Winnipeg Blue Bombers' Justin Medlock pumps his fist after kicking the winning field goal during the second half of a CFL football game against the B.C. Lions in Vancouver, B.C., on Friday October 14, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
They nicknamed him ‘Money’ and it was a moniker that most certainly fit, given Justin Medlock hit a ton of clutch field goals during his long Canadian Football League career – and especially in his years with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. It also rolled off the tongue a lot better than ‘obsessive attention to detail guy.’
That said, Medlock was certainly both during his playing days and particularly during his final four years with the Blue Bombers from 2016-19, and it’s all part of what made him one of the CFL’s most accurate kickers. And, following today’s announcement, now also a member of the Winnipeg Football Club’s Hall of Fame in his very first year of eligibility.
“I certainly didn’t expect that and didn’t see that coming and so when I got the call it completely caught me off guard,” said Medlock in a recent chat with bluebombers.com. “It’s exciting and I’m obviously honoured.
“This is something I didn’t see coming after coming from Hamilton (as a free agent). But to be able to extend my career and help be a part of the team that put together a lot of winning seasons and help turn that franchise around is something I’ll always remember and was grateful to be a part of it.
“You look back on your career at the opportunities you had – the failures and successes – and with the way it ended for me in Winnipeg was amazing. I’m so thankful for my time there.”
Medlock was the lone selection for 2023 by the WFC’s Hall of Fame Committee and will be honoured at the Blue Bombers Gala in Support of Amateur Football on Wednesday, October 18th at the RBC Convention Centre and at the final home game of the season on Saturday, October 21st vs. the Edmonton Elks.
During his nine seasons in the CFL with Toronto, Edmonton, Hamilton and Winnipeg, Medlock amassed 1,535 points, ranking him 15th in CFL history. His 802 points as a Blue Bomber is fourth all-time behind only Troy Westwood (2,748), Trevor Kennerd (1,840) and Milt Stegall (890). He connected on 195 of 228 field goal attempts as a Blue Bomber, with his 85.5 percentage the highest in team history. And he was especially ‘Money’ in the playoffs, connecting on 90 percent of his field goal attempts (27 of 30) in seven games over four years with the Blue Bombers, including tying a Grey Cup record with six field goals in that championship performance – the last of his career.
“I look back to 2019 and after we won the Grey Cup I remember sitting in my room after getting back from the stadium and thinking about how it was such a cool experience,” Medlock said. “I felt like at that moment I realized I had accomplished everything I could accomplish in the sport of football. There wasn’t a thought that I needed to do something else to put a bow on my career, but I wanted to finish up my contract in 2020. And then COVID happened. I knew right away there was not going to be a season and we weren’t going to be able to get across the border.
“As soon as that happened and you have a family, you have to start thinking about what’s next. It was time, especially after I had already been thinking about it.”
Medlock was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player in 2016, his first year with the Blue Bombers, after setting a CFL record with 60 field goals on 68 attempts (88.2 percent). He followed that up with 56 field goals in 2017, tied for the fourth-most in CFL history. He was named the Blue Bombers’ Most Outstanding Special Teams player in 2016, 2017 and 2018 and over the course of his days with Winnipeg, tied the club record for most field goals in a game (seven) and for the longest field goal in franchise history (58 yards). An underrated punter, Medlock is also in the club’s Top 10 with an average of 43.8 yards and just six punt singles in 418 attempts.
Already a player who worked diligently at his craft, Medlock found another gear or two in that department upon his arrival in Winnipeg while working with head coach Mike O’Shea, special teams coordinator Paul Boudreau and the club’s long-snapper at the time, Chad Rempel.
“I get a little obsessive about whatever I do,” Medlock admitted with a chuckle. “That part of my game – trying to get better over the years – was something I cared about. I remember sitting down with Coach O’Shea after the 2016 playoffs. He said to me, ‘You really should take a look at what our whole team is doing so you can understand how to position us in the right way to give us the best opportunity to win and be successful on punt and kickoffs.’ It was about our formations on punt and kickoff cover and how we forced returners into certain directions. Where you kick the ball and how you hit it is important.
“I knew I wasn’t the greatest punter, but that really helped, and I was very successful in my last few years, and it started to get teams thinking about where we were going to put the ball.
“Once I realized that – getting better on my side while understanding the team aspect and what they’re doing – it helped me get my game better. I put a lot of energy and effort into that, especially in my last few years and I think we did a great job on special teams and were part of the puzzle that could help the team win.”
Medlock is now based in California and works for Newfront, a commercial insurance agency. An avid golfer himself, Medlock’s wife, Hannah Jun Medlock, is a former member of the LPGA Tour and the couple have two children; Kaya and Braxton, who at just six years-old, is already a heckuva player. He’ll be playing in the U.S. Kids World Championship at the end of July in North Carolina and the Junior Worlds in San Diego.
“It’s my job just to keep it fun for him,” Medlock said. “He’s having fun and he’s getting really, really good and we have competitions and games all the time. He’s a good kid. He’s also a big UCLA fan (where Medlock played his college ball) and Blue Bombers fan so we watch all the games together. He’s a big Zach Collaros and Willie Jefferson fan.”
Medlock arrived in Winnipeg in free agency in 2016 and was part of the group that helped turn the franchise around. He was a weapon both in terms of scoring with such a narrow margin of victory back then, and also as an adept directional punter. He had options before signing here and was drawn by a few factors beyond the financial.
“There were a couple of things,” he said. “When I first went to Winnipeg the team wasn’t that good. But I believed in what they were trying to build. It turned into a great decision. I was just part of the free agent crew that signed in Winnipeg, but that group and the group that was there really helped get Winnipeg up and running. It started with getting competitive, then into the playoffs and then winning Grey Cups to the point now where it’s the franchise where everyone wants to go.
“I still keep in touch with those guys. I’m still a pest with those guys and texting someone like Jesse Briggs all the time about special teams. I always used to say, ‘I’m sorry I’m hard on you guys.’ And now he realizes why I was so hard on them. It’s the little things that you have to always work on so that you’re on the same page so that come game day, we’re not getting beat.
“I’m super thankful for the time I was there. Being around Coach O’Shea and Coach Boudreau was so important because they allowed me to be the player I could be. I learned a lot being around them. They’re players’ coaches and that’s why they’re doing so well with Winnipeg. That’s why people want to be there to be around coaches like that because they believe in it. They let the players play freely and I can see it in a lot of the players they have now.”
