THE GAME WITHIN THE GAME

Edmonton Eskimos Sammy Okpro and his fight to win a spot on the roster

By Patrick Cassidy

For Every Kamau Peterson, Ed Hervey or Jason Tucker there are probably a thousand Sammy Okpro's. Like Peterson, Hervey and Tucker, Okpro also wore the green and gold uniform that signified membership into the Edmonton Eskimo football family. But, unlike those three more famous brothers who made long careers in Eskimo silks, Okpro's time as an Eskimo was limited to exhibition games and sideline duties void of any regular season actions and to this day his dreams to be a CFL starter remain unfulfilled. Undaunted, he continues to train, hoping for one last chance to crack the Eskimos lineup, or perhaps another CFL lineup that requires a speedy non-import defensive halfback or safety with the credentials that he possesses.

Prior to college, Okpro represented Team Canada as a football player for two years. The first year was in San Diego and the second was in Houston, under the coaching of Danny Maciocia. Prior to being Edmonton's fourth pick in the 2008 CFL Draft, he was a four-year starter and three-time All-Canadian at Concordia University in Montreal. As a youngster, he excelled in five sports: hockey, baseball, basketball, soccer and football. Everywhere he played, he was a team leader a league all-star and one of La Belle Province's top football athletes. So when he made that trek to Edmonton in 2008, Okpro had big ideas, high hopes and the confidence expected of a young man that had gained the notoriety and status in the football community that he had achieved. But what Sammy didn't realize coming to Edmonton was that he was going to be in for a very rude awakening.

In fact, he ran smack into the highly competitive dog-eat-dog world of professional sports, where players from colleges right across North America vie for what amounts to very few professional playing positions. Although he hung in for six games that first season, he was relegated to the practice roster for the remainder of the 2008 campaign at what amounted to 30 per cent of his full roster salary, which wasn't a lot to start with.

"Actually, I made the team the first year and, to be honest, I really had no business doing so. I was star-struck and ill prepared for the speed, the size, and the power and the strength of being a professional athlete. There were so many adjustments, and for the first half of the season I was doing too much thinking and not enough reacting, and in football that's deadly."

Although he felt he trained hard the off-season, he didn't fare much better in 2009, making the roster past the final cut date, only to find out next morning the team had decided they had other Canadians they preferred at the time. This time, Okpro was cut outright and, for all intents and purposes, was out of football. Unsure of what to do,, he decided to stick around Edmonton, picking up odd jobs to make ends meet, and through some hard work, connections and good showing at the CFL combine in Toronto, got invited to the 2010 Eskimos training camp, only to get cut once again, this time before the camp even got started.

In my opinion, I really didn't get a fair shot this past spring. I believe I was brought in just to provide bodies if needed, and since they didn't need any bodies, I was cut even before training camp started. It's not really fair, but that can be the hard and real world of professional sports."

Although he isn't where he wants to be in his football career, he still believes in himself and his abilities as a football player. Asked about his future, he replied "The clouds are dark right now, but it you want something great you have to be willing to persevere and do what needs to be done to succeed. You have to be willing to do what nobody else is prepared to do to get that spot. You have to be willing to sacrifice, you have to be a visionary and believe that all the hard work will one day pay off."

Making a CFL lineup requires ability, huge commitment, sacrifice, focus and a belief in one's self. These are character traits Okpro has built his reputation on, but all double-edged character traits make it hard to let the dream die. Athletes, by nature, are trained to not give up easy, to fight through adversity, and when it comes to deciding to end a career or keep pushing, those same stubborn character traits and training regimens take hold.

Okpro is now 26 years old and at a crossroads in his life. Even his always-supportive family is wavering. His father, a Nigerian-born immigrant and the man who started him in football at the age of eight, tells him that maybe it's time to hang up the cleats and look at other dreams and aspirations, But he is not there yet.

"Football is a warrior's game. It 's war on the field, and it's the intangibles you can't measure that differentiate the winners from the losers. The size of the fight in the dog is always more important that the size of the dog in the fight, and I've got that in me and I know I just haven't had the opportunity I need to rally showcase my talents to Edmonton or other CFL teams, and that's what tells me I can't quit just yet. Someone needs to give me that opportunity to demonstrate the intangibles I possess that have made me a successful football player"

Okpro was selling door-to-door for a local charity, as well as doing the odd job for a local security firm. Although these are certainly not the types of jobs that he received a college education to pursue, it's all part of his strong belief in t sacrifice and doing what he needs to do to keep the options and door open in the events the phone rings, and he gets that call to once again dawn the silks and take another shot at the CFL.

I'm committed to playing football right now, It's a life decision I made some time ago and as such I have to make the necessary sacrifices to get there. I rarely go out with buddies, no girl really wants to date me right now and the situation I've chosen doesn't allow me to pursue a career just yet. If you're not all in, you are just kidding yourself, so right now I'm all in. I'll do the dirty work until I'm successful or I decide otherwise."

Catch the full Sammy Okpro interview with Prospect Magazine at www.athletes-nation.com