This is the second in a two-part installment on the 1970-72 Sisler Spartans, who were inducted into the Football Manitoba Hall of Fame Class of 2020. Click here to read part one. Both articles are by Mike Still (@mikestill94).

In 1970, the Sisler Spartans ended a dominant three-year run by the Churchill Bulldogs atop the then-ten team Winnipeg High School Football League. It was the third of five league titles for legendary head coach Frank Bryan, and was followed by two more years of dominance. The Spartans lost just once in regular season play between the ’71 and ’72 seasons, reaching the finals in both. 

In 1971, Sisler went 6-0-1 with a hard-nosed, regimented practice schedule meant to separate the men from the boys. For team members like Craig Waskin – a member of both the 71 and ’72 rosters who played slotback, safety and was a punt and pick returner – the daily grind was embraced. He, and others like 1972 team member Rick Henkewich, were used to playing tackle football in the North End streets with no equipment against those much older than they were. It created a toughness that mimicked the identity Bryan wanted on the field. 

“The hitting, it was like joining the army for sure. They throw you in full equipment, and wow, some of the drills, it was meant to separate who could hit and who could take a hit, from the guys who didn’t have the stomach to do that,” Waskin says. 

“It was heavy, heavy physical play and you won your place on the team by attrition. The other stuff came secondary, because we were going to steamroll anybody that we played.”

To say that the Spartans steamrolled their opposition would be an immense understatement. They finished the season with a 243-47 point differential, with their toughest test coming against arch-rival Churchill, which resulted in the team’s lone draw. 

By nature, Sisler was an intimidating team. Filled with hard-nosed, enormous football players, they rocked all black jerseys and embraced their identity in all aspects. This included pre-game warm ups, where Bryan instructed his squad to wait until the opposition had begun calisthenics, and then told them to “run heavy.” 

Then, the group formed a circle, known as the “circle of terror” and took turns running at each other. The hits could be heard from all over the field. 

“It instilled fear,” says Waskin, who, like his physical counterparts in the secondary wasn’t afraid to join the fray in the run game. “But the things done during the game were nowhere near what happened at practice.”

Fellow standouts such as gunslinger Rick Koswin, a multiple-year starter for the program who played receiver and some quarterback for the Manitoba Bisons, as well as 1971 Harry Hood winner Barry Melnyk and slotback Garry Rosolovich – a Boise State and Winnipeg Blue Bombers alum – were critical to the team’s success. 

Melnyk was part of a terrifying power run game that featured a two-back set, while Koswin’s size and skill-set made him a problem to stop. 

“He was about 6’3” or 6’4” and a heavier-set guy. He was really smart. He could roll out, and he would bait everybody,” says Waskin of the pivot. “He’d be holding the ball as if he was going to hit somebody, and then he’d either throw it or take off for 45 yards. He had to be 210 pounds in high school.” 

“He had offers in the states after grade 12, but he chose to go to the U of M. He had a cannon. The worst thing Frank could ever do to you was tell you to go warm up Koswin,” added Henkewich, a two-way player in 1972 who was also one heck of a punter. 

“That was the worst punishment he could give you. Rick was an amazing quarterback. As good as the quarterbacks I’ve seen come out of this league, you’d be hard-pressed to find a Rick Koswin.”

In the finals, the Spartans faced off against Gordon Bell. The Panthers were simply overmatched, as Sisler made it two in a row with a 26-8 victory. Despite all of their success throughout the season, leaders such as Melnyk ensured the team remained focused on the task at hand. 

“We got through the season and were winning game after game after game. We knew that we were right there. I don’t think there was ever a question that we weren’t going to win it. It might sound a little arrogant, but it’s true. We had that mindset, but guys still took it serious,” mentioned Waskin. 

“I remember before that game, Barry Melnyk just sitting in his locker all quiet. You could hear a pin drop in that dressing room. We went out and did our jobs and won the game.”

Spartans make another run in 1972 

With the addition of Henkewich, a former Tec Voc athlete who’d missed the 1971 season due to personal reasons, Sisler’s menacing squad was boosted further. He was one of eight two-way players, and his rapport with Waskin made for a long day at the office for opponents. 

“The depth at our skill positions was actually unbelievable. Guys were just plugged in and I don’t think we missed a beat. I’ve been around the league for 50 years. Quite honestly, I’ve seen great teams, I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a team in its skill positions with the depth that we had,” he says. 

“Craig and I played beside each other, and we instinctively knew what was going on. For a guy that played half and a guy who played on the corner, we liked to hit. Craig was such a sure-handed tackler. He would be able to read the angles, cut you off and make that tackle. It was so great. He played safety for that reason. I don’t think we had a better tackler on the team. We had speed guys playing the gunner position, just because Frank wanted us down there, and we got down there. We were there for one reason, to fly down field and to go for the ball.”

Sisler made the finals again in ’72, but hit a speed bump along the way in a 33-21 loss to Gordon Bell in regular season play. They avenged the blemish in the semi-finals though with a 27-14 win. 

