The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Football Great competing for championship in Canada
11.22.2019 | Football
Jackson Jeffcoat (2010-13) and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will play in the Grey Cup on Sunday.
Jackson Jeffcoat has spent the last three seasons as a key contributor to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and on Sunday he'll play for the Grey Cup.
As the Canadian Football League prepares for the 107th Grey Cup this Sunday featuring the Blue Bombers and Hamilton Tiger-Cats, many football fans in the United States still view the CFL with a sense of mystique. The field is wider and longer, the offense only gets three downs to advance the ball 10 yards, the goalposts are located at the front of the end zones, and the end zones themselves are 20 yards deep.
While the field dimensions are distinct and some of the rules different, for Blue Bomber defensive end and Longhorn great Jackson Jeffcoat football in Canada comes down to one thing.
"When it's all said and done, it's football. There are a lot of similarities and there are minimal differences," Jeffcoat said. "It's fun and fast-paced; we have a 25-second play clock, not the long 40-second clock like they do down south. But in the end, it's just football. The one noticeable difference to me is the national anthem that's played before the game."
In his third season in the CFL, Jeffcoat has embraced the play of the CFL and the city of Winnipeg. Jeffcoat was a consensus All-American, the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and the winner of the Ted Hendricks Award as the nation's top defensive end during his senior season at Texas. He battled injuries during NFL stints with the Seattle Seahawks, Washington Redskins and Cleveland Browns before signing with Winnipeg in 2017. His addition quickly paid dividends for the Blue Bombers, as he registered 36 tackles, seven sacks and an interception, helping the team to a 12-6 record and second place in the West Division standings.
Now in his third season with the Blue Bombers, Jeffcoat has embraced the CFL and the city of Winnipeg.
"I didn't know what to expect before I arrived," Jeffcoat recalled. "I spoke with some guys that I trained with in Cincinnati who had played in Toronto and (former Longhorn teammate) John Harris, who won a Grey Cup with Ottawa, about their experiences and they really enjoyed playing up here.
"I'm glad I made the decision to play here. Everyone in Winnipeg has been so welcoming, showing me the city of Winnipeg and educating a lot of us on the history and what's gone on here."
As with any job, there are challenges that come with working in a different country. He quickly learned that his cell phone wouldn't work as well and that it would be better to bring his own truck to Winnipeg than rely on renting one.
Jeffcoat lives and trains in Austin in the offseason, driving his truck the roughly 1,500 miles to Winnipeg in early May, then back home following the season. When people see his Texas license plates or especially when he is wearing his Longhorns gear, he often has a "Hook 'em" yell directed his way.
"It's just crazy. I'm all the way up here and people want to know about Texas and the Horns. It's a world-wide brand," Jeffcoat said. "Seeing fans or supporters all the way up here in Canada reminds me what a special place The University of Texas is and how blessed I am to be a Longhorn for Life."
Roughly half of the Bombers roster is made up of international players, with a third of them also electing to drive into town ahead of the season. Jackson and teammate Sergio Schiaffino Perez, a native of Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, often joke with each other that the 400 miles that separates their hometowns may be among the closest of any of their teammates.
This season's Blue Bomber squad is among the most successful teams they have had in years. Winnipeg has not won a Grey Cup in 28 years, the longest drought in CFL history, and will be making its first Grey Cup appearance since 2011.
"The last time Winnipeg won was in 1990, the year I was born. In a nine-team league, that's a long time," Jeffcoat said. "These fans deserve a Grey Cup; they deserve to have the Grey Cup hoisted and be champions.
Following a 9-3 start to the season, Winnipeg dropped three straight games before turning things around to finish 11-7 overall and third in the West Division. The Bombers have been on a mission in the playoffs, collecting road wins in Calgary and Saskatchewan to set up the matchup with Hamilton, the only team Winnipeg has yet to defeat this season. The recent surge has energized the city of Winnipeg, which has been longing for a championship.
"Canadians in general just love and live for hockey, but in the province of Manitoba there is a lot of love for football and the Blue Bombers," Jeffcoat said. "It's been unreal and a lot of fun because people here are diehard Bomber fans. They love the (NHL's) Winnipeg Jets, but they love the Bombers, too. We have a very loyal and passionate fanbase up here."
This season, Jeffcoat has collected 23 tackles, five sacks and forced two fumbles in 12 games. Over his three seasons in Winnipeg, he has appeared in 40 games, racking up 80 tackles, 17 sacks, five forced fumbles and an interception.
Heading into Sunday's game, Jeffcoat will look to add his name to the list of Longhorns to win a Grey Cup championship; a list that includes recent alums Kwame Cavil and Mike Adams, current UT defensive line coach Oscar Giles, as well as Canadian Football Hall of Famer and Longhorn All-American Herb Gray, who won four Grey Cups with the Blue Bombers between 1958 and 1962.
There is some added incentive for Jeffcoat, as the Hamilton Tiger-Cats roster includes childhood friend Luke Tasker. A Dallas native, Jeffcoat lived in Buffalo for three years while his father, Jim Jeffcoat, and Tasker's father, Steve, were playing with the Bills.
"After he won two Super Bowls with the Cowboys, my dad played three more years in Buffalo and Luke and I became friends," Jeffcoat said. "He's a great guy and it's always fun to play against him, but we plan on beating them boys."
The 107th Grey Cup will take place at McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alberta this Sunday. Kickoff is slated for 5 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN2.
