Growing up Bombers
Football increasingly a family affair in Winnipeg
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Nine months after a serious knee injury put his career in jeopardy, an emotional Chris Streveler stood before reporters, searching for words to describe what it meant to lead the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to a season-opening victory last week.
He could’ve started with what it felt like to suit up in front of 32,343 Blue and Gold supporters again after a gruelling rehab, or spoken about his three touchdown passes and how they helped his team prevail 34-20 over the B.C. Lions.
Instead, the first place the quarterback went was his daughter, Sunny, and how much it meant to him to play in front of her for the first time.
SUPPLIED Bombers quarterback Chris Streveler with fiance Taylor and their daughter Sunny.
“I think it’s just really different having a daughter now, and after the injury, I just think my perspective is really different on the game, and life in general, and I have more appreciation for these moments,” Streveler told the Free Press earlier this week as the Bombers prepare to meet the Lions in a rematch on Saturday at BC Place.
“Getting to have her here, even though she’s only five months, and has no idea what’s going on, that meant a lot to me. This is such a big part of my life, and you just don’t know how much football you have left. You just never know when it could end. You could be doing a wedge pass and blow your knee out and you just don’t know what’s coming after that.”
Life in pro football starts to feel a whole lot different for players once they become fathers. When an average practice at Princess Auto Stadium ends, it feels like recess begins.
The player’s wives and girlfriends — who are the real MVPs of the families as they make loads of sacrifices so their partners can chase their football dreams — follow their eager children down from the concourse and onto the field so they can play with dad and say hello to their 50-plus uncles who are in helmets and pads.
“I never thought I’d be that guy,” admitted Streveler, now 30 and in his seventh year as a pro.
“When you’re a rookie, you see the old guys running on the field after practice with their kids and you’re like ‘That’s cool, but I don’t know if that will ever be me.’ And now it is me. And we have so many guys that have kids, so it’s a cool sense of community for our wives, and everyone being able to be around other people who are going through the same thing.”
“When you’re a rookie, you see the old guys running on the field after practice with their kids and you’re like ‘That’s cool, but I don’t know if that will ever be me.’ And now it is me.”–Chris Streveler
Now that Streveler has joined the dad club, starting quarterback Zach Collaros mentors him in more than just football.
“He’s got three kids, he’s been through the trenches, man. I was at his house last night, he gave me their old baby bath they weren’t using, he gave me an old bassinet,” said Streveler.
“He’s the one giving me perspective. I’ll be like ‘Dude, we’re still not sleeping good’ and he’s like ‘Hey, it’ll get better.’”
Fatherhood isn’t something defensive tackle Jake Thomas gave much thought to when he broke into the CFL in 2012 with the Bombers. His locker room conversations now — Thomas and his wife have a two-year old daughter and four-year old son — don’t sound like the ones he was having a decade ago.
“I think yesterday there were three or four dads having a conversation, and (rookie linebacker) Lane Novak was in between us during breakfast, and we were talking just about how many kids do people want, and that’s probably the last thing on his mind. It’s funny in that regard, because when I came in when I was 21, the last thing I would’ve thought about at that point would be pro football players talking about kids,” said Thomas.
“For me, personally, it’s kind of a reason where I kind of want to keep playing because my son is excited to go to Winnipeg, go watch the games, go to practice, or go to the zoo. It’s cool, with my son now being four, understanding that we have two homes.”
The little ones can also sometimes provide a much-needed distraction from life on the gridiron. After the Bombers fell short in the 2023 Grey Cup in Hamilton against the Montreal Alouettes, a devastated Patrick Neufeld texted his wife to say that the only thing he wanted to do was hold his newborn baby girl as it was the only thing that could bring the veteran Canadian offensive lineman joy in that moment.
Now almost two years old, Neufeld’s daughter Halle has brought him even closer to some of his teammates.
BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS Winnipeg Blue Bombers offensive lineman Chris Kolankowski with daughter Delilah after the season opener.
“Your connection with your teammates just kind of gets that much closer. (Centre) Chris (Kolankowski) and I spent a lot of time together this off-season because our daughters were in play groups together. We’d watch a football game, and we’d bring our families over and they’d just get to hang out and be little toddlers together,” said Neufeld.
“It’s really cool for us to see our kids to grow up with a best friend like that.”
Having a family could also force some players to think more about the risks of making a living in this sport and what life will look when they’re done playing.
“If my daughter ever looks back at this and reads this, there’s probably a certain answer I should answer that with, but honestly, Osh (head coach Mike O’Shea) says it all the time, ‘There’s only one way to play this game and it’s all out,’” said receiver Nic Demski, who’s expecting his second child with his fiancée later this year.
“It’s really cool for us to see our kids to grow up with a best friend like that.”–Patrick Neufeld
“I don’t really think about that. To me, there’s a big difference between injured and hurt, if I’m injured and I physically can’t play then I can’t play. But if I’m hurt, and I can get through it, I need to get through it for her. Just as much as the long-term thing, I still gotta play for her, and you know, I got a family to feed.”
Kicker Sergio Castillo has played for nine teams across four leagues in his career. The family atmosphere he’s experienced in Winnipeg is something he hasn’t seen anywhere else.
“I think that’s what Osh brings here. It’s a very family central culture,” said Castillo. “When we play away games, they take care of our wives, they set up a place to watch the game on a TV (at the stadium in Winnipeg) and have stuff for the kids. Little things like that go a long way.”
In the summer, you can see Castillo’s wife Adriana and their four-year old son at the stadium almost daily, but when school starts, they retreat to Texas as she works as a teacher. For those that don’t have their loved ones with them all season, it’s a challenge.
“I don’t want to miss stuff — even though it’s only maybe a legit three months that I miss out of the year with the fam. There’s going to be a time where it’s not about me anymore, it’s about his journey and what he wants to do,” said Castillo. “If it’s sports, music, I don’t want to miss those little things. Or going to his first day of school, I don’t want to miss all of that. Definitely adulting is raw, it’s real, it’s fun, but it can be tough sometimes when they’re away.”
When O’Shea first met Streveler, Collaros, Thomas, Neufeld, Demski and Castillo, none of them were dads. He’s gotten to watch them, and many others, not just develop on the football field, but also away from it.
“On a personal level, I think it’s terrific. I usually stick around after practice and watch all the interactions and see the guys interact with their families and see the players go over and interact with another player’s family and how it all sort of unfolds, yeah, I mean, it’s perfect,” said O’Shea.
He also notices an obvious change in them.
“They sleep more on the road,” quipped O’Shea. “They get on the road and go ‘Phew.’”
taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

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.
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History
Updated on Wednesday, June 18, 2025 10:39 PM CDT: Adds photos, layout