LB Shea has excelled at the CJFL level

Dexter Shea

Positions: Linebacker, Running Back

Height/Weight: 6’0, 220 lbs

Teams: John Barsby Bulldogs (high school), Vancouver Island Raiders (CJFL)

Commitment: None

Official Visits: None

Consideration: UBC, Open

Class: 2013

Curiosity can lead to positive and negative outcomes, but in Dexter Shea’s case, it was definitely positive, as he ended up entering the world of football.

“I had no friends or family playing so I had just asked my mom to get me in it,” Dexter says. “I was about 10 and I’ve been playing ever since.”

He started with Southside Minor Football in Nanaimo, and from there he went into high school ball at John Barsby Community School, where he really got passionate about it. Dexter was a team captain during his senior years at Barsby and won the Most Improved and Weight Room Awards. After high school, he went to the CJFL to play for the Vancouver Island Raiders. He is currently in his fourth year and is one of the most senior players. During his time with the Raiders, he has won the Most Improved Award and Defensive MVP Award on his team. As for league recognition, he was an All-Conference linebacker, Top linebacker in the conference and an All-Canadian linebacker.

The highlight of last season for him was winning the All-Canadian Award.

“Proud to be recognized on that kind of scale,” he says. “It’s always great to appreciate and play with any graduating players on the team.”

The recruitment process has been very quiet for Dexter.

“I haven’t been recruited much,” Dexter says. “A couple copycat emails sent out here and there and some friend requests. I’ve considered looking into UBC, as it is a great school and has a great football program that’s close to home. I’m not shutting anything else down, though. I love football and it would be hard to let go.”

He has no plans on visiting any universities, but he’s open to any offers.

“My phone’s always on, but in the next coming months I’m in the middle of my CJFL season, so that’ll be my focus,” he says. “I respect my team and I’m gonna give them all I have now.”

During his playing days and in day-to-day life, Dexter has been influenced by his family, friends and coaches.

“My mother is definitely an influential person in my life, along with all my friends,” Dexter says. “I try to take things and learn a little bit from everyone close in my life. If you try to be someone you can look up to, you’re doing all right, in my opinion. In football specifically, my head coach and defensive coordinator at John Barsby really pushed me and taught me a lot about how to approach the game and life. So those are habits I still have. I try to pull a little something from every coach along the way, though.”

He enjoys doing a variety of different workouts.

“I love bench, squat, power clean,” he says. “When in doubt, that’s the lift. I like to get cardio in during the morning to kick-start my day and lift and get more explosive workouts in later, whether it’s sprints or plyometrics.”

Maintenance is key during the season.

“Keep the body healthy for the length of the season,” Dexter says. “Get some lifts and get stretching. Mix in the odd hot yoga and stay fresh.”

His future plans include traveling to different parts of the world.

“I’m waiting till my time playing football is done, though,” he says. “I want to stay focused here for the time being. I want to learn other cultures and maybe a little bit more about myself before I settle and find something that’s really a career.”

Dexter Shea 2

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