Top of the class

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This article was published 12/05/2015 (3794 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It was eight years to the day.

At age 22, Chris Bauman was fresh off a productive senior year with the University of Regina Rams football club where he led the CIS in receiving with 925 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Back home in Brandon and with fewer than 24 hours to go before the 2007 CFL Draft, he and a friend decided to take the edge off by hitting one of his favourite local spots: the Wheat City Golf Course. After all, the excitement wasn’t to start until the next day, with his father Dave having already planned a draft-day party with family and friends to celebrate the special occasion.

Then the phone rang.

On the other end was Bauman’s agent. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats, in what would be seen today as somewhat of an odd move, had called to share the good news a day early, that they would be taking Bauman with the No.1 overall pick.

Despite being 6-4, 220 pounds, and having mitts of silk, the call still came as a surprise. Bauman had figured he’d end up in Calgary — a team who held the third pick and was short on receivers — not the Tiger-Cats, a club he had little contact with leading up to draft day.

“I don’t remember if I even had an interview with them,” said Bauman over the phone from his Brandon home, a day before the 2015 CFL Draft was scheduled to get underway.

Making it the perfect time to reminisce, Bauman freely talked about the good ol’ days, what it was like to be a young adult about to embark on the career path he’d been working for his whole life.

He spoke of the CFL evaluation camp — now known as the CFL Combine — he attended months prior to the draft. It was much different than it is now. Media didn’t cover it like they do today. Events weren’t live-streamed for viewers to watch at home. Players weren’t decked head-to-toe in the latest sportswear.

“I don’t think we even got a T-shirt,” Bauman said with a chuckle.

Instead, players eager to make an impression on CFL scouts were stuffed into a hotel ballroom with barely enough room to conduct the physical tests. In fact, said Bauman, when it came time to test his vertical jump, it had to be taken out to the stairwell because guys were hitting their hands on the roof.

“As you can tell the combine has come a long way,” he said.

Now, at age 30, that seems like the distant past for Bauman. He’s played eight seasons in the CFL. Not all have been great. His last two years have been plagued with injuries — he broke his wrist and tore his ACL in 2013 alone — and with no contract for the upcoming season, his future in the CFL remains unclear.

“There have been a lot of ups and downs,” Bauman said. “But there’s not too much to complain about. I’ve lived a dream that not too many guys get a chance to do and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”

Bauman’s story is a typical one. Not many in the CFL last as long as he has. And unlike the NFL, getting picked high in the draft doesn’t guarantee a lucrative career. Many must still seek out other work after they retire from the game, creating more and more a need for programs to help those transitioning to life outside of football. Bauman has already started to plan his future away from the CFL. He wants to be a cop and has the connections to hopefully make it.

But some aren’t that lucky. Some battle addiction, while others deal with lasting effects from concussions and other injuries related to the rough-and-tumble nature of the game.

Thus, with the newest crop of players chosen in the CFL Draft Tuesday about to enter the unpredictable career that is professional football, we honour them by taking a stroll down memory lane. Here’s a look back at the last 15 first overall picks in the CFL Draft and where they are today:

 

Tyson St. James

2000 CFL Draft 

College: University of British Columbia

Position: Linebacker

Drafted By: Saskatchewan Roughriders

Years in CFL: 5

Current Team: Retired

Where they are now:

St. James was picked first overall by Saskatchewan in the 2000 CFL Draft. The big linebacker out of UBC played three seasons with the Roughriders before landing in Winnipeg where he played two more seasons with the Blue Bombers. Despite being highly touted by scouts, St. James never developed in to an elite player, spending most of his career on special teams.

Scott Schultz

2001 CFL Draft

College: University of North Dakota

Position: Defensive lineman

Drafted By: Saskatchewan Roughriders

Years in CFL: 9

Current team: Retired

Where they are now:

Schultz was drafted to Saskatchewan and stayed there his entire career before retiring midway through his ninth season with the Roughriders at the age of 31. Schultz left to pursue a different career path, this time in the insurance sector as president of the Schultz-Gareau Insurance Agency Ltd in 2009. He finished with 177 tackles and 35 quarterback sacks, and played a key role in the Roughriders’ Grey Cup win in 2007.