The hunt for a three-peat was unfortunately dashed by St. John’s, a fellow North End team with immense size. The Spartans came into the game with some lingering injuries to two-way starters and fell to the Tigers in a contest that saw temperatures drop to -15.

“That’s ultimately what hurt us in the finals. We were just so beat up,” says Henkewich. There weren’t enough big guys on the line in ’72. We averaged 5’10”, 210 pounds playing on the line. Ted Million, Chris Walby were just a few guys for St. John’s.”

Despite the loss, Sisler’s legacy from 1970-72 lives on. The Football Manitoba Hall of Fame members continue to embrace a brotherhood that made them near unstoppable.

“The legacy that we wanted to leave was that there was a lot of pride in playing for Sisler. We left it all on the field and we wanted future teams to live up to that. We wanted to let people know what it was like to be that north end team that did it – that three years of everything and to set the standard,” noted Henkewich. 

“The legacy of that team, I don’t think you can replicate that. This team is still close. Prior to COVID, we got together a couple of times just to talk as friends that are in different worlds now and different lives. We still have that brotherhood.”

Have your say in the Manitoba Major Junior Football League’s All-Decade Team (2009-19)! Every other day, a new category will be opened, and voting will stay open for a week. Below are the links to vote.

Quarterback — click here to vote

Running back — click here to vote

Receiver — click here to vote

Offensive line — click here to vote

The North Winnipeg Nomads have come a long way since their inception in 1969. Once a single-age bantam team, the program exploded to over 500 athletes by 2010, becoming western Canada’s largest amateur football club. 

“There were four terminator teams and four atom. Peewee I think had three, and we had minor bantam and bantam, then we had midget and major. The [WWCFL’s Winnipeg] Wolfpack joined us and then the MGFA joined us, so we exploded to over 622 kids playing,” recalls Jeffrey Bannon, the commissioner of the Winnipeg High School Football League and Nomads president from 2013-14. 

“We were a small business. We had 20 board members. That was around the time that we started the Seven Oaks Flag Jamboree. We still have a great relationship with Seven Oaks School Division. We had essentially 200 kids who didn’t play football come to the Nomads field through all Seven Oaks schools and play flag football for a day.”

Tradition and history are invaluable to the club. Past presidents such as Don Van Achte and Keith and Kerry Sampson helped North Winnipeg thrive from the 80’s into the 2000s. 

Additionally, long-time board member Richard Dudek was instrumental in field and facility upgrades through the years. One of these upgrades came in 2010, when the Nomads constructed a new 3600-square foot clubhouse and storage facility – the result of fundraising that began back in 2002. 

 “The Sampson family, I think all five brothers were involved in the program. Nathan Yamron, president two times. Those are the names that come to mind who have been there forever. Don Van Achte, his name is on the wall. Sixteen years,” mentioned Bannon. 

“You have to know your history to know where you’re going. Don, I see him at work all the time. He’s on the sideline at Bomber games. We would talk all of the time. Don would tell me all these stories about how they were over at Frank Whyte, and how they bought it for a dollar. 

“The Sampsons would tell me stories about how they would do pancake breakfasts. They had better programs in the late 80s and 90s than we do now and we have better technology. Someone would type it up on a typewriter and they would hand it out. It’s crazy the stuff they would do with pancake breakfasts and rallies. The Sampson men were the coaches and were running the facility, but the Sampson wives were equally important back then. You gain so much respect.”

The Nomads were equally productive on the field. As of this writing, the green and yellow have won close to 30 Manitoba provincial championships. Recent names to come through the program include Winnipeg Blue Bombers running back Brady Oliveira, Saskatchewan Huskies defensive tackle Kieran Cummings, former Kas Vidruk Lineman of the Year Rain Slater and Manitoba Bisons Austin Balan (started at safety as a true freshman in 2019), Elijah Rivera (defensive back) and Jarrett Alcaraz (defensive back). 

Phillips and Slater were part of a roster coached by Dan Noordman, another name synonymous with the program. In a three-year span, Noordman’s teams only lost a couple of games. Those rosters set a precedent for today’s players, in part because of their commitment. 

“Those teams really set the bar for the Nomads, because they all came up from the beginning. My kid looked up to the Rain Slater era and Christian Phillips. And everyone knew who Brady was. You saw our Nomads for Life awards, we were graduating 10-12 kids a year who had been with us all that time. It’s contagious,” says Bannon. 

“You take a look at the Cummings’. That family is entrenched in Nomads football. Noordman, he coached twice. He coached his first kid and his second kid later. When his grandson comes back, he’ll be a third time coach.” 

Just as important has been the safe space North Winnipeg’s facility has provided. Over the years, it’s been a safe haven and a positive influence, teaching countless athletes invaluable lessons. 

“We were really out there, and we were a positive influence in the community,” says Bannon. 

“When kids played, they didn’t leave. That canteen was crazy. I would work those canteens for hours upon hours. You looked around and it was football, family and fun. Those kids were staying around in their jerseys playing on the small field and just hanging out while the other teams were playing.” 

