Mitchell Blair
With tongue in cheek, Brendon LaBatte suggests Sunday’s 101st Grey Cup may be his last football game if the Saskatchewan Roughriders beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. It’s because LaBatte jokes he can’t see himself ever having a bigger week as a professional football player after becoming the 4th member of the football team to win the CFL’s top offensive lineman award.
“I’d have to retire, “LaBatte says with a laugh. “You couldn’t top winning this award and then winning the Grey Cup. With it being at home if we could pull it off, I’d have accomplished everything in just one week.”
The 27-year-old Weyburn product was the anchor of a Riders offensive line that had the league’s number two rusher and gave up the third least amount of sacks. While more than gracious to accept the honour, he says it will take a while for it to actually sink in.
“It feels great,” LaBatte said moments after his victory. “I haven’t thought a lot about it since the nomination came out because of the success we have been having. I think it will sink in a little more after we got done with business Sunday and I can think about it a little more.”
LaBatte started his CFL career with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers when they took the University of Regina Rams grad with the 6th overall pick, but after four years with the Bombers, he decided to come home signing as a free agent with the green-and-white in 2012. Being a local guy, he says to win the honour in front of friends and family makes it just a little more special.
“It sure does,” a beaming LaBatte said. “I’ve done just about everything in Regina. I’ve played high school ball in Regina, I played University ball here and now to play pro football here is great. Coming back and accepting an elite award in the CFL is a moment I will never forget, its pretty cool. I thank the Rider organization for bringing me in, and for giving me this and I thank my fellow offensive linemen for making me better each day,
While LaBatte is quick to thank his fellow hoggies for the honour, he is also quick to credit many for getting this achievement.
“Coach Doug Malone has been big for me this year, but I have to really go back and thank my first offensive line coach in Winnipeg and that’s Bob Wylie for my development. “LaBatte said. “He took me under his wing and let me know what it took to be a professional o-lineman. He showed a lot of confidence and trust in me and I go back to his teachings all the time as I try to improve my game.”
LaBatte, who took 37 of 50 first place votes to defeat Toronto’s Jeff Keeping in the final balloting, becomes the 4th Rider to win the top offensive lineman award joining Gene Makowsky, Roger Aldag and Andrew Greene. While honoured to join those gentlemen as Riders to win the award, he says don’t go putting him on the same level as that trio.
“I think of those guys and the statuses they have achieved and I am definitely honored to be mentioned in the same sentence as them,” LaBatte said. “However, to classify me as someone who is at their level is something you can’t do right now. It’s still a work in progress.”
LaBatte and the rest of his offensive line will be looked upon to not only provide big holes for Kory Sheets in the run game Sunday, but to protect Darian Durant in the passing game as the team looks for its 4th Grey Cup title and its first since 2007 when they meet the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 101st Grey Cup. Kickoff from Mosaic Stadium is 530 Saskatchewan time as the two teams meet for the 7th time to decide the Cup and for the first time against one another since perhaps the greatest Grey Cup ever when the Riders won 43-40 on Dave Ridgway’s last second field goal.
