By: Justin Boone
Hometown: Rosetown, SSK
Country: Canada
Population: 2,277
Newspaper: The Rosetown Eagle
Motto: The Heart of the Wheat Belt
“I may have been the only kid who didn’t play hockey,” jokes Ticats fullback Jeff Piercy.
Growing up on a farm 10 miles outside of Rosetown, SSK, deep in the heart of Rider country, Piercy was into track and field during his elementary school days, never strapping on the skates to play minor hockey like the rest of his friends.
“I always got mad that I didn’t get to play, and then finally my mom said I could, and when she told me I could I didn’t want too anymore.”
When Piercy, who carries his fun-loving personality with him everywhere he goes, reached high school, he found out about tryouts for the football team and decided not to miss the opportunity.
“Football was the thing that everyone did, it was the cool thing to do, so I tried to be cool,” jests Piercy.
Football, and Piercy himself, became even more popular when his humble Saskatchewan high school made it to the Provincial Championships in his first season. Attending a smaller school worked in his favour as he was able to get plenty of playing time right away, which helped in Grade 10 when his parents moved an hour and half northeast to Saskatoon and Piercy enrolled at Evan Hardy Collegiate – known for their strong football program.
During his three years at EHC (Grade 10-12), he had a steady rise towards the pinnacle of Saskatchewan high school football, beginning with losing in the City Championship, then overcoming that to reach the Provincials, only to suffer another loss, and then finally coming home with a Provincial Championship in his final year.
The move from the small town to the big town suited him just fine, and Piercy stayed within the city limits to play ball for the University of Saskatchewan. He spent four years with the Huskies, continuing to excel in track and field as well as in pads. He won a bronze medal at the 2004 CIS Canada West 35-metre weight throwing championship in the same year he was named a Canada West All-Star.
This week, he prepares to face the team from Rider Nation where he grew up. Other than his yearly trip to Mosaic Stadium, his visits back to the prairies have been reduced since his parents moved to another CFL territory with plenty of tradition, in Edmonton.
“I usually go to Saskatoon for a token wedding in May before the season starts and then Rose Town just exclusively
Christmas because my grandma is still there,” explained Piercy. “Edmonton iswhere my parents are, but I don’t have any family roots there, so I only go a couple weeks a year.”
Piercy now finds himself in Hamilton, throwing blocks and paving the way for his friend and fellow backfielder Jesse Lumsden. The Rosetown native hopes to get a big win Saturday as the team from his former province travels to Ivor Wynne Stadium, and his new home, TigerTown.