 

 

Alexandre Gauthier

2002 CFL Draft

College: Laval University

Position: Offensive lineman

Drafted By: Ottawa Renegades

Years in CFL: 10

Current Team: Retired

Where they are now:

Gauthier played his first four seasons with the Renegades before signing with Calgary in 2006. He spent two years with the Stampeders, followed by two-year stints in Winnipeg and Hamilton. Gauthier finished his career in Saskatchewan before retiring after the 2011 season.

 

 

 

Steve Morley

2003 CFL Draft

College: Saint Mary’s University

Position: Guard

Drafted By: Calgary Stampeders

Years in CFL: 9

Current Team: Free agent

Where they are now:

Morley has played 12 years of professional football since being chosen first overall by the Stamps in 2003, including stops in Calgary, Toronto, Saskatchewan and Winnipeg in the CFL and Green Bay, New York (Jets), and Seattle in the National Football League. Morley spent the last six seasons with the Blue Bombers but was released by the team in April. He’s currently a free agent.

Wayne Smith

2004 CFL Draft

College: Appalachian State

Position: Guard

Drafted By: Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Years in CFL: 11

Current Team: Toronto Argonauts

Where they are now:

Smith had two short stints with NFL training camps, first with the Washington Redskins and then the Denver Broncos before being selected first overall in the 2004 CFL Draft by Hamilton. Smith played four seasons with the Tiger-Cats (2004-2006, 2011) with a stop in Saskatchewan in between. He signed with Toronto in 2012 and has been there ever since.

 

 

 

Miguel Robede

2005 CFL Draft

College: Laval University

Position: Defensive tackle

Drafted By: Calgary Stampeders

Years in CFL: 6

Current Team: Free agent

Where they are now:

Robede was drafted by Calgary and played five seasons with the Stampeders from 2006-2010. He was traded to Toronto prior to the 2011 season but was cut from the Argonauts before ever playing a game. Robede suffered a serious head injury in his last year with the Stampeders.

Adam Braidwood

2006 CFL Draft

College: Washington State

Position: Defensive end

Drafted By: Edmonton Eskimos

Years in CFL: 5

Current Team: Retired

Where they are now:

Braidwood spent five seasons with the Eskimos before two serious knee injuries forced him to leave the game. But not everything from his CFL days were left behind as he remained addicted to pain killers he first used for his injuries, which then helped contribute to a slew of run-ins with the law.

Braidwood pleaded guilty to sexual assault on Apr. 19, 2013, stemming from an incident in December 2010. High on Valium, Braidwood threatened, choked and forced his then-girlfriend to give him oral sex, all while in possession of a firearm. He also pleaded guilty to forcible confinement for another 2010 incident, after a witness reported seeing someone being stuffed in to the trunk of a car. Finally, he pleaded guilty for yet another incident, this time in 2011, to possession of a loaded weapon and possession of MDMA. He was sentenced to 4 ½, 3 and 5 ½ year sentences respectively, all to be served concurrently.

 

Chris Bauman

2007 CFL Draft

College: University of Regina

Position: Wide receiver

Drafted By: Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Years in CFL: 8

Current Team: Free agent

Where they are now:

Bauman, a slotback out of Brandon, Man., was chosen by Hamilton in the 2007 CFL Draft, making him the first receiver to be taken first overall since Edmonton took Don Blair back in 1996. Bauman spent four years with the Tiger-Cats before signing with the Edmonton Eskimos in 2011. He was picked up by Calgary the next year but after a string of injuries that included a broken wrist and a torn ACL, he now finds himself searching for a new team. He’s currently a free agent.

Dylan Barker

2008 CFL Draft

College: University of Saskatchewan

Position: Safety

Drafted By: Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Years in CFL: 4

Current Team: Retired

Where they are now:

Barker played four seasons in Hamilton after being drafted first overall by the Tiger-Cats in 2008. Two of those seasons, however, were spent on the sidelines nursing a leg injury, which kept him out of the 2008 season and a back injury that ruled him out for all of the 2011 campaign, and eventually led to his retirement that year. He’s currently studying dentistry at the University of Saskatchewan.

