Doing whatever it takes

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This article was published 05/11/2021 (1414 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

“What position do you play?”

The thing is, that’s always been a tough question for Tanner Cadwallader to answer. The 24-year-old rookie is listed as a linebacker for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and has been playing special teams, but prior to donning the blue and gold, Cadwallader has played, well, a bit of everything.

“I used to just put “ATH” for athlete on surveys and my highlight tapes and stuff like that,” Cadwallader said with a laugh during a phone conversation with the Free Press this week.

“At this point, I’ll do whatever I’m asked to do. That’s one thing I don’t think will ever change. You look at a guy like Mike Miller, he came into the CFL as a defensive back and now he’s a fullback and he’s great wherever they put him. So, that’s something I try to be and try to do.”

He has a ways to go before he’ll be compared to Miller, who players on the Bombers refer to as “the GOAT” as he’s the CFL’s all-time special teams tackles leader with 207, but Cadwallader has been making his presence felt in recent weeks with tackles in four straight games, including his first career defensive stop in Week 12 against the B.C. Lions. Cadwallader has been an underrated story for the Bombers this season as he made the team out of training camp despite being a seventh round pick in the 2020 CFL Draft out of Wilfrid Laurier.

“When you watch tape of him… it looked from the film that he understood the game of football,” Mike O’Shea said after Friday’s practice at IG Field.

“Then when you talk to him, you realize he was really into everything about football. He studies it, he’s up on every league, he looks at rosters and is always preparing on that regard… He’s really into the game of football. He’s a strong kid, he’s fast, he’s a really good athlete. He’s one of those guys that when he gets here, you get a much better understanding of how quickly he learns and how quickly he can put that out on the field. He’s done that very well.”

Growing up as one of the better athletes in Georgetown, Ont., a place more known for it’s love for hockey, Cadwallader usually found himself playing quarterback — even though he wasn’t a prototypical pivot. The 5-11 Cadwallader did most of the damage with his legs, so when U Sports programs came calling, they were recruiting him to play other positions.

“As a quarterback… I was running through people,” Cadwallader said.

His high school tape backs it up.

He committed to Western University where he played one season as a receiver/slotback before transferring to Wilfrid Laurier. He transferred for football reasons, as he ended up making the switch to defensive back which turned out to be a better fit for his talents, and also for family reasons, as he wanted to be closer to his mom, Delia, who was sick with cancer.

His first instinct was to drop football and go home, but his mom made it very clear that she didn’t want her illness to stop him from doing what he loved. The move to Wilfrid Laurier, which is based in Waterloo, ended up being the perfect fit as he was only an hour away from home which was half the distance from Western. Before Delia passed, she got to see Cadwallader and his new school defeat Western for the Yates Cup in 2016 and play the Mitchell Bowl, the semi-final for the Vanier Cup, against Laval.

“That was the last time she watched me play. We got smacked by Laval, but the experience of it was like no other. That was my first time playing in front of a big crowd. I think there were 16,000 fans. She was always really happy to see me doing what I loved doing,” he said.

Cadwallader skipped his fifth year of U Sports eligibility as he had all the credits he needed to graduate, but by no means was he done playing football. With both of his parents being from the U.K., Cadwallader was able to play semi-pro football as a European import for the Bologna Warriors of the Italian Football League.

“I thought it was a pretty good option for a change of scenery and to do some travelling while playing… I made a lot of friends when I was in Bologna, had a lot of good food, and good times. It was great,” Cadwallader said.

After his time overseas, he returned home to play junior football for the London Beefeaters where he was a CJFL all-Canadian at safety. His athleticism and the fact he’s had success at every level he’s been at despite all the position changes led to the Bombers drafting him 64th overall on May 1 — which also happened to be the day before the three-year anniversary of his mother’s passing. Now as an actual member of the roster, Cadwallader, who has three older brothers, knows his mom would be proud to see him continuing to do what he loves and doing it at a high level.

“She just wanted us to do what we loved and pursue whatever made us happy so I think she’d be pretty happy about it,” he said.

It’s also been a perfect fit for Cadwallader as he’s gotten to learn from fellow Canadians in Miller, Shayne Gauthier, and Jesse Briggs — guys who have carved out long careers in this league on special teams. He’s also learned a ton from teammates on defence such as star linebacker Adam Bighill who started his CFL career on special teams.

“I try to take bits and pieces from absolutely anybody and it’s driven from my love for the game. It’s such a great sport and there’s so much to learn. There’s never a day where I’m like ‘Oh yeah, I’ve got it.’ I don’t think there ever has been. I’ve always wanted to learn more and I’m excited to go in every day to learn as much as I can.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen310