CFL HOPEFULS EAGER FOR ROAD AHEAD
At the very least, rookie camps await for 27 players drafted after Mexican combine
Trademark crazy traffic permitting, it takes two hours or more to drive to Mexico City from bustling Puebla City, 135 kilometres to the southeast.
Teammates Carlos Olvera, Guillermo Calderon and Juan Marquez have made the trek often for football and fun, but this one was the trip of a lifetime for the three kids from the Universidad de las Americas Puebla.
On Saturday, all three UDLAP Aztecas were drafted by teams in Mexico’s only pro loop, the Liga de Futbol Americano Profesional. Then all three attended the CFL combine Sunday and were drafted Monday by CFL teams. Not a bad way for three amigos to spend three days in the big city.
“It means everything, but I’m conscious that there is a long road,” said Olvera, who went 15th overall to Saskatchewan and quickly searched up Regina on his iPhone and is now a happy follower of the Riders on Instagram and Twitter.
“This is the first step, you know? I’m very anxious to be part of this great organization. I’m going to make proud the coaches and the staff from the Roughriders for selecting me. I’m speechless right now. I’m very excited.”
Marquez, chosen 21st by Montreal, couldn’t wait to reunite with his wife Vanessa and their 11-month-old Renata. In addition to being a dad, husband and football player, the 25-year-old is a masters student in administration.
“I’m happy. I can’t wait to see my daughter and my wife. To kiss her,” he said with a smile. “It’s amazing for all of us to be here and to have this opportunity.”
Calderon, taken by Calgary, was the 27th and final pick of the draft. They all owe a debt of gratitude to their head coach Eric Fisher. The man knows how to represent his players. He was all over the field during Sunday’s combine, offering insight on all of his guys to the assembled CFL personnel. And you can bet Fisher’s opinions had an effect, as there were six present and former Aztecas drafted Monday.
“That’s part of my job as a head coach,” said Fisher, a native of Missouri who has coached in Mexico for 15 years. “Even though they have graduated and maybe been out for three years, we recruit family, we talk about family, we believe we have constructed a family at UDLAP, so they are always members of the family and I am always going to be here to support them and try to help them on with their professional dreams.”
He celebrated each time another Azteca walked onto the stage at the Crowne Plaza Hotel de Mexico to grab a hat and pose for pictures with CFL teams.
“I’m happy. I’m proud of them. The (CFL) coaches have been asking me about our players. They are bilingual, bicultural and they have the chance to represent themselves well in camp. They’re going to get a good quality person as well as a good football player coming up to Canada.”
Fisher builds good players and helps them become good men. Diego Torres is one of them. He won’t be eligible for the LFA draft until next year, so the big linebacker wasn’t at the CFL combine. But he’s exactly the kind of player and person Fisher will be convincing CFL teams to draft next season. And Torres is grateful for Fisher’s influence on him and the program at UDLAP.
“He came to the team with something called the quest for greatness,” said Torres. “It’s a lot of values that we are supposed to embrace. I will give you an example. One is be a man of honour. Don’t lie. Be the kind of person that people want to be around. Another is make time your friend, not your enemy. Take advantage of time. Take advantage of the opportunity you have. Enjoy every moment. So he came with all these ideas and values that definitely changed the whole program and college football in general.”
This is that moment for these Aztecas. Fisher did what he could to get them ready. Now it’s up to them. Most of the 27 Mexican players selected Monday will at the very least attend a CFL rookie camp in May.