Bannon proudly notes that his love for football comes from the Nomads. The lessons he learned there and the memories he and his family created were the catalyst for future opportunities with the Blue Bombers, Football Manitoba and the WHSFL. He’s not alone in that fact. Many Nomads lifers continue to give back to the program to this day – a major reason for the club’s sustained success over countless generations. 

“I’m in love with the Bombers, I’m in love with the CFL, but my first football love is the Nomads,” noted Bannon. “I may not wear all of the merchandise I have still, but I’ve still got it. All the stuff I have that says president, it’s not going anywhere. I’m never going to give that up. I’m proud of that.”

The St. Vital Mustangs have a proud history in the Manitoba Major Junior Football League (MMJFL). The club has won 14 MMJFL titles since 1983, winning at least once in every decade, including a run of six titles in eight years between 1987-94. The ‘Stangs most recent championship came in 2016, where they were near unstoppable. They scored 301 total points while giving up just 70 en route to an undefeated league championship.

Leading the charge in 2016 was Derek Mills, a 25-year-veteran as a coach who’s looking to bring the Mustangs back to the pinnacle in 2021. His roster for the upcoming season will look slightly different, with 2016 veterans such as Lucas Johnston (quarterback) and Korey Rous (offensive line) now aged out, however the core of the team remains.

“St. Vital has had a storied past. We’ve been successful year after year after year. It doesn’t matter who we have graduating from year to year. Looking at the group of guys we had in 2019, I think we’re looking good for the future,” Mills says.

“I’m excited about getting together with the guys again, and having that family dynamic that we seem to have. And being in the locker room again, looking around and seeing 40 guys having fun together and being on the same page and working as a team. Those are the things that I look forward to, it’s that building of friendships and seeing those things kind of bloom throughout the season.”

In terms of team priorities, Mills will be looking for a replacement for Johnston at the pivot position. He has a few athletes in mind, but won’t be able to comment in full until he sees everyone on the field. When that happens will be up to the provincial government. The hope is for a full campaign this year after 2020 was postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Another position of need will be at offensive line, a common theme for every MMJFL squad. In 2019, an under-sized Rous led the group at centre, and his veteran presence will be missed going forward, however Mills has confidence that his roster can fill the void. They got better in every game, winning five of their last six, and nearly pulled off the upset against an undefeated East Side team in the championship.

“We had a very young, undersized offensive line. You could see it in our season opener. We got smoked by the Eagles. After that game, we were a little unsure of where we were headed, but the improvement that that young squad made throughout the season, and their work ethic and desire to get better and become better as a unit really showed up later in the season,” the head coach noted.

“In the championship game, we actually had the lead at half-time. That’s a testament to how hard that particular group worked all season long.”

A position of strength for the Mustangs last season was their receiving corps, which remains largely intact for 2021. Veteran Richard Wyss has one year of eligibility left, and could form the league’s top duo with Stanton Rempel, who led the squad in receiving yards a year ago. The future looks bright well past this year, with the likes of Bennet Finney and Ethan Thacker, who both saw time as 18-year-old rookies and are capable of playing in multiple positions.

On the defensive side of the ball, the team will be anchored by veterans such as Ray Cruz, Mackenzie Dueck and Robert Lussier. Cruz spent a year playing university ball in Ontario, and made a return to his club football roots in 2019. His presence was felt immediately as a two-way starter. Dueck, a former standout at corner for the Steinbach Sabres, has been described as a “smaller version” of all-time great linebacker and 2016 champ Chris Brown-Fillion, while Lussier is the brains of the operation, not only in the secondary, but the defence as a whole. He’s in his final year of eligibility in 2021 and knows what it takes to win, as he was also on the 2016 roster.

“[Lussier] is probably the guy I’ve been in contact with the most, and he has said that he’s interested in coming back for one more season. He just graduated from university, he’s working full-time so his life has taken on a new dynamic, but he did say if we do have a season this year, he would like to play,” says Mills.

“Robert has played a big role over the last few years as far as formulating our defensive schemes, our playbook, our game plans – he’s been an integral part of that. Just to have his knowledge and his foresight, the way he knows the game and can read an offence, it’s really important.”

As they always do, the Mustangs will welcome in some new faces from the Winnipeg High School Football League who are looking for a place to play. A minor benefit of the pandemic is that the club will have two years of athletes to potentially recruit, rather than one in a normal year. Newcomers to the roster will quickly see what makes Mills and his group consistently strong — a keyword being “fun.”

“I allow the players to be themselves, but keep them in check at the same time. That’s something that I just try and promote with my players,” says Mills.

“It’s quality football. We work hard. It’s not beer league football like some might think it is. I put my guys to work, and they have to compete in order to get playing time, just like at the higher levels, but they have fun doing it.”

