mistassini, Québec: Gauthier, selected in the third round by the Bombers this year, is the first player from Dolbeau-Mistassini to be drafted by a CFL team. He attended Cegep Beauce-Appalaches before joining the powerhouse Laval program.
23. Seydou-Junior Haidara – Québec City, Québec: Played for the Champlain-Lennoxville Cougars (Cegep) before joining Laval. Originally drafted by B.C., Haidara has had stints with Hamilton and Sasktatchewan.

New Brunswick

24. Jake Thomas – Douglas, New Brunswick: Attended Leo Hayes High School and was a member of the Canadian National Junior Team in 2009 while playing for Acadia.

Others (still qualify as Canadians)

Garrett Waggoner – Sarasota, Florida: Waggoner was chosen by the Bombers in last year’s supplemental draft. Played his college ball at Dartmouth, but qualified as a Canadian because his father was a draft pick of the Ticats, having been born there as his dad played for Hamilton from 1951-57.

Jamaal Westerman – Brooklyn, NY: Born in the U.S., Westerman played high school ball in Fort Lauderdale before moving to Brampton, Ont. where he attended Notre Dame Secondary School.

Julian Feoli-Gudino – San Jose, Costa Rica: Became a Canadian when his family opted to move to Montreal so his father could earn his Masters degree in pediatric medicine at St. Justine Hospital at the University of Montreal.