Big Day for Colts' Big Boys: Wilson, Archdekin Ink CFL Contracts
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Press Release — Calgary Colts Junior Football For Immediate Release February 2, 2011 Big day for Colts’ big boys: Wilson, Archdekin ink CFL contracts CALGARY — Bart Archdekin finally has a reason to party. Archdekin and fellow Calgary Colts offensive lineman Spencer Wilson are both taking the next step in their gridiron careers, after signing free-agent contracts with Canadian Football League (CFL) clubs. The six-foot-seven, 320-pound Wilson, a three-time Prairie Football Conference all-star, has inked a two-year deal plus an option with his hometown Calgary Stampeders, while the six-foot- two, 320-pound Archdekin, also of Calgary, has signed for one year, plus an option, with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. “They’ve put a lot of time in. This is something they’ve been chasing for a long time,” says Colts offensive line coach Adam Blasetti. “It’s a big loss for us, personnel-wise, but it’s also good for our program, “This has been a goal and dream of theirs for a long time. This is the sort of thing you hope for.” For Archdekin, 22, the news is indeed a long time coming. Last May, after four years at Minot State University in Minot, N.D., the Lord Beaverbrook High School graduate and his agent were “99 per cent sure” that his name would be called at the CFL’s annual Canadian College Draft. A three-time all-conference player at Minot State, Archdekin was passed over, then brought to training camp by the B.C. Lions in June and released after a month. He joined the Colts last fall for his final season of eligibility, continuing to work on his craft in the trenches of the Canadian Junior Football League. “It was a big year. A humbling year. A learning year, almost,” says Archdekin. “When I didn’t get drafted, it was a big blow, you could say. I went to B.C., and all the veterans told me they thought I’d make the team, but I was released. Calgary Colts Junior Football Club P.O. Box 75039, RPO Westhills, Calgary, Alta., T3H 3M1 Press Release — Calgary Colts Junior Football “I came back home, and thought I’d get picked up by someone else (in the CFL), but that didn’t happen, so I was able to get back on the field with the Colts and learn more about the game,” adds Archdekin, who played centre at Minot State and guard with the Colts. “I’m very happy to have this deal done with the ’Riders. It’s been a long time coming, I guess. “I had a great time with the Colts, and I was looking forward to seeing what was going to happen from there.” As for Wilson, he’s a known quantity to the Stampeders — and vice versa. Last spring and summer, the 22-year-old Henry Wise Wood HS grad spent a couple of months at Stamps training camp — and saw the field in both of the club’s pre- season games — as a non-roster invite. “I’ve never played in front of a crowd anywhere near that big. Playing in front of 30,000 people in your hometown, that’s very nice,” said Wilson of his exhibition appearance against the Roughriders at McMahon Stadium last June 20. “I’m very excited; this is what I’ve wanted for a long time.” Thanks to veterans like Wilson and Archdekin, the Colts’ offensive line was one of the undisputed strengths of the junior football club last fall. “Right now, we’re going to train Bart hard, drop some pounds (from 320 down to about 305) so he shows up in the best shape he can, and then he’s just got to compete,” says Blasetti. “As for Spencer, he knows the (Stamps’) playbook and system, so he’s going to be ahead of any of the guys they draft,” adds Blasetti. “For his size, Spencer’s such an amazing athlete. And, really, the Stamps giving him a two-year deal plus an option? That’s sort of their way of saying that they think he can stick around, that they want to commit some time to him.” The Stamps and ’Riders will open 2011 training camp in early June. -30- ABOUT THE CALGARY COLTS: A member of the Canadian Junior Football League, the Calgary Colts are a community-based organization that provides and promotes the opportunity for young men aged 17 through 22 to play in a highly competitive football environment and develop skills on and off the field through commitment to excellence. The Colts were back-to-back CJFL champions in 1989 and 1990. For more information: Keith Kendal Todd Kimberley Head Coach, Calgary Colts Media Consultant, Calgary Colts Phone: 403.815.9490 Phone: 403.815.2752 Calgary Colts Junior Football Club P.O. Box 75039, RPO Westhills, Calgary, Alta., T3H 3M1 .