This is the second in a three-part series examining the history and success of the North Winnipeg Nomads Football Club. We continue with Dennis Radlinsky, a Nomads alum who started playing for the club in the 80s, and later gave back as a coach. Click hereto read part one. 

Long-time Nomads president Don Van Achte left a permanent mark on the lives of many football players over the years. One of those men was Dennis Radlinsky, who fondly recalls his under-age bantam years in the green and yellow in the early 1980s. Playing football exposed him to teammates and coaches from different areas of the North End, where he formed critical bonds. 

“North Winnipeg is very big, and I got to know people from Garden City and from Luxton and I was from West Kildonan. I got to know some amazing young men. Jayson Dzikowicz and I were teammates in the 80’s, and he was a lot of fun to play with,” recalled Radlinsky, who was a difference-maker on the offensive line.  

“Don Van Achte was my first coach. He made a profound impact on my life. He went to my wedding, and has been intertwined in my football life since day one.”

To both North End residents, football was much more than a game. It was a place where friends became brothers and coaches became family, all united in their pursuit of excellence, and to represent their community with pride.    

“Being 13 years old and riding my bike, I didn’t know anybody. I was just an oversized 13-year old and these veterans welcomed someone who could help the team. They knew I played football before they knew my name. They just embraced you for whatever raw ability you could bring to make the game better,” noted Radlinsky. 

“It was natural for us. We didn’t have to reinvent ourselves when we played, we were all meant to be together. Everybody rode their bike to practice, and they worked us pretty hard. We kind of felt like we were built different.”

Radlinsky’s time with the Nomads prepared him for success in the game later on in life. He played two years of midget football for the St. Boniface Warriors between 1986-87, and in the spring of 1987 made the first-ever provincial team. This was back when the midget league “was the bomb,” according to Radlinsky, and had eight teams. 

Afterwards, the offensive lineman spent a year playing in Minnesota, and then returned home for four years with the Winnipeg Hawkeyes as a starting right guard. Following this, he spent four years with the University of Manitoba, where he started at right tackle. He then played ten years of senior ball, winning the Canadian title on multiple occasions.  

‘You were playing junior in the north end, you can kind of figure out the rest’

Radlinsky’s time playing for the Winnipeg Hawkeyes stands out. The team took the place of the Weston Wildcats in the Manitoba-Saskatchewan Junior Football League in 1970, filling a void for young adults in the North End community. 

In 1976, the Hawkeyes became one of four teams that formed the Manitoba Junior Football Conference, alongside the St. Vital Mustangs, Fort Garry Lions and Winnipeg Rods. They developed a solid rivalry with the Mustangs throughout the 1980s, with the teams meeting in the conference final on seven different occasions, with the Hawkeyes earning four victories. 

In terms of wins and losses, the highlight of Radlinsky’s time with the Hawkeyes came in 1989, where the squad – who went 7-0-1 – won the conference title, and then bested Okanagan – the storied BC junior club who were 8-0 – by a score of 19-10 in the western semi-final at home. It was the first out of province victory for the conference in a number of years, and came over an Okanagan team that were the defending Canadian Junior Football League national champs. 

The Hawkeyes’ identity came through their power run game, with the help of bruising linemen such as Radlinsky, along with powerhouse back Mike Connor, who finished the contest with 36 carries for 187 yards on a windy day. Winnipeg’s defence also forced five turnovers, including an interception by Garfield Thompson at the Hawkeyes’ 19 with the squad up 16-10. 

“In ’89 our coaching staff was [Grey Cup champion] Paul Bennett, [two-time Grey Cup champ] Dan Huclack, [CFL All-Star] Bobby Thompson and [Grey Cup champ] Willard Reaves,” recalled Radlinsky.

“Instinctively, we thought of ourselves as a bit of an island. We were the north side guys. We had dozens of players from Lockport and Selkirk and Warren and north of portage. That north end identity permeated through all of us the minute you put on the hawk.”

The team’s logo was stylized as a thunderbird, giving the group a “First Nations” vibe, which they embraced, as did the fans. 

“We backed onto Manitoba housing. The people loved us. They embraced us like a pro team,” noted Radlinsky.

“The place was packed. There were no gaps in our lineup. Every guy was a beast. I was only 19 years old when I came in, and there was no feeling out process. You were thrown in there and there were guys who would test you. You were playing junior in the north end. You can kind of figure out the rest.”

By 1995, the Manitoba Junior Conference was no more. The Hawkeyes played in the CJFL’s Prairie Football Conference in 1996, but folded a year later. The club gave back to the north end, as the Nomads moved to their former clubhouse in 1997, where they’ve remained to this day. They also supplied North Winnipeg with helmets and shoulder pads, and in 2013, the facility’s main field was renamed in honour of Markus Howell, a former Hawkeye who won a Grey Cup in 2008 with Calgary.  

‘A branded Nomad’

Five years later, Radlinsky returned home, after being convinced by then president Don McPherson to head up the major junior program. 

“I had never been a head coach before,” he says. 

