By John Korobanik,
Edmonton Journal
EDMONTON – Danny Bass Jr. waltzed into the Edmonton Eskimos locker-room Tuesday morning and a flood of childhood memories came rushing back.
Sean Gawley walked into the same room with a sense of trepidation, like being in the enemy’s camp.
Both natural reactions on a day when head coach Jerry Friesen had his University of Alberta Golden Bears football team practise on the Eskimos’ field, tour the locker-room and listen to a speech from head coach Danny Maciocia.
Bass is the son of former Eskimos great middle linebacker Dan Bass, who played eight seasons with the Green and Gold and won a Grey Cup in 1987.
Gawley is from Regina, home of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the Eskimos’ bitter rivals.
“I was in here quite a few times as a kid,” Bass said as he surveyed the room. “Mostly running around seeing the old man back in his days. Honestly, this is just like a flashback to my childhood.”
Gawley, a third-year defensive back for the Bears, found it “overwhelming.”
“The Eskimos, to me, are kind of the enemy,” Gawley said. “But you have to respect your opponents. That’s coming from the Saskatchewan perspective because I’m a Roughrider fan. There’s emotions of regret and discomfort I guess.
“But experiencing the operation they have here and the respect Maciocia has for the University of Alberta football team and for Canadian players is a great thing.”
Many of the Bears had looks of awe in their eyes as they filed in, looking at the wall where plaques of the Eskimos’ numerous Grey Cup championships are mounted, and then seeing the names of their current coaches on the stalls they once occupied as Eskimo players.
“This is where I sat,” said Jed Roberts, the Bears defensive line coach, as he pointed out his nameplate to some Bears players. “A lot of plans were hatched in this corner. Every time I come in here I get a bit of a chill.
“Seeing the looks in (the Golden Bears’) eyes when they came here just reaffirms the pride I have in being a part of the Eskimos history and tradition.”
Dan McKinnon, the Eskimos head of Canadian scouting, told the Bears to consider their visit a privilege.
“Not many people get to come in here,” he said. “It’s important that you respect this room.”
Maciocia addressed the Bears, stressing the importance of Canadian players to the success of teams in the Canadian Football League, telling them how vital it is to be versatile and not to expect to be able to retire on a CFL salary.
“I get in trouble for saying this, but Americans are almost a dime a dozen … but good Canadians are hard to come by,” Maciocia told the players. “I’m a firm believer that if your Canadian content is good, you have a chance to win and to win the Grey Cup.”
The three Bear assistant coaches who are former Eskimos — Roberts, Rick Walters and Tim Prinsen — are all Canadians. Prinsen and Walters are from Edmonton, although Walters was born in Jamaica.
While saying the Eskimos over the last six years have had more success picking players out of the Canadian colleges than from south of the border, Maciocia also reminded the Bears of the importance of their education, with the average CFL salary being about $35,000.
“So you have to have a plan in place,” he said.
“The (CFL players’) lifespan is about three years. Even if you get to play seven, eight, nine seasons, there won’t be enough money to retire.”
