‘I feel awesome,’ at 35, Bighill far from being over the hill

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This article was published 18/10/2023 (727 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Being in your mid-thirties is typically a dangerous place for a professional football player.

If you’re still fortunate enough to be playing, there’s likely only a few grains of sand left in the hourglass.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers middle linebacker Adam Bighill, who turned 35 on Monday, is proving to be one of the very few exceptions to the rule.

“You put the work in, and your body will take care of you if you take care of it. I feel awesome, and I mean, all the bye weeks this year, I felt like I didn’t even need them which is a great feeling to have,” Bighill said after Wednesday’s practice at IG Field as the Bombers prepare to host the Edmonton Elks (4-12) on Saturday.

With 72 tackles through 16 games, the 11-year CFL vet is one more defensive takedown away from having the most he’s had in a season since 2018. He also has four sacks which is double the amount he recorded in 2022 and 2021. Perhaps most impressive is his ability to stay healthy as Bighill hasn’t missed a game since 2019 when a hamstring injury sidelined him for a few weeks.

“I intended to have a long career because I never saw my career ending in my mind. I always saw it flourishing,” said Bighill, who broke into the league with the B.C. Lions in 2011 out of NCAA Division II Central Washington.

“I knew I wanted to play professional football; I knew that I wanted to be one of the greatest to ever play the game. I’m still not ever thinking about the end. Even now, I’m still thinking about competing, being better, winning championships and making those around me better. It’s the only thing to focus on.”

When you ask teammates and coaches about Bighill, often the first thing they bring up is his work ethic. He starts his days at 5 a.m., when he’ll spend some time on his career outside of football as an investment advisor. Bighill then arrives at the stadium around 6 a.m. to study that week’s opponent and hit the weights before taking the field for practice. After a recovery session — which typically includes an ice bath and a trip to the sauna — Bighill usually gets home around 3:30 p.m. where he spends time with his wife Kristina and their three kids, opens the laptop to get some more financial work done, and then gets to bed early so he can get up and do it all over again the next day.

“He just has a super-high work rate. He obviously has to be very organized and disciplined. Very, very disciplined,” said head coach Mike O’Shea.

“He’s got another job, a family, a very active family. He’s always creating a 25th, a 26th hour in a day for himself so he can get all these things done. I’ve said it many times before, but it’s inspiring to see a guy excellent at all these things and pack the most in that he possibly can.”

Bighill points to his diet as a big reason why he’s still as sharp as he is. The only time he allows himself a cheat meal — usually a pie from Tommy’s Pizzeria or chocolate ice cream from Marble Slab Creamery — is at the end of the week after a hard-fought game. Stretching, as well as monitoring his sleep and overall health with a Whoop strap — a recovery-focused fitness tracker — has also helped.

“He takes care of his body very well… He eats right and puts everything right into his body. That’s a part of it and he doesn’t look like he’s slowed down at all,” said safety Brandon Alexander.

“We got a lot of good guys in this building that can show you what professionalism looks like and he’s one of the pillars of that… He’s one of the most professional people that I know.”

Dime back/weak-side linebacker Redha Kramdi, who took the starting role from veteran Alden Darby, Jr., a few weeks into the season, said young players such as himself have learned a ton by watching Bighill go about his craft.

“He’s amazing. He’s been good to me. I’ve learned a lot of small stuff. If you get to the pros, obviously you’ve been doing something good. But with Bighill’s experience, knowledge, the sacrifices he’s made, the film room, the studying, it’s special playing with someone like that and I’m super grateful,” said Kramdi, a third-year pro out of the University of Montreal.

“I was talking to JY (defensive backs coach Jordan Younger) about it and said when he’s done playing, hopefully it’s not for a long time, I’m going to try to fill his void because there’s no one like him.”

Despite having three Grey Cup rings and three CFL Most Outstanding Defensive Player awards, Bighill has no issues staying motivated.

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It could be a while before Kramdi, or anyone else, has to worry about filling his shoes.

“I don’t want to have regrets and wish I could’ve, should’ve. For me, I love competing out here. I never want to lose,” said Bighill.

“The only way I know how to make sure I can put all these odds in my favour is to put in the work and outwork other people. I know that’s the way I can be successful and play as long as I want to play as long as I do those things.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

X: @taylorallen31

Taylor Allen
Reporter

Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor.

Every piece of reporting Taylor produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.