The Cochrane Cobras were decked out in their finest fuchsia last weekend – but their message goes a lot further than just pretty in pink.
Each year, the football team dresses up and raises money for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. The initiative follows in the footsteps of CFL and NFL teams, as well as squads in other sports, which wear the bright colour to bring awareness and collect funds for the cause.
This Saturday, the senior squad raised hundreds of dollars for the CBCF during their final regular season game at Legacy Field.
“I think it’s of the utmost importance in society now: the way cancer is taking over our lives,” said McNab. “It just makes everybody aware that we’re all in the same boat.”
Before each season’s charity game, McNab takes a few minutes on the field to remind his players of the importance of the pink. McNab lost his own mother to cancer, and the Cobras have seen their own players battle the disease in the past: in 2007, former quarterback Brett Binder lost his life to acute myeloid leukemia at just 19 years old. And Cochrane sports star Brock Wiebe battled Stage 3 Non-Hodgkin lymphoma in 2014 while still in high school.
“They’re kids,” said the coach. “They need to know (we’ve) all been touched.”