“I started in 2002 with a three-person staff and a manager. [McPherson] buttered me up pretty good. I was called ‘a branded Nomad,’ which was really important. A lot of people walk away from that label the higher they get, and I never did that. I was always a branded Nomad. I thought you know what, let’s do it. The first year we had 19 kids and the second year we had 24. Then we started to build a little bit of momentum. We made the playoffs 14 consecutive years. The year we did not make the playoffs was the year we folded in 2016.”

Under the guidance of Radlinsky, the Nomads won the major junior championship in 2008 and 2009, while advancing to the finals four straight years. 

“The standard formula for major league success is recruiting. What we did is we promoted that we were one hundred percent north end players. It was tough at first, and then we started getting 40, 50, 60 guys to training camp,” he says. 

“Our philosophy was that we would only reach out of district out of deep necessity. We wanted to be a strong community team. Our club program was thriving. Our midget teams at the time were consistently high performers, and Sisler, Maples and Tec Voc at the time were all producing consistently amazing athletes.”

Throughout the years of success, Radlinsky was quick to remind his players about the 19 athletes who showed up in year one. They set the standard for dedication which remained for many years.

“We used to tell the guys that came out to remember the 19 in 2002, the guys that came out every day and played both ways. We had some history that was really compelling. That was important for the guys in the championship years to know. There were guys that came after hockey practice or came after work and brought their kids. They laid the foundation.”

Stay tuned for part three, where former Nomads president Jeffrey Bannon discusses the legacy of the club to this day, and the impact North Winnipeg has had on him and many others who are thriving at all levels of football in the province. 

The name Brady Dane is synonymous with Westman football. 

The former offensive lineman began his career at age 12 in the Westman Youth Football Association (WYFA) before transitioning to Vincent Massey High School. The year after he graduated – 2010 to be exact – was the first year Westman fielded a team in the Manitoba Major Junior Football League (MMJFL). He’s been a fixture, both as a player and coach ever since. 

But for the last 14 months, Westman and the rest of the MMJFL has been playing the waiting game. The COVID-19 pandemic caused the 2020 season to be cancelled at all levels of amateur football, and the 2021 campaign is also up in the air. With vaccines rolling out though, there’s a higher chance of a season being played this year. 

“I try to stay optimistic with it,” says Dane. 

“Losing the high school season was a big wake up call for how serious this is, knowing how precious each season is to the guys who are playing, because you get so few opportunities, it certainly sunk in the reality of it. There was a little bit of, wow, I’ve got a little more free time, I’m not as busy as I usually am in the fall. For a little while it’s kind of nice. I’ve certainly had weeks where I get into making a playbook, or working on new stuff and going through our list of guys and checking in with people. Then, you have weeks where you’re completely uninterested in It and you don’t even want to look at it. It depends what day you ask me.”

Thankfully, the Wolverines have a stable board which is passionate about the program, and are just as eager to see the MMJFL return.

“We’ve still got a core group that’s been here for a while, and we’re still fairly stable in that. We all do it because I think we like the football part of it at the end of the day,” noted Dane. 

“We like when there’s games being played and participating in that whenever you can. When you’re not getting the payoff, it can definitely ware on people. I’m looking forward to getting it back. I coach with Massey and the Wolverines and I’m heavily involved in our youth football. I’ve haven’t had this much time on my hands since high school.”

2021 forecast 

The ‘Reens didn’t graduate very many players in 2019, but they did lose some critical fourth and fifth-year veterans and will need to make additions at certain spots. Due to his connections at not only Massey, but all three Brandon high schools, Dane is able to maintain consistent communication with potential players. With high school graduation looming, he’s upping his efforts.

“It’s great in Brandon, we’re so tight knit with the Brandon high schools. I’m able to send a text to all of the guys to say hey, you think any of your guys might be interested? Send them my way if they might want to. They’re very cooperative in passing on information for me. We have to keep doing it in the hopes that we might get something. If we don’t, whenever we do come back, I think it’ll be a benefit to have the contacts and know who the guys are around here.”

Dane thinks Westman will have around 20 guys back for 2021, including some key veterans in a powerful backfield and on a hulking offensive line – two identities of Wolverines football. 

Up front, long-time centre Wyatt Wilson is hoping the league will honour the fifth year that he lost due to the pandemic in 2020, while two-way lineman Liam Doherty is also eager to strap the pads on again. Additionally, receiver/running back Dusty Siemens has been messaging Dane often in the group chat he set up for the squad. 

Lead running back Tyler Rowan is perhaps the biggest returnee out of the group though. A former standout at the WHSFL Division 1 level for Vincent Massey and a Player of the Year nominee, he’s started for the Wolverines for numerous seasons. 

“He’s one for sure,” says Dane. “He’s been out helping coach in Brandon here. We got flag football off the ground for a couple of weeks at the start of May before more restrictions came down and we got shut down again, and he was very clearly interested.”

If a full season isn’t permitted, Dane would love to at least see the guys be able to put the pads on again, and perhaps play in an organized scrimmage. 

