This CFL pre-season highlights some of the most interesting names and backgrounds.
With the Canadian Football League about to begin pre-season camps, here is a list of one rookie from each team I hope makes a lasting impression, if only because of their names and, to a certain extent, their backgrounds. We will call this the Lefko CFL Pre-Season Rookie All-Name Team.
Adam Bighill, LB, B.C
A native of Washington who played at Central Washington, and not only is his last name interesting, he has an interesting bio too. His interests include rock climbing and snowboarding. He's also a big Metallica fan - which in and of itself makes him cool, especially if he likes the immortal classic Enter Sandman - and says he doesn't miss an episode of Entourage. This is the last season of that show. We're going to miss Johnny Drama, Turtle and the rest, but hopefully, this is just the beginning for Mr. Bighill.
Wopamo Osaisai, DB, Edmonton
His name is pronounced Woh-pamo Oh-sigh-sigh. Osaisai was born in California but lived in Nigeria for eight years. He played four years at Stanford and was signed as undrafted free agent by San Diego and released before training camp. He placed fourth in the 2005 Pan Am Games in Windsor with a school record 10.39 in the 100 metres. A topic about him on a Chargers' chat site two years ago asked the question: Who the hell is Wopamo Osaisai? We're curious to find that out.
Terrance Stringer, LB, Calgary
Stringer is a product of Tuskegee University Golden Tigers, with whom he began as a quarterback and converted to a safety in his sophomore year. An interesting tidbit is that he co-owns MajorGlow Entertainment, which has a tagline "Who Got That Glow". According to the label's website, Stringer is the "electrifying current flowing through the MajorGlow Entertainment group; giving them the proficiency to shine. He is exhilarating, intoxicating, encouraging and intriguing when handling business and in his personal life. With his vision and ideas he elevates the entertainment group to heights unclaimed." If he can crack the Stamps' squad, he'll bring more than football skills.
Ernie Wheelwright (IIII), WR, Saskatchewan
First of all, there aren't very many athletes with the given name Ernie (notwithstanding the great Chicago Cub Ernie Banks, golfer Ernie Els and football player Ernie Holmes). Moreover, is there another athlete of any distinction with the surname Wheelwright? It gets better. His dad played running back with the New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints. And that's not all: according to the website www.sirshambling.com, Wheelwright was the owner of the Pick Pussycat Club, one of the premier nightclubs in Atlanta in the '60s. He cut a record called Beggin You Back.
Furthermore, a nightclub he owned in Louisiana, Soul City, brought him into contact with the Mafia and ultimately curtailed his football career, which was the subject of a Sports Illustrated article in 1970 entitled This Saint Has Been Called A Sinner. The NFL asked him to sell his interest in the club. Following his career, he appeared in films such as The Longest Yard, Trackdown, The Greatest and an episode of The Jeffersons. As for his son, he's a product of the University of Minnesota who spent part of the 2008, 2009 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens.
Clarence Denmark, WR, Winnipeg
Firstly, the Bombers may have the best all-name team in the league with the likes of Buck Pierce, Alex Brink and Joey Elliott - and that's only the quarterbacks. But you have to love players who have a country in their name, so Denmark deserves mention. By the way, the Bombers seem to like players who have countries in their last name. Who can forget Tom Canada? As an aside, there's an interesting little item on Denmark on the website www.walterfootball.com, which says: "When people say the name Clarence Denmark, the first thing that comes to their minds is that his name sounds like Terence Denmark. Well I assure you, his name is definitely Clarence Denmark. This is definitely in his benefit as Clarence is a far more likable name than Terence." Upon further research, Terence Denmark is an individual sentenced to life imprisonment in 1997 for trafficking cocaine.
Chris Rwabukamba, DB, Hamilton
The Windsor native spent part of his life living in Rwanda, which means he is in a select group insofar as football products from that country. Rwabukamba graduated from Duke in 2010 with a degree in Public Policy Studies and is enrolled in graduate school for Master of Arts in Liberal Studies.
Djems Kouame, WR, Toronto
We think no one on the Argos has a more appropriate name than Shannon Boatman, but we do like Kouame, whose last name is pronounced Koo-am-mee. The first name is pronounced Gems. If he makes the Argos, the headline will be "Djems Is A Diamond In The Rough". His family immigrated to Canada from the Ivory Coast in the '80s. His bio suggests he is a talented musician who can play piano, guitar, sing and is working toward producing his own record. We suggest he hook up with Terrance Stringer of MajorGlow Entertainment.
Rashaud Slaughter, WR/RB/KR, Montreal
He just sounds like an athlete. Can you imagine the headlines if he lights it up? He's in tough with the Als, but based on his versatility who knows? He's a product of the University of Alabama Birmingham, who has had previous professional stops with the Arena Football League and Indoor Football League.
