Jorgen Hus is a long-snapper with longevity.
He leads the Saskatchewan Roughriders in continuous service, having debuted with the Canadian Football League team in 2015.
“If you want to know a cool stat, last year somebody told me that I’m the only player on the team to play in every single game in the new stadium,” Hus, 33, says from his home in Saskatoon.
Hus has not missed a regular-season or playoff game since 2016. On July 1 of the following year, the Roughriders played their first regular-season game at new Mosaic Stadium.
It should be noted that Hus, at 33, is not the Roughriders’ elder statesman. Four players — offensive lineman Philip Blake (37), quarterback Trevor Harris (36), linebacker Larry Dean (34) and defensive tackle Micah Johnson (34) — are older.
Even so, the former University of Regina Rams linebacker/long-snapper marvels at how quickly time has elapsed since he first suited up for the Green and White.
“It’s crazy,” he says. “You blink and it’s gone.”
Time flies, after all, when you are living a dream — as is the Saskatoon-born Hus by playing professional football in his home province.
“I’m definitely very, very fortunate,” he says. “Growing up and playing here, there are so many people who care.
“None of this would have been possible without them giving it the extra effort, all the way from the high school coaches to junior to university and then upwards.”
Hus tried out for three NFL teams — the St. Louis Rams (in 2013 and 2014), Seattle Seahawks (2014) and Kansas City Chiefs (2015) — before becoming a Roughrider.
Saskatchewan obtained his CFL rights from Edmonton on May 11, 2015. He made his CFL regular-season debut in late June of that year.
“Leaving the province to try out for the NFL teams and then coming back, you realize that there’s a big value to playing at home,” Hus reflects.
“In the CFL, we’re not all getting rich like you do in the NFL, so there are a lot of other things that are important.
“Being able to play at home, or close to home, and having your friends and family be able to come to every game is huge. As you get older, these things mean more and more to you.”
This year will be especially meaningful. Hus and his wife, Kenzi, are expecting their first child in September.
“My dream has always been to have a kid,” he says. “To be able to still play football and have a family, little things like that are big things to me now. I’m really looking forward to that and to having those experiences.
“I think it definitely makes you look at things differently. Not that I was lacking motivation in any way, but you’re definitely more motivated when you look at things, because you’ve got another mouth to feed.
“We’re just so excited. I really can’t wait. Boy or girl, it really doesn’t matter. It’s pretty much all we talk about these days.”
The personable Hus also speaks with home-buyers in his capacity as a broker with The Mortgage Group.
“It’s so great, because you can work your own hours, so it works really well with football,” says Hus, who can be reached via jorgenhusmortgages.ca. “I enjoy it.
“It’s in the service industry, if you will, talking with people. It’s building relationships and it’s fun. It’s gives me something to do in the off-seasons after I finish training in the mornings.”
There will be training aplenty when main camp begins May 14 at the University of Saskatchewan, not too far-removed from Hus’s new house in Saskatoon.
However, he will forego the comforts of home during camp and join his teammates in the U of S dorms.
“Staying at home in your own bed sounds good, but that just takes another half-hour out of your day, if not more, because you’ve got to drive over and you definitely can’t be late for anything,” Hus notes.
“Getting an extra half-hour’s sleep by staying in the dorms and just being with the team is big and something I enjoy.
“As you go along, it’s those little things that mean more to you. Being part of the team and being with the guys is something that I enjoy more and more, so I’ll stay at the dorms again this year.”
And the smile will stay on his face.
“It’s my favourite time of year, when football season’s here and training camp is in Saskatoon,” Hus concludes. “It really doesn’t get any better than that.”
