Ten years is a long time, but in sports it can seem like an eternity.
Former Cochrane Cobra and current Calgary Stampeders fullback Rob Cote, has stood the test of time. He is the last player left from the team former Stamps head coach and current general manager John Hufnagel inherited in 2008.
“When you start playing, 10 is kind of a pie-in-the-sky number,” Cote said. “It wasn’t a goal, but an aspiration. To be here now after this many years is pretty cool.
“I still remember very vividly the first training camp. A bunch of them in between I probably couldn’t recall so accurately, but that (first) one I remember distinctly because I was in way over my head.”
Cote was just a 20-year-old with two years of junior football experience as a slotback with the Victoria (now Westshore) Rebels, who had to prove his worth, playing an unfamiliar position (fullback) and resisting the urge to ask his experienced teammates for autographs.
“I remember standing in the huddle with Henry Burris, Joffrey Reynolds, Jeremaine Copeland, Nik Lewis, Ken-Yon Rambo, Jay McNeil, and Jeff Pilon,” Cote recalled. “It was a ‘wow’ moment. I had to call my buddies and tell them what I was doing.
“This was the team I grew up watching, it was a ton of fun.”
Cote watched from the sidelines as the Stamps first pre-season game against the defending Grey Cup champions, the Edmonton Eskimos, ended in a 23-13 loss at McMahon Stadium in front of a crowd of 28,367 on June 11, and while he is one of the more senior players in the squad, he’s not about to take anything for granted during the upcoming season as he looks to add to his two Grey Cup championships.
“Playing 10 seasons is a very cool accomplishment, but it doesn’t mean anything,” he admitted. “I’m not entitled to anything. I have to work just as hard as the next guy and I’m competing for a spot just like everyone else.
“This is very much a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately business. It’s about proving yourself every day.”
The Stamps next travel to the B.C Lions for their second pre-season game on June 17, before their league opener (also at B.C.) on June 25. Home opener is July 1 against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
