20 years have passed since the Saskatchewan Roughriders selected Andy Fantuz in the 2006 CFL Draft, and his feelings haven't changed for the team that picked him.
"Saskatchewan gave so much to me as a community, it helped me grow into the person I am today. They welcomed me with open arms, both the people in Regina throughout the province and worldwide. I see Rider flags and colours everywhere, it was embracing, and it was really heartwarming for me," Fantuz told voice of the Riders, Dave Thomas.
"I still bleed green, and will never forget those years wearing the green and white; I'm happy to give back in any way I can."
Coming into the league, Fantuz knew the steep learning curve that he had to prepare for as a CFL rookie.
"Like a jump from high school to university, a jump from university to the pros, the speed, the professionalism, the attitudes amongst the players, even the way the coaches are very black and white about everything and not holding your hand. You gotta come in and soak it all in," Fantuz said.
"I was blown away by the talent in every aspect of the game, the size of the players, the speed, the tips and techniques that they learn.”
While Fantuz knew learning the pro game was daunting, he credits some veterans that helped him in his rookie year.
“I got shut down a lot in that first year at first training camp, but even the guys on the defensive side, I remember guys like Eddie Davis and Omarr Morgan, they would come up to me in the cafeteria or something,” Fantuz said.
“They would give me some tips and say, 'This is why I stopped you on that play, and this is what you showed me.' Those little things really helped accelerate my development, more than you can put words to."
Fantuz spent time with the Riders from 2006 until 2010, then had a stint with the Chicago Bears in 2011, before returning to the Green and White that same year. His next CFL team was the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and he was with them from 2012 until 2017.
In his CFL career, Fantuz won a Grey Cup with the Riders in 2007 along with the Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian award, later he was named the CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian in 2010, and received an All-CFL nomination that same year.
When it came to Fantuz's first touchdown in the CFL, he was asked what he could remember from that game.
"It was against the B.C. Lions, Kerry Joseph took it up the middle and was running for a touchdown. He got a ball knocked out inside the five somewhere, if I'm not mistaken. We were taught to run to the ball and keep blocking. I happened to be at the right place, right time. I was able to dive on it, and I got a fumble recovery as my first touchdown," Fantuz recalled.
"Then, later that game, I did get the overtime winner. So I had two in that game and I remember running down the sideline into the rest of the teammates and going crazy. That was a special day for me for sure."
The Riders played against the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday, and Fantuz has fond memories of playing against them.
"We had a number of games against Calgary where, individually, I did really well, but also as a team. It was like exciting games, we went into overtime a few times. We had lots of yards and points on both sides of the game, it was back and forth," Fantuz said.
"Those ones are always really fun when it comes down to the wire, instead of having a blowout and having a really impressive individual stat game."
