MIAMI -- He'll be the first Manitoban to play in the Super Bowl and will take the field wearing Chicago Bears' blue and orange and decked out in jersey number 71.
But -- figuratively, at least -- Israel Idonije will also be carrying a flag today in Super Bowl XLI for Canada, for Brandon, for the University of Manitoba and Canadian college football.
Bears tackle Israel Idonije is super-excited about today’s game.
He could also offer up a gesture or two for all those people who doubted he'd make it here one day, but that's not Idonije's style.
"I had people say when I first started, 'Oh, he'll never make it. He's not big enough. He's not fast enough. He doesn't do this, he doesn't do that,' " he said. "That's what people often do: they tell you what you can and cannot do.
"It's a mindset. A lot of young Canadian kids are happy if they could just get a tryout in the CFL one day. That's how they approach things. But you've got to look at the bigger picture sometimes. That's my approach, my personality. That's how I view life. Why put something out of reach if it isn't out of reach? There's nothing I can't achieve if I set my goals and work at it.
"That's one of the reasons this is going to be exciting."
Idonije and former University of Calgary lineman Dan Federkeil -- a member of the Indianapolis Colts -- will be the fourth and fifth former CIS players to be on NFL active rosters in the Super Bowl on Sunday.
Western's Tyrone Williams is the only former CIS player to win a Super Bowl ring, although he did not dress for Dallas in the Cowboys' 52-17 win over Buffalo in Super Bowl XXVII.
"It's huge," said University of Manitoba head coach Brian Dobie. "I can always say I coached a guy that played in the Super Bowl. It's something that every coach or teammate here can say. And, believe me, we are ALL saying that.
"My daughter just loves him. We watch the games together... she's like that (Coach's daughter) on Remember the Titans and she's got her Idonije jersey on. But, at one point in the game they show the bench and there's Israel getting oxygen. And I go, 'Look! There's Izzy! There's Izzy! Oh, look, he's breathing oxygen.' She turns to me and says, 'Dad, this is getting ridiculous. The guy's just breathing.' My wife will be doing something out in the kitchen and I'll shout, 'Hey, there's a shot of Izzy!' and she says, 'I know... I know...'
"This is my job. I'm not a 'fan.' I enjoy watching football because I like being able to sit back and watch a game. But I don't care who wins. I don't buy Toronto Maple Leaf jerseys or Bomber hats. But I'm a giddy fan of the Chicago Bears now. It's very surrealistic. We're all living it through him."
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