Brian Snelgrove
CFL.ca
Here’s hoping this apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree.
“It is the realization that you are so close to your dream. Now that I am that close it pushes me to want to get that much better.” -Anthony Woodson
Anthony Woodson is a 22-year-old, 6-foot 202-pound running back from the University of Calgary Dinos who hopes to one day play in the CFL.
His Father Tony was a linebacker who spent five years in the league with both the Calgary Stampeders (1985-86) and the Ottawa Rough Riders (‘87 ‘88 ’89). He also had a stint in the NFL with the Denver Broncos in 1985.
Anthony has recently returned from the CFL Evaluation Camp in Toronto, and is one step closer to that dream.
“I am determined to not only make the CFL but eventually be a difference maker on the team,” says the fourth year Business major. “If I get the opportunity I will work hard on and off the field to achieve these goals.”
“We’ve had frequent conversations about the CFL and what it takes to get there,” says Tony. “The little things you have to do, the type of training that’s required for example.
I look at him as a hybrid. A running back that can also transition into slot back. He has the skill to excel at both positions.”
Anthony has certainly demonstrated his talents as a premier running back in the CIS. In 2006 he ran for 554 yards and six touchdowns. In 2007 he led Canada West in rushing with 1,183 yards: the second best single season in team history (behind Craig Kittelson in 1992). He was a conference all-star and runner up to quarterback Teale Orban from Regina as Canada West Player of the Year. He was also named a second team All-Canadian.
In 2008 Anthony missed five regular season games with broken ribs he sustained in the second game of the season against Manitoba. He was held to 105 yards rushing and one major in three games. He returned for the playoffs and was a key contributor as the Dinos beat Simon Fraser University to win the Hardy Cup.
The injury jinx continued to haunt Anthony and he missed all of 2009 with shoulder surgery and a broken foot. “I fell on my shoulder in February during training and tore it,” he says. “I was off for about four months. Then when I returned I was out running, tripped and broke my foot.”
Anthony hopes the setbacks due to injury are behind him and views this year’s E-Camp as a new beginning. “I hadn’t played football in a year and a half,” he says, “so I was pretty eager to show what I can do. I talked with some of the Dinos that had gone last year so I had an idea what to expect but the overall athleticism of the players surprised me. There were no players there that I saw that didn’t deserve to be there. The toughest part was probably the interviewing process; it was like running the gauntlet from one scout to the next.”
“I really enjoyed it,” he adds. “Football is usually a team game so it was like going for a job interview on your own where you had to sell yourself.” Anthony sold himself well. He was tied for eighth in the 40-yard dash with a time of 4.53. He had a respectable 15 bench presses and an excellent 34.5” in the vertical jump.
“It is the realization that you are so close to your dream,” he says of his overall E-Camp experience. “Now that I am that close it pushes me to want to get that much better.”
