Fall comeback

 

Sabres standout makes comeback with CJFL team.

It’s been a long road for Edmonton defensive end Tyler Beaudoin.

Tyler Beaudoin

Positions:
Defensive End, Offensive Line (Tackle)

Height/Weight:
6’1, 210 lbs

Teams:
Edmonton Huskes (junior:  PFC/CJFL)
Salisbury Sabres (high school:  ASAA)
Sherwood Park Rams (bantam)
Sherwood Park Cougars (peewee)

Commitment:
None

Official Visits:
None

Considerations:
None

Class:
2015

Tyler Beaudoin 2

Tyler began his career at the peewee level for the Sherwood Park Cougars.  He won the City Championship that first season.

However, he didn’t play his first year of bantam after an ankle injury.  Soon after his recovery, he moved up to the Sherwood Park Rams to play his remaining bantam year.

In 2011, Tyler played for Team North in the Alberta Bantam Bowl. Despite losing the game to Team South, the defensive end was grateful for the high-quality coaching he received during the preparation for the game.

“It’s always good to learn what it’s like at the next level of play, and have someone who has ‘been there, done that’ show you the way,” says Tyler.

One of those football veterans was the CFL’s Patrick Kabongo, who gave a speech at the Bantam Bowl’s banquet that sticks with Tyler to this day.

“He had told us all to get up and look around,” Tyler recalls. “He then said that these were the future of the CFL.”

“I always have that in the back of my head, because I have seen a lot of the same guys moving up.”

Tyler then started high school and suited up for the Salisbury Sabres of the Alberta Schools Athletic Association (ASAA). He played for the senior team in in his grade 10 year, and was named the school’s Athlete of the Year in his grade 10 and 11 seasons.

“I got to play with a lot of high-level players my grade 10 year,” Tyler says. “It was good because it allowed my bar to be set that much higher.”

Last summer, Tyler endured an unfortunate set of circumstances while playing in a national tournament.

“The QB went to boot and I went to pursue,” Tyler recalls. “Just a step.”

“My foot got caught in the turf, and pop!”

Tyler left that tournament with a fractured femur and tibia, and a torn ACL and meniscus. He underwent multiple surgeries, and attended physiotherapy sessions for six months, then worked with a personal trainer five days a week to get his strength back. While he was sidelined, Tyler also helped coach the offensive and defensive lines for the Sherwood Park Broncos, the atom team that his nephew played for.

Despite missing his entire grade 12 season due to his injury, Tyler still supported the Sabres, and won the team’s Sabre Heart Award.

“I attended all the games,” he says. “I was at the city finals in a wheelchair the day after my surgery.”

Tyler did eventually make a full recovery, and found he had even improved.

“I actually surpassed some of my old records with my new knee!” he says. “That gave me a lot of confidence, I think.”

“Really solidified my decision of going back.”

Another big factor in Tyler’s return to the football field was Coach Iain of the Edmonton Huskies in the Prairie Football Conference in the Canadian Junior Football League.

“Coach Iain had gotten in contact with me at the end of the season last year, and to be honest, his words were probably the reason I continued playing football after my injury,” Tyler said. “He just had it in his head that my injury was a small bump in the road.”

“He just believed in me. He knew that I aspired to play professional football and he really helped me realize that my injury was far from career ending.”

Tyler attended the Huskies’ training camp this summer, even though he was technically still in recovery and waiting on knee braces. He suited up for the first time only recently, and says he is looking forward to working with his new coaches.

“It’s an honour to be coached by Rob Brown,” he says. “The man is one of the greats.”

“After my year off I think he is the perfect guy to help refresh my memory and continue towards my goal of one day playing pro.”

Alongside playing for the Huskies, Tyler will also be returning to Salisbury to repeat his grade 12 year.

 

 

Advocating for football prospects one story at a time.

Leave a Reply