GREY CUP COMES TO WELLAND
Notre Dame grad finds success on the gridiron with the Argonauts
Toronto Argonaut and Fonthill native Chris Van Zeyl brings the Grey Cup to his alma mater, Notre Dame College School in Welland, where students were able to meet him and have their photo taken with him and the Cup on Tuesday. The Argonauts beat the Calgary Stampeders 27- 24 in their recent championship matchup. Van Zeyl was given the Cup for two days and had plans to bring it to various locations throughout Welland.
A Grey Cup champion returned to his old stomping grounds at Notre Dame College School in Welland to share his triumph, encourage the next generation and say thanks to those who helped launch his career.
Chris Van Zeyl, right tackle for the reigning CFL champion Toronto Argonauts, was met at the front door of the school with handshakes and requests for cellphone selfies as he ducked his 6- foot- 6 frame into the office.
After greetings from wellwishers and handshakes from old friends, the Fonthill native headed off to the gym to make a short speech to the assembled students, which included the junior and senior football teams.
“Today isn’t about me,” Van Zeyl said. “It’s about giving back to everyone who gave so much to me.
“It’s a dream come true to deliver this back to where it all started for me. The coaches I had here inspired me.
“They pushed us to get into the weight room and become better football players. They taught us life skills like dedication. I wouldn’t have made it without them.”
Notre Dame head coach Tim Bisci was one of those coaches who helped set Van Zeyl on the road to the Grey Cup, where his Argonauts defeated the Calgary Stampeders 27- 24 back at TD Place Stadium in Ottawa on Nov. 26.
“It’s a big deal for the school and the program and the kids,” Bisci said. “They get to see him and see what a local boy can accomplish. He shows them what’s possible. The kids can look at him and say it could be me. It’s not farfetched.”
Van Zeyl, 34, was a CFL all- star this past season and in 2013. He was a CFL East all- star in 2013, 2014, 2016 and 2017.
The Grey Cup ring he wears on his right hand is from the 2012 season with the Argonauts.
He will get his 2017 ring from the Argonauts at some point before the next season is too far underway.
The Fonthill native went to grade school at St. Alexander’s and grew up on Spruceside Crescent.
Bisci said Van Zeyl’s rise to the top of the CFL mountain was a product of hard work and belief in himself.
“The kids ask me about him — what he was like when he was here at Notre Dame?
“He wasn’t the MVP of the team. He was a leader, but he wasn’t the best player on the team. You could tell how much he loved football. He loved to hit,” Bisci said.
“He was a captain, and he led by example, but he was no overnight sensation.
“He left here weighing about 240 pounds. After years of working out, I think he is about 315 pounds. He busted his butt at McMaster.”
Van Zeyl was an all- star defender with the Marauders and recorded 11 sacks. The hard work paid off.
Van Zeyl was picked by the Montreal Alouettes in the third round of the 2007 draft, but that turned out to be the high point of his time in Montreal.
He was released and picked up again by the Alouettes to fill a spot on their practice squad. With encouragement from his coaches, he decided to switch from the defensive to offensive line.
It wasn’t a move for the faint of heart. He was a defensive allCanadian in his final season at McMaster.
Now everything was different — from his assignments to his techniques and his footwork — and the cutthroat business of professional football has little patience for on- the- job training.
Still, he pressed on.
In 2008, he was released by Montreal midway through the season. Toronto added him to their practice roster.
His chance came in 2009 when two Argonauts were injured in the same game on the same play. Van Zeyl was ready. The hard work had paid off. He didn’t look back.
“His success shows kids that there will be setbacks in life,” Bisci said. “There will be times you doubt yourself, but if you keep working, you can succeed. There are no guarantees, in football or life, but if you work hard and persevere — sometimes you can make your luck. That’s how it happened for Chris. That’s how it can happen for anybody.”