telling their stories

TACKLE TALK - Stevie Baggs Jr.

Stevie Baggs Jr. is veteran CFL and NFL professional football player, actor, motivational speaker, and author. Baggs played college football at Bethune-Cookman University, where he was a three-time All-American and Mel Blount SBN Defensive Player of the Year not to mention the winner of the Ernie Davis award. He was signed by the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He was a member of the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad in 2005. In 2006, Baggs signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and then signed and played for the Edmonton Eskimos during the 2007 season. Baggs went on to sign with the Saskatchewan Roughriders as a free agent in September 2008. Additionally, Baggs had stints with the Arizona Cardinals, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Baltimore Ravens, and the Calgary Stampeders. In addition to his athletic career, Baggs was featured in Season 2 of the reality/dating television series Match Made in Heaven. He has also appeared in television shows such as Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta, Necessary Roughness, and Star. Currently, Baggs has starring roles in Tyler Perry's drama/thriller Ruthless on BET+ and the Netflix series Cobra Kai and the two books he as written are titled "Greater Than The Game" and "Woke". (Wikipedia) Dreamer by Hazy https://soundcloud.com/hazy_music [https://soundcloud.com/hazy_music] Music provided by www.plugnplaymusic.net [http://www.plugnplaymusic.net]

TACKLE TALK MARCH - Amanda Ruller

Originally from Regina, Saskatchewan, Amanda Ruller, is an accomplished athlete, coach, and inspiration to all. Ruller has a Bachelor of Kinesiology, Sport and Fitness Administration and Management degree from the University of Regina, was one of the top USports 60 meter sprinters in Canada, and was on the Canadian Olympic Bobsleigh and Skeleton development team. She played with the LA Temptation and the Atlanta Steam in the United States as well as was named to the Women’s Worlds Canadian Football team. Playing for Team Canada in the World Football Championship game in 2017, the team captured a Silver Medal. Ruller is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS), Certified Exercise Physiologist (CEP), as well as Certified Coaching Certificate Level 3. She has a background in Olympic lifting and was on the Saskatchewan Olympic Lifting team. She was the University of Regina Rams Football team’s Speed coach for the 2019 season and currently is an assistant football coach for the running backs, Special teams, and strength and conditioning with the McMaster Men’s Varsity football program. In addition to her sporting and athletic achievements, Ruller has an avid interest in sports broadcasting and media. She was the Saskatchewan CFL Roughriders Game Day Host for their inaugural season in Mosaic Stadium. She has also worked as the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League broadcasting host for their game of the month on MaxTV Local Stream. Currently, she is the Game Day Host for the Saskatchewan Rush Lacrosse Club. Dreamer by Hazy https://soundcloud.com/hazy_music [https://soundcloud.com/hazy_music] Music provided by www.plugnplaymusic.net [http://www.plugnplaymusic.net]

TACKLE TALK FEBRUARY - Keon Raymond

Our tackle talk speaker for this month is KEON RAYMOND, a former professional CFL defensive back, who is now the new head coach and director of football operations for the Prince George Kodiaks of the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL). The Kodiaks were formed in 2020, and is a community-owned training program with several teams for the age groups ranging from U-10 to U-23. He will oversee the development of youth training camps, player development and training, as well as the creation of a non-contact league and to expand the program from Prince George to other northern B.C. communities. Raymond played his college football at Middle Tennessee State where then signed with the Tennessee Titans of the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2006, but did not make the playing roster and was cut during training camp. He went on to play for the Nashville Kats and New Orleans VooDoo of the Arena Football League in 2007 and 2008. Unfortunately, the arena league folded and it looked as though his football days were over. However, he got a call from the CALGARY STAMPEDERS in the CFL and signed with them in 2008 where he went on to play for 8 years with the club. He proceeded to win 2 Grey Cup championships, in 2008 and 2014. After his 8 years with the Stamps, Keon signed with the Toronto Argonauts in 2016, but only played in 8 games before getting released on August 24, 2016. He went on to sign with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in October later that year and played in the last 2 regular season games and the team's East Semi Final loss to the Edmonton Eskimos. Raymond is a devout Christian and attended Royal Oak Victory Church in Calgary, Alberta, where he previously resided with his wife, Bianca, and their four children, Keon Jr., Dashaun, Ramael, and Gabrielle. Photo credit 1: Calgary Stampeders Photo credit 2: STEVE RUSSELL / TORONTO STAR Photo credit 3: stampeders.com Dreamer by Hazy https://soundcloud.com/hazy_music [https://soundcloud.com/hazy_music] Music provided by www.plugnplaymusic.net [http://www.plugnplaymusic.net]

TACKLE TALK JANUARY - Bryn Roy

Bryn Roy is a CFL veteran linebacker who was drafted 34th overall by the Montreal Alouettes in the 2012 CFL Draft. Born in Dalemead, Alberta, Roy's path to the pros is one that is full of determination, passion, and roadblocks that he consistently overcame to pursue the dream of playing professional football and later professional steer wrestling. Listen now as he shares the lessons that adversity taught him as well as the triumph of perseverance. Roy currently runs the Bryn Roy Football Combines in Alberta, Canada for high school aged football players. Check it out here - https://www.brynroy.com [https://www.brynroy.com] Dreamer by Hazy https://soundcloud.com/hazy_music [https://soundcloud.com/hazy_music] Music provided by www.plugnplaymusic.net [http://www.plugnplaymusic.net]

TACKLE TALK OCTOBER - Jason Langvee

In October's TACKLE TALK, Academy Program Manager at the Canadian Football League Players Association (CFLPA), Jason Langvee, talks about how the CFLPA is assisting in player's mental health and wellness through their Academy. Langvee has a Master of Science (MS, Kinesiology and Exercise Science) through McMaster University where he defended his Master's with his thesis investigating the effects of mental fatigue on the perceptions of exertion during exercise. He also holds aBachelor of Science, Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour with honours from McMaster. You can learn more about the CFLPA Academy here - https://cflpa.com/academy/ [https://cflpa.com/academy/] Dreamer by Hazy https://soundcloud.com/hazy_music [https://soundcloud.com/hazy_music] Music provided by www.plugnplaymusic.net [http://www.plugnplaymusic.net]