What’s in a name? Who better to ask than Chopper Hippe?
The University of Regina Rams linebacker — who is demonstrating his skills at this weekend’s CFL Combine — has heard the question more times than anyone can count.
Nonetheless, he is pleased to explain a unique first name. It turns out that a former Rams quarterback, Colton Hippe, had a pivotal role to play.
“My older brother watched the movie The Land Before Time as a kid,” Chopper Hippe recalled after Saturday’s session at the AffinityPlex. “I also have two stepsiblings who were 12 or 13 when I was born, and my brother was six years old at the time. When he said ‘Chomper,’ like the little T. rex in the show, they loved it.
“My parents were like, ‘We’re not naming him Chomper!’ Then it kind of rolled into Chopper. Then it was like, ‘Hey, that’s not happening, either.’
“My parents tried to stump the kids to put it on the back burner, so they said, ‘Find a middle name that goes with it.’ They picked my mom’s middle name and my parents said, ‘You know what? You got us.’
“So it’s Chopper Lee Hippe.”
Period.
“It’s on the birth certificate,” Hippe added with a smile. “I’ve had to pull out my ID a couple of times.”
It’s all about the reps for a football player — especially at the Combine. All the participants are looking to leave positive and lasting impression at this Regina-based showcase of top prospects for the April 29 CFL Draft.
“It has been great,” Hippe said. “Going to the East-West Bowl (in May of 2024) and meeting some of those guys already was really sweet. It’s exciting to meet with them again and then hear what the coaches have to say.
“I just try to be a sponge wherever I go, so I’m absorbing the experience and just loving it.”
As much as the Draft is a consideration, there are also benefits to be derived from interacting with the CFL coaches who are actively involved.
“To the coaches, it’s normal knowledge, but a lot of us don’t hear it all the time,” the 6-foot-1, 225-pounder said. “I feel fortunate to be in Regina where our coaches are pretty good.
“You hear new things. It might just be that one word, but you can take that forever and run with it. I just follow the little details that they’re talking about. I’m really just absorbing that.”
And paying it forward.
“I’m going to go back and bring this all to my teammates and tell the other linebackers about it,” Hippe said.
“I coach the U13 Sask Selects and I help them out, so being able to give them something I learned in university when they’re 13, it allows them to take that and run with that. Then they can expand on top of it.”
Hippe’s uniqueness as a player extends beyond a distinctive first name. He is someone who, when at home, can simply walk across the street from one province to another.
Talk about a linebacker with range!
The 24-year-old Hippe hails from the Saskatchewan side of Lloydminster. However, his football resume includes time spent at Holy Rosary High School, located on the Alberta side of the Border City.
After playing for the Holy Rosary Raiders, Hippe joined the Edmonton Wildcats and was named the Prairie Football Conference’s top rookie in 2018. He led the junior loop in solo tackles (49) the following season.
He debuted with the Rams in 2021, following football’s Canada-wide football respite in 2020, and is now a four-year veteran of the Canada West circuit.
Having excelled in junior and university football, Hippe hopes to seize the opportunity to take the next step — using the Combine, which concludes on Sunday, to help his cause.
“I’m just hoping to stack my days,” he said. “My first one wasn’t the best day I thought I could have. (Saturday) was a little bit better and hopefully (Sunday) is a little bit better.
“You’re battling against yourself as much as you compete with another guy here. It’s about improving yourself and getting better. Hopefully the scouts see that, too.
“Not everyone’s going to come in and be a starter right away. They want to see guys who are going to develop and learn and take the little bits that are coming at you from all these coaches.”
Who knows? One of them might have asked about the origins of “Chopper” when team representatives sat down for one-on-one interviews with the players.
“It’s a nice icebreaker and being a little bit different is always kind of cool,” Hippe said. “I enjoy it. It’s easy to talk to people. I don’t really have that awkward stage, because everybody just asks the same question you were asking.
“I kind of have fun with it. I’ve got a picture on my Instagram of me in a helicopter and hopefully one day I’ll get one of me on a motorbike.”
The wheels, it seems, are always turning.
