Earlier in the semester, Randy Beardy was just another student trying to finish up his final year of studies at the University of Windsor, with hopes of cracking the Ottawa Redblacks roster for next season.
After finishing his fifth and final season on the offensive line for the Windsor Lancers football team, Beardy was busy preparing for the next football season.
All that changed at the end of October, when Beardy received a call from the team. He would make his CFL debut ahead of schedule, in the team's final regular season game of the season.
"It was pretty crazy, I don't think you hear of too many CIS players playing in the CFL after their university season is over, especially with less than a week of preparation," says Beardy. "I got caught up in the moment a little bit, with the crowd and the speed of the game. It was a great experience and I'm excited to get back at it."
After the game, Beardy stayed with the team and was added to the practice roster for the post season.
In a rematch of last year's Grey Cup Final, Ottawa defeated Edmonton in the Eastern Final 35-23 to reach the CFL final for the second straight year.
"The best part was seeing how many fans from Ottawa made the trip to Toronto for the game, it was unbelievably. Especially when we won the game and there were thousands of people crowded around showing love," says Beardy.
Ottawa defeated Calgary 39-33 in overtime to win the 104th Grey Cup.
It was a quick comedown for Beardy following the team's celebration parade in Ottawa.
"We basically had the parade and had some exit meetings in a two day span, then I got on a flight back to Windsor. It got in around 2:30, I had a presentation at 4 and a midterm the next day," says Beardy. "It was a busy week, but the highlight was definitely when I got my ring sized."
Beardy will now finish up his final year of studies at Windsor, before heading to Redblacks camp at the end of April, looking to make the team full time for next season.
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Here's the full interview with Randy Beardy:
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