Making history

Husband and wife power couple makes LFL Canada history with Rage 

When the second season of LFL Canada gets underway in October 2013, the budding league will play host to history in Regina. On October 5, the Regina Rage will not only host the first game in Calgary Fillies franchise history, but it shall also serve as the backdrop to a unique chapter in pro football.

Former Saskatchewan Roughriders competitor Brent Hawkins shall take the reins as head coach for the Rage. Second year player and 2012 team captain Andrea Cecchini is married to Hawkins, making them the first husband and wife to be part of an LFL Canada team.

The two met in Jacksonville, Florida, when Hawkins was a member of the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars. Upon the end of his NFL career, he signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2010, competing in that year’s Grey Cup against the Montreal Alouettes. Although shoulder surgeries sidelined him in 2011, he returned for one more season in 2012.

Along with their children Kai and Anaiyah, Cecchini joined him in Regina and the family has laid roots in Saskatchewan. Currently, both are personal trainers and pillars in the sporting community.

During Cecchini’s rookie season in LFL Canada, Hawkins was her biggest fan. In addition to being supportive, Hawkins was also helping Cecchini by pointing out footwork and other elements that would sharpen her game. It would go on to pay great dividends as Cecchini ranked second in tackles, while finishing as the team’s sack leader.

Known as a vocal leader when he played for the Roughriders, Hawkins is the right choice to serve as head coach. For a team such as Regina that came within one win of qualifying for the LFL championship game, Hawkins’ insight may be the difference that brings the club into the postseason picture.

While a husband and wife combination is unique to the gridiron of LFL Canada, it is also one of its defining moments. For many women in the LFL, they juggle family, career and their commitment to the sport. The support of family is a key foundation in the motivation of these fearless, females of the gridiron. Hawkins’ involvement is testament to the spirit of family that shall hopefully become one of the core values in the budding league.

As football fans in Regina are some of the most loyal in all of Canadian sport, there is no question that the fans appreciate a former Roughriders player like Hawkins contributing to the team’s championship goals. With the fans in Regina’s Brandt Centre being some of the most enthusiastic in the entire league, it is no surprise that Cecchini and Hawkins are proud to call Regina their home.

Photograph of Hawkins by: Don Healy, Regina Leader-Post