 

Simeon Rottier

2009 CFL Draft

College: University of Alberta

Position: Guard

Drafted By: Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Years in CFL: 6

Current Team: Edmonton Eskimos

Where they are now:

Rottier played three seasons with the Tiger-Cats, the team that took him first overall in the 2009 CFL Draft, before signing with the Eskimos in 2012. During the 2013 season, Rottier was on the receiving end of some heavy criticism by Eskimos general manager, Ed Hervey, who told reporters at the time “it wouldn’t bother me if he didn’t play another down this year.” But it appears all issues have fallen by the wayside as Rottier was named the team’s top lineman in 2014.

 

Shomari Williams

2010 CFL Draft

College: Queen’s University

Position: Linebacker

Drafted By: Saskatchewan Roughriders

Years in CFL: 5

Current Team: Saskatchewan Roughriders

Where they are now:

Williams played three years at the University of Houston before packing his bags and heading back home to Canada to extend his collegiate career with the Golden Gaels at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont. He helped lead the Gaels to a Vanier Cup in 2009 and months later was drafted first overall by Saskatchewan at the 2010 CFL Draft, playing his first three seasons with the Roughriders. He returned to Saskatchewan after playing one year with Hamilton, but that reunion lasted just one season as the Roughriders released Williams on Mar. 2 of this year. He was a free agent for barely a week before the Calgary Stampeders signed him to a contract for the 2015 season.

 

Henoc Muamba

2011 CFL Draft

College: St. Francis Xavier

Position: Linebacker

Drafted By: Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Years in CFL: 3

Current Team: Indianapolis Colts (NFL)

Where they are now:

A standout linebacker for the St. Francis Xavier X-men during his collegiate years, Muamba was drafted first overall by Winnipeg in 2011 and played his first three seasons with the Blue Bombers. He then chased his dream of playing in the NFL, eventually signing with the Indianapolis Colts for the 2014 campaign and has been there ever since. 

 

Ben Heenan

2012 CFL Draft

College: University of Saskatchewan

Position: Offensive lineman

Drafted By: Saskatchewan Roughriders

Years in CFL: 3

Current Team: Indianapolis Colts (NFL)

Where they are now:

Heenan was born in Regina, played college football at the University of Saskatchewan and was drafted first overall by the Roughriders in 2012. Unclear whether he would ever leave home, Heenan played three seasons for Saskatchewan before signing a three-year, $1.575-million contract with the Indianapolis Colts in February of this year. Looks like the grass really is “greener” on the other side.

 

Linden Gaydosh

2013 CFL Draft

College: University of Calgary

Position: Defensive lineman

Drafted By: Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Years in CFL: 1

Current Team: Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Where they are now:

Gaydosh blew CFL scouts away at the 2013 CFL Combine, just months before Hamilton took him as the No.1 pick in the draft. But instead of signing with the Ticats, the former defensive lineman for the Calgary Dinos tested life out in the NFL. Gaydosh signed with the Carolina Panthers less than a week after the CFL Draft, but spent most of his time on the injured reserved list recovering from back surgery and was eventually released prior to the 2014 NFL season. He returned to Hamilton shortly after and played nine games with the Ticats last season. Expected to play again for the black and yellow this year, Gaydosh was hit with some bad luck during Hamilton’s spring training camp where tore his Achilles heel and is expected to miss the entire 2015 CFL season.

 

Pierre Lavertu

2014 CFL Draft

College: Laval University

Position: Offensive lineman

Drafted By: Calgary Stampeders

Years in CFL: 1

Current Team: Calgary Stampeders

Where they are now:

If there’s once thing Pierre Levertu knows, it’s winning. Lavertu won the Vanier Cup three times in his four years playing with the Laval Rouge et Or. In just his first season with the Stampeders after he was selected first overall at the 2014 CFL Draft, Lavertu already has a Grey Cup win. It’s safe to say that fearing you won’t have enough fingers to fit all those championship rings is low on the list of problems.