 “Guys are going to be rusty. Let’s get out there and do the basics, run some plays and set up an inter-squad game even within yourselves if that’s all that we’re allowed. Maybe you play a half of a regular game or you do some scenarios and come up with a scoring system for the defence versus the offence. You can have some fun with it, and we’ve done that in high school before. If we can get away with a couple weeks of practice and then going and doing a more controlled exhibition game with the Rods or the Mustangs, or Eagles, I’d be up for that too.”

Regardless as to what happens this fall, the ‘Reens bench boss will continue to press on. He sees the value the league provides, and remains as passionate about its benefits today as he did when he played. 

“Just speaking, not only as a coach in this league, but as a guy who played in this league, we’re going to be back. It’s such a great league to play in. Football is so precious and you get such a small opportunity of time to play this game, Whatever opportunity I think anyone gets to play this game, I think you want to take advantage of it and we want to take advantage of it and just play this game in whatever way we can. We’re missing it. We’ll deal with whatever restrictions we have to, let’s get out there and start enjoying this game again.”

This is the first in a three-part series examining the history of the North Winnipeg Nomads Football Club. We open with a feature on Don Van Achte, the longest-serving president in team history who helped build a solid foundation that remains to this day.  

In 2019, the North Winnipeg Nomads Football Club celebrated their 50th anniversary. The program – which started as a 15-year-old bantam team – has come a long way since 1969, and at one time boasted the second largest enrolment in Canadian amateur football. All throughout, the Nomads have provided a safe space for the North End community to come together, providing valuable lessons and life-long friendships along the way. 

“In my view it kept a lot of kids out of trouble that probably could’ve went different ways. They made different friends by playing football, and they learned sportsmanship as well as teamwork,” noted Don Van Achte, a member of the ’69 bantam team and the club’s longest-serving president (1982-91, 1994-97). 

“I can think of a lot of times coaching and as president where kids came to us who were in trouble with the law and with school and everything else. Their lives turned around and they became good corporate citizens.”

The team’s name was fitting, as they were located all throughout the city’s North End. 

“We sort of floated around,” says Van Achte. 

“The bantam team was basically out of Northwood and the minor bantam team was out of Sinclair Park. When the minor bantam league ceased to exist, that’s when the bantams moved to Sinclair Park, and then we moved to Frank Whyte Field. We were all over the place.”

In 1970, the Nomads became the first Winnipeg team to win the Western Canadian Bantam Football Championship since its inception in 1967. It was the first of five provincial titles for the club during the decade, the last of which came in 1979 at the minor bantam level. 

In 1982, Van Achte took over as president in unusual fashion. 

“I did not want to be president. It was sort of forced upon me,” he says with a chuckle. 

“I was actually coaching a team at the time, and we went to the AGM, and basically nobody showed up. We got a phone call from the president at the time, and he basically said I’m not able to proceed, so you guys are on your own. We sort of looked around the room, and there were people that had been involved for quite some time, like Doug Miller who had been equipment manager, and we said we don’t want this thing to end on our shoulders, so we started working from there.” 

Slowly, Van Achte and company built up an executive filled with like-minded, passionate individuals from the area. The following year, there were 12 people on the board, and that number rose to 18 by 1989. 

“Within the first year, we had a fairly good basis on the executive,” he says. 

“Some of the people were doing double and triple rolls, but everyone seemed to pull together and we found other people – parents of kids who were quite knowledgeable and they worked out very well. It just sort of grew.”

The club was in debt when Van Achte took over, but the group pulled together and secured the money needed to carry on. 

“It was part of our struggle,” he says. 

“We basically worked out of Frank Whyte and Garden City at the time, and we used to run a bingo out of Garden City Community Centre that helped finance us quite a bit, and put a lot of money in our pockets to do projects such as Frank Whyte, and eventually some of that money carried over to when they did stuff at the Hawkeyes’ field.”

The club’s major project at Frank Whyte involved building a new field that was exclusive to football, as at that time, the Nomads were sharing the field with soccer teams. Critical in the development of the field was the late Richard Dudek, an active member of the executive for many years whose understanding of provincial grants was invaluable. 

“When I was ten years old, Richard was my coach, and then when his son was ten years old, I convinced him to get back into coaching. I was president at the time,” Van Achte mentioned. 

“Richard was very knowledgeable of the grant systems and so forth. He helped the organization out a lot in that area. At the time, he worked for the City of Winnipeg, so he knew the ins and the outs of where to go for money and how to do it.”

During this era, the Nomads expanded substantially, as Pop Warner for the younger ages ceased to exist. 

“We’d gone to a midget team, as well as the bantams. While we had Pop Warner in the area, our club would support the Pop Warner. We would have teams, but they wouldn’t be called Nomads. When the Pop Warner league ceased to exist, that’s when we took over the Nomads’ peewees, minor bantams and atoms,” recalled Van Achte. 

“They were all put back into existence under the Nomad name. We had gone from two teams to seven age categories. In some of those age categories, we had two teams – sometimes we even had three or four, depending on the number of kids that registered.”

