Doing it for Big Bill

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This article was published 03/06/2022 (1192 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

L.B. Mack III lives by three words: For Big Bill.

It’s a motto the 24-year-old defensive end out of the University of Rhode Island uses to keep him motivated every single day.

“Last year on March 28, my father passed away due to an unexpected heart attack,” Mack, a Winnipeg Blue Bombers hopeful, told the Free Press after the final day of training camp Friday.

“… My dad was my biggest supporter, my number one fan. He wanted me to get here more than I wanted it for myself at times. He did everything in his power to make sure I got to where I’m at today. So, everything from here on out is for Big Bill.”

Mack and Rhode Island played Delaware in a spring game the day before. He would usually call his dad after every game, but on this occasion, they exchanged texts. The next morning, Mack woke up to a bunch of missed phone calls from his mother.

“My father’s passing has made us way closer as a family. It made us communicate more and just speak about our feelings more and how we were dealing with everything. It was kind of a blessing in disguise,” said Mack.

“… Once that happened, like, there’s a bigger picture behind it. I’m the oldest boy in my family, so I had to man up in that aspect and make sure my brothers were good, my mom was good, and make the most of my opportunity and that’s why I’m here in Canada.”

As you might’ve guessed, the initials in Mack’s first name stand for “Little Bill.” His birth name is William, just like his grandfather and dad, but Mack has always been L.B.

“They were calling me L.B. when my mom was pregnant. My mom has never called me William in my life, like never. Not even one time,” Mack said.

“… That’s why my name is L.B. on the roster and I even put L.B. on my college diploma.”

The name suites Mack quite well on the football field, especially when he stands next to his fellow lineman. Willie Jefferson’s 6-7 frame towers over Mack.

“I got heart. You can’t take my heart away from me. You can’t take anything away from me. But yes, I am the smallest in the defensive line room. I’m definitely the smallest when you put the offensive line with the defensive line,” said Mack, who stands 6-feet and weighs 235 pounds.

“But I’ve always been an underdog. My whole life has been a story of being an underdog.”

Regardless of his size, Mack can play. The Spring Valley, N.Y., product left Rhode Island with the second most tackles for a loss and fourth most sacks in program history. In 2021, he was named to the Colonial Athletic Association All-Conference second team with 8.5 sacks and 51 tackles in 11 games. Mack also shined on special teams throughout his career, blocking two kicks in three weeks as a sophomore.

Mack had three defensive tackles and a sack in Tuesday’s 25-16 preseason victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Mosaic Stadium.

“Yeah, he packs a punch. I mean, from the edge, he can bring it. He has a lower centre of gravity and he’s thick,” said Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea.

“I think one of the things that I enjoy is he really seems to enjoy playing football. You watch him in meetings, he’s engaged. Out on the field, he’s got a good spirit to him. He’s always flying around. Learning the nuances of the (Canadian) game, playing a yard off, those kinds of things, he’s picked all that stuff up. So, it’s good. We like him. How tall someone is or whatever, if they love the game of football and they’ve got a lot of the tools, some of the stuff doesn’t matter.”

Mack loves and appreciates the game now more than ever as it was almost taken away from him. It was discovered after his junior year that he had a herniated disc in his neck as well as arthritis and a stoppage in spinal fluid. He was initially told his playing career was over, but Mack underwent a surgery to insert a metal plate between his C5 and C6 in his vertebrae. After missing all of 2019, the start of the pandemic in 2020 gave Mack more time to heal and rehab, allowing him to come back and play his redshirt senior year in 2021.

To overcome that, and now have a chance at pro football, it means everything to him.

“Being behind Jackson Jeffcoat and Willie Jefferson and getting to learn from experienced offensive lineman like Jermarcus Hardrick and Stanley Bryant, I’m in the best situation. I couldn’t ask for a better situation,” Mack said.

“I got the best people around me… and I feel like I got a really good chance at making this team and when I make this team, I’ll show people why I deserve to be on this team.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31