By Allen Cameron,
Calgary Herald
A day earlier, Richard Yalowsky was speculating he’d scared off most of the teams in the Canadian Football League with his knee injury and bright job prospects in the electrical field.
So the 22-year-old University of Calgary Dinos offensive lineman was expecting a quiet day during Wednesday’s CFL college draft.
Suffice to say, he certainly wasn’t expecting to be taken in the first round, seventh overall, by the Montreal Alouettes.
“It’s a definite shock, that’s for sure, especially with my injury status and another year of school to go,” said Yalowsky, who’s on a 16-month internship with Marvell Semiconductors. “But I’m extremely happy. More surprised than anything that I went as high as I did.”
Yalowsky, a four-year starter with Calgary, is coming off a knee injury he suffered late last season after missing the entire 2005 campaign because of knee problems. The six-foot-five, 295-pounder is a four-time Academic All-Canadian, and becomes the second straight Dino to be drafted in the first round after Toronto nabbed Dan Federkeil fifth overall in 2005.
“I haven’t been in too much contact with (the Alouettes),” said Yalowsky, one of two U of C students — basketball player Henry Bekkering was the other — to be selected on Wednesday. “I know Coach (Blake) Nill spoke to them a large amount over the telephone. I think most of it was through him.”
With that expression of confidence from the Alouettes, Yalowsky said rehabbing the knee to get ready for his final season as a Dino doesn’t seem so onerous a task.
“This definitely gives you a little bit of incentive,” admitted the Coquitlam, B.C., product. “Lately, I’ve been kind of feeling the downs of recovering from an injury, so this is definitely a nice boost of confidence and a good boost to continue working hard.”
Meanwhile, linebacker Josh Bean, a Bishop Carroll grad, was selected in the second round, 16th overall, by the B.C. Lions.
And, yes, slotback Chris Getzlaf, selected 33rd overall by Hamilton out of the University of Regina, is the big brother of former Calgary Hitmen star Ryan Getzlaf.
