By Randy Turner,
Winnipeg Free Press
TORONTO — They haven’t won a national championship in an awful long time.
They came to the precipice in 2001, of course, only to absorb a devastating loss at the hands of a decided underdog.
But now they’re back at the cusp, in a game where one team will take the field without their starting quarterback, who went down only last week.
Of course, we’re talking about the University of Manitoba Bisons, who like their professional elders, the Bombers, arrived in Toronto Tuesday to attempt a feat only seen once in this country’s gridiron history.
Not since the University of Alberta Golden Bears and the Edmonton Eskimos pulled the trick way back in 1980 have CIS and CFL teams from the same city captured their respective championships.
The Bears and Esks had their Cups runneth over in this very burgh that year. And now the Bisons and Bombers have the unique opportunity to match the City of Champions if they can dispatch the University of St. Mary’s Huskies and Saskatchewan Roughriders, respectively.
The presence of both the Bison and Bombers here this weekend provides a synergy that cannot be understated, particularly when the Bisons head coach begins his Vanier Cup press conference by proclaiming, “Go Blue!”
“It’s certainly a pride thing back in Manitoba,” noted Bisons boss Brian Dobie on Tuesday. “It’s just crazy in Winnipeg now.”
In fact, far from being overshadowed by the Bombers-Riders Grey Cup on Sunday, the Bisons are relishing the chance to set the wheels in motion for a Manitoba sweep in the Big Smoke at the Rogers Centre on Friday.
“Call it karma, call it what you want,” Dobie said. “But I know we’re going to get a lot of support back home. And I’m sure we’ll get a lot of support out here, not just from Bison fans, but from Bombers fans, from Winnipeg and Manitoba football fans.
“I hope we can do our part on Friday night. If that brings them (the Bombers) any karma for Sunday, that’s awesome.”
“For the fan base it’s great to be from Winnipeg as a whole,” added Bisons starting quarterback John Makie. “It’s not often you get the same (city’s) professional team and university team at the national championship. It’s a phenomenal opportunity for both teams.”
But this is not only a happy coincidence for Manitoba football fans. Ties between the two programs abound. For example, the Bombers last appeared in the Grey Cup in 2001, the same year of the Bisons most recent trip to the Vanier championship. Both teams were favoured, but lost.
Six years have passed, now this.
“I brag about this when I’m recruiting, but I don’t know if there’s a better CFL or CIS connection in this country,” Dobie said. “We have a fantastic relationship with the Bombers. It’s been unbelievable parallels between our two programs. When the Bombers have been real strong, we’ve been real strong. Or vice versa. When they’re struggling, we’re struggling. It’s amazing, actually.”
Then there’s the instances of cross-pollination. Former Bombers’ bull of an offensive lineman, Brett MacNeil, is now the Bisons O-line coach. Former Bison receiver Bobby Dyce is now the Bombers receivers coach.
Then you’ve got five-year Bisons defensive back Erik Gustafson, who… well, we’ll let him explain.
“My summer jobs are all provided by (former Bomber) Wade Miller (who now owns a successful job placement agency),” the 24-year-old reported, while on the bus to the Bisons practice at Varsity Stadium Tuesday night. “I’m his personal slave. I drive his limo bus. I mow his lawn. Anything he doesn’t want to do, I do.”
But there is one fly in the ointment, so to speak — none other than Makie, a Regina native who might not be waving a Bombers pennant on Sunday.
“I guess I have to hope for a tie,” Makie chuckled. “I’m guilty of that (being a card-carrying member of Rider Nation). Growing up in Regina, it’s bred in you. I’m a melonhead, I guess.”
Not Gustafson, though, a Charleswood kid who played two seasons with the Winnipeg Rifles before joining the Herd. A lifelong Bombers fan, Gustafson is well aware of the challenge faced by the Bombers, who last week lost star quarterback Kevin Glenn for the season with a broken arm.
“I have all the faith in (back-up) Ryan Dinwiddie. You have to,” he said, adding, “We can’t be taken lightly and the Bombers can’t be taken lightly, either.”
Coincidentally, the Bisons will be facing a St. Mary’s squad that lost starting quarterback Erik Glavic to a knee injury.
And, of course, it was the Huskies who derailed the Bisons’ Vanier Cup hopes back in 2001.
“It’s eerie the similarities,” Makie allowed.
Then the quarterback smiled.
“Hopefully,” he said, “the good guys will win this time.”
