There’s no way to measure or quantify it, but Tariq Lachance will tell you his love for football is absolutely off the charts. And, based on his tale of how he got to camp with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, no one dares doubt him.
“I’ve loved football from even before I started playing it,” began the defensive end prospect in a recent chat with bluebombers.com. “I saw guys playing on TV when I was younger, and it wasn’t even about me making money or the NFL or CFL. I just wanted to play.
“All of that has helped keep my fire burning and kept me going when a lot of people might have quit. I just want to keep playing the sport for as long as I can and push myself.”
Here’s the thing: by most accounts Lachance likely shouldn’t be in camp with the Bombers. He was so far off the radar some were surprised he earned an invitation to the Western Regional Combine, but somehow then parlayed that into a shot at the CFL National Combine and then into being selected by the Bombers in the sixth round of the 2019 draft.
He is a Winnipeg kid who played his high school ball with the Vincent Massey Trojans, then the Winnipeg Rifles, Calgary Colts and University of Manitoba before parting ways with the Bisons – ‘things just didn’t work out’ – and then sitting out a year.
The 25-year-old lineman worked a couple of labour jobs and then served as a bouncer at a bar to earn a little extra cash, all the while training at Recruit Ready. In short, he could have – probably should have – been added to the long list of football prospects who slip through the cracks and disappear from the game.
But, again, back to that passion for the game…
“You know, I just want to prove wrong the people who gave up on me or pushed me to the side,” Lachance said. “I have something to prove. I want to prove I’m worth the (draft) pick.”
His shot with the Bombers actually began by his asking Bisons coach Brian Dobie for a favour.
“I didn’t want to give up, so I gave Coach a shout and told him (the regional combine) is something I really wanted,” Lachance said. “When we parted ways I was still in school and was in the process of trying to transfer… the way it worked out it ended up being too costly. I dropped out of school, kept training and when I found out about the regional combine I said, ‘Is there any way you can help me get into the regional (combine)?’ He said ‘For sure. 100 percent. Let me check and get back to you.’ A few weeks later I got my letter from the CFL saying I had been invited to the regional combine.”
“I hadn’t been expecting much. You’re hoping for the best, but I wasn’t expecting much. When I got that chance I said, ‘OK, it’s on now. I’m really going to show them.’ I went out to the regional combine with a fire under my ass and then brought that to the national combine, too.”
The Bombers were impressed enough with Lachance’s film and his work at the combine to select him 52nd overall earlier this month. And since he’s been on the field, both at rookie camp and now main camp, his athleticism has really popped.
“He’s very athletic for his size,” said head coach Mike O’Shea. “Real nice short-area quickness… agile… has some power. He’s got some nastiness to him. He’s very likeable. I really believe he’s a multi-position guy, too. He’s a guy who can do various things for you. It’s just going to take time to get him into that role.”
That’s a nice slap on the back. But Lachance has seen too many potholes in his road here to take anything for granted. What he did today won’t matter tomorrow. And so, he keeps grinding.
“The positivity does help and reinforce your feelings about yourself. But every day is a chance to improve. I’m not settling on anything, trust me,” he said. “My mom and my family and friends are saying, ‘We can’t wait to see you on the field…’ It’s an exciting thought and all that, but I’m just working to get through camp each day. I’ve got to make that roster. That’s first and foremost to me.
“That fight is nothing new to me. I had to get help to get to the regionals, then grind to get to the nationals to get drafted. This is just another day for me. All I wanted was an opportunity. They gave it to me and now I’m trying to build off that and make them not regret it.”
