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May 5, 2020

“I just love the game” | Cadwallader thrilled to play for Coach O’Shea

It would be wrong to call it a rebirth. It’s more of a new, fresh perspective for Tanner Cadwallader after hearing his name called by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Canadian Football League Draft night.

The Bombers made Cadwallader their seventh-round selection, 64th overall, last Thursday – one night before the third anniversary of his mother’s passing from cancer on May 1, 2017.

Understandably, for two years that date brought back a flood of emotions as he remembered his mother. That won’t ever change. But the date also has new meaning now, too.

“Draft night was the night before the anniversary of her passing,” said Cadwallader in a conversation with bluebombers.com. “Being drafted, getting that phone call from Coach O’Shea has truly changed the meaning of that day for me now. On May 1st I woke up with a new feeling. It’s incredible. Just incredible.”

Every player drafted in the CFL last week has a back story, from overcoming injuries, to winning awards, to the sacrifices made by parents and, yes, losing some along the way.

Still, it might be said Cadwallader’s journey is as unique as any, from playing at two universities – Western and Wilfrid Laurier – to suiting up for the London Beefeaters of the Canadian Junior Football League last year, wrapped around a stint with the Bologna Warriors of the Italian Football League.

“I just love the game,” he said, “and that’s why draft night was so surreal to me. I’ve watched the draft every year since I was nine years old. I started playing when I was eight and my coaches were all guys who played in the CIS. I’ve always been really into college football. I always wanted to be a part of it.”

Born in Georgetown, Ontario, Cadwallader began playing football when he was eight, often lining  up against kids two years older than him.

“My first practice… I can still remember my helmet being too tight,” he said with a laugh. “That didn’t matter. I loved the game and always wanted to play it. Always.”

The game gave him opportunities and opened doors as he grew older. He earned a scholarship to Western University, and two weeks before camp opened came the news that his mom had cancer.

As often as he could, Cadwallader would make the two-hour drive from school in London back to Georgetown. He transferred to Wilfrid Laurier for his second season, opting to move to another school that had recruited him which was a bit closer to home. His mother had a brief spell of remission while he was attending Laurier, but when the cancer returned it took her quickly.

Cadwallader soldiered on, and what the Golden Hawks discovered during his years at Laurier was both his passion for the game and his willingness to do anything to help the team’s cause. Recruited by Western out of high school as an option quarterback, Cadwallader switched to receiver and was then asked to move to defence and play defensive back after transferring schools to Laurier.

After the 2018 season, Cadwallader heard about opportunities to play in Europe and was signed by the Bologna Warriors. There he became a roommate to James Flanders – the brother of former Bombers running back Timothy Flanders.

“It was my first experience living in a different country,” he said. “Being there, living there and playing there was incredible.”

Returning from Italy and still itching to play the game, Cadwallader joined the Beefeaters last season and was named a CJFL All-Star as London won the Ontario Football Conference title before losing to the eventual champion Saskatoon Hilltops in the national semi-final.

The Bombers drafted Cadwallader because his love for the game popped off the film they watched, particularly on special teams. Called a ‘thumper’ by Bombers GM Kyle Walters in his recap of the 2020 draft class last Friday, Cadwallader also stood out at the CFL’s Ontario Regional Combine before the COVID-19 outbreak.

An admitted gym rat, he’s found creative ways to continue working out during the pandemic while holed up in Peterborough.

“I like to be in the gym as much as I can, but this COVID situation has put risk into that,” he said. “So, here I’ve built a rack out of old trees and pieces of old furniture. I have a barbell and plates so I can get work in.

“But being here now I’m also throwing logs, jumping on tires… yesterday I was pulling a truck. You’ve got to be creative. Whatever it takes to get the job done.”

If that sounds like a prototypical ‘Mike O’Shea guy’, understand that Cadwallader has done his homework. His passion for the game comes naturally, and he’s done his homework on his new coach and his new team.

“Coach O’Shea called me shortly after I was picked. That alone was just an amazing experience,” said Cadwallader. “As soon as I saw his name come up on my phone I was on top of the world because he’s somebody I idolized since I was a kid.

“He played at Guelph, which is a short drive from my place. You go through Guelph’s facility and there are these 12-foot pictures of him. I’ve got books about Canadian football that he’s quoted in… he’s such an icon and a legend. So, to have that guy calling me – even just for interviews before the draft – it’s incredible. I keep using that word – incredible – but it’s how I feel.

“What I like about watching the Bombers is all of those guys seem to play with their hearts on their sleeves and they’re diehards. I’m excited to be a part of that because that’s the way I like to play.

“I love the culture they’ve built in Winnipeg. I can’t wait to be a part of it.”