Stay tuned for part two next week as proud Nomad alum Dennis Radlinsky details his playing days in the 80s and the identity of North Winnipeg teams. He also shares his connection to Van Achte, and details some memories from his time with the Hawkeyes, who gave their facility to the Nomads after folding in the late 90s. Rad closes with his path back to the program, which included starting the major junior team in the mid 2000s. 

Recently, University of Saskatchewan defensive back Charlie Ringland was selected to the 2021 East-West Bowl Showcase, which brings together over 90 of the top U SPORTS draft-eligible prospects for a week of practices and a combine evaluation camp. The week culminates with the annual prospects game. This year’s in-person event was cancelled due to COVID-19. 

The honour was yet another on Ringland’s impressive U SPORTS resume. He was also the team’s Rookie of the Year as a true freshman in 2018 and won a Hardy Cup that same season. But before Ringland made a name for himself in the green and white, he plied his trade in Winnipeg with the Oak Park Raiders. 

“It was a super fun school,” he says. “It was close to home and all of my friends were there. I couldn’t imagine going anywhere else. Oak Park has great school spirit and they always got a lot of people out to big games. It was a blast.”

A two-sport star in high school, Ringland’s focus was originally on hockey. He helped the Raiders win their first-ever Division 1 city championship in 2016, scoring in a 3-2 win in a series-deciding game three against Vincent Massey. After a few years away from the gridiron, he’d picked football back up in 2015, in an attempt to make further memories with his friends.  

Critical in his development was local training program Recruit Ready, founded a few years prior by former Manitoba Bisons Brad Black and Blair Atkinson. Black was also an alum of Oak Park, and had a passion for giving back to his alma mater. The pair originally started Recruit Ready out of OP’s basement doing weight lifting, eventually transitioning to year-round training which has aided in the progression of countless U SPORTS players, as well as NCAA alum such as former Raider Brady Oliveira.  

“I started going to those Recruit Ready programs and they turned me from an athlete into a football player, which was super helpful, and we went on those seven-on-seven tournaments in the states,” recalls Ringland. “Then in grade 12 [Black] got my name out there to a lot of coaches in U SPORTS programs, so that helped a lot.”

Ringland was a two-way force at quarterback and defensive back for the Raiders in grade ten, whose closing speed and knack for breaking through tight spaces made him a must-see player. All signs pointed towards an impressive varsity debut in 2016, however those plans were halted early in the season after Ringland tore his ACL against Vincent Massey. The play looked like any other. He scrambled to his left on a naked bootleg and tried to evade a few defenders, but out of nowhere his knee buckled underneath him. 

The weeks and months that followed demonstrated Ringland’s character. Instead of complaining of a lost season, he simply got to work and did his job. He spent the remainder of the school year and most of the summer rehabbing, and by August was back to full-on training for his senior season. 

“It wasn’t the worst thing. It sucked. I missed the rest of football season and all of our hockey season as well, but it all worked out in the end. I had a good physiotherapist that got me through all of my rehab,” he says. 

“I was close to 100 percent so I could go full-out with programs like Recruit Ready and I was at ELITE. Once I could run and do cuts, I kind of just did that all summer trying to get ready for the season.”

Ringland showed no signs of a bummed knee in 2017, recording nine interceptions and 37.5 tackles as the Raiders’ starting safety, while also leading the team under centre. His 6’1” frame and textbook closing speed caused problems for teams all season – none more than the Kelvin Clippers in a November tilt at IG Field. 

It was during this contest that Ringland tallied three interceptions. He took one back to the house, bouncing off of five would-be tacklers along the way, while a second included him batting the ball up with his left hand in traffic, coming up with a one-handed grab with his right not long after. 

Not one to boast, Ringland politely noted that his performance was “like any other season”. It’s a fitting answer for one of the nicest people you’re ever going to meet off the field. 

“I’m more of a lead by example type of guy. I’m not too crazy loud or anything like that, but I listen to the coaches and I do what they ask. I try to make plays as best as I can, and I just hope that other people see that as an example to follow, and to set the standard to make sure that we play at a high level,” he noted. 

“I knew what I could do. I came back healthy and everything healed up pretty well so I wasn’t too worried. I just wanted to go out there and have fun for those last eight games of your high school career and whatever happens happens at the end.”

Heading to Huskie territory 

Ringland’s shift to Saskatchewan came courtesy of a “text message out of the blue” by Huskie bench boss Scott Flory. Ringland went for his visit and was impressed by Flory and his coaching staff, which includes positional coach Paul Woldu, a three-time Grey Cup champ and former Huskie. 

“I’ve never had a coach like him,” he says of Flory. 

“He’s a player’s coach and an awesome guy who cares about his team and his players a lot. If you ever need anything he’s always there, and the coaching staff he’s put around him is top notch as well. We’ve got a couple ex-CFLers and Grey Cup champs on there and they all know what they’re talking about because they’ve played at a high level.”

Ringland earned a starting spot at field corner in 2018, fitting right in with a Huskies secondary that included 2021 CFL Draft picks Nelson Lokombo and Josh Hagerty. He had 23 tackles, a forced fumble, fumble recovery and three pass breakups, using his length and athleticism to his advantage. 

“I think it’s my size and being able to run with guys,” he says of what makes him excel at the U SPORTS level. “Not too many guys run behind me. Being a tall 6’1,”, 6’2” type guy and also being a guy who can run, it’s pretty handy to know that you’re just as big or a little bigger than most of the guys you’re going up against.”

Saskatchewan ran the table in the 2018 conference playoffs, knocking off UBC and then Calgary in back-to-back road games to capture the Hardy Cup. In doing so, the Huskies avenged their only three losses during the regular season. 

The Green Dogs’ 43-18 victory over Calgary in the conference final was a textbook performance from their defence. They recorded seven turnovers, including four interceptions of Canada West Player of the Year Adam Sinagra. They also held the Dinos’ dangerous trio of Jalen and Tyson Philpot and Hunter Karl to 107 combined receiving yards while Tyler Chow rushed for over 200. 

“We kind of knew what Calgary was good at that year. They had some electric receivers and a good quarterback. Our coach put in a great game plan to stop that. We were playing deep coverage to make sure that they didn’t get over top of us,” says Ringland. 

“The defence and offence played great and it all just came together perfectly. It was really fun, especially getting that chance to go out to Western and play in the Mitchell Bowl. It was really cool to see all of that, especially in my first year because now you know what you’re playing for and what you’re working for.”

Saskatchewan returned to the Hardy Cup in 2019, but couldn’t repeat against the Dinos in a 29-4 loss. Ringland enjoyed another spectacular season however, recording 34 tackles, a forced fumble, an interception and three pass breakups at the boundary corner, a position he “had a blast in,” due to the ball coming quicker and being lined up against faster guys.  

“I think that’s probably my favourite spot on the defence right now,” he noted. “I like the competitiveness of corner. You’ve got a guy right in front of you and you’re in his face all of the time.”

Ringland’s first career interception came in textbook fashion. Playing against Alberta, he essentially ran the route of receiver Tanner Buchanan, turning his head to the ball in perfect time to record a diving pick. 

“I do remember it. It was pretty exciting,” he says. 

“I had been snake bitten there for a bit and had dropped a couple, but that one I saw coming and was like there’s no way I’m dropping this. It was awesome. I remember I was just running down the field and turned around and saw the ball coming. I knew it was one that I could get so I kind of just went for it.”

Ringland didn’t know it at the time, but the 2019 season would be he, and the rest of his teammates’ last for well over a year. The COVID-19 pandemic caused the cancelation of the 2020 campaign, leaving teams across the country to compete in organized scrimmages only. 

The mature Ringland took everything in stride. He’s back at home right now, helping Black out at his group home, and is patiently awaiting further news on the 2021 season, which as of now, is penciled to go ahead as a six-game schedule. 

“Our season got cancelled and we just got to practice all fall. It’s good to get on the field and stuff but obviously you’d love to compete every week instead of practicing against your own guys. I think we’re almost over it. It’s got to end soon. Obviously there’s a lot of things right now that you can’t do that everyone would love to do, but it hasn’t been horrible.”

In the 1950s to early 1960’s, junior football thrived in the city of Winnipeg. The University of Manitoba Bisons had been a member of the Western Intercollegiate Rugby Football Union (WIRFU) since 1927, however they disbanded between 1949-58, re-instating football as a varsity sport in 1962. With this in mind, promising prospects who made it to the CFL were primarily filtered through the junior football league. 

In 1953, the city had two programs playing at the Canadian junior level in the Winnipeg RODS (became the St. James RODS in 1959) and the Weston Wildcats. Both teams competed in the Manitoba-Saskatchewan Junior Football League, which was established that year. The winner advanced to the western final, and the national final afterwards. 

The RODS (stands for Respect, Opportunity, Determination and Sportsmanship), under the leadership of head coach George Depres, were nothing short of dominant during the time period. He led the squad to five Canadian Junior National Championship games, winning three. Those three titles, won in 1955, 1956 and 1961, are the only three Canadian junior championships that the province has won. 

John Gottfried was an offensive lineman on the ’61 roster, and looks back fondly on his time with the club. 

“In those years of the 50’s especially, [the RODS] were really a feeder club to the Bombers,” he noted. 

“Tons of guys made the jump from the RODS to the Bombers and were successful, especially some linemen, guys like Corner Piper (four-time Grey Cup champ, member of the ’55 and ’56 RODS) and Eddie Kotowich (seven-year CFL veteran, member of ’52 RODS) who ended up becoming CFL all-stars. They were all through that RODS’ program. It was quite a program.”

Gottfried played on the 1960 WHSFL Championship team at Kelvin High School, and was recruited to play for the RODS by assistant coach Lou Spado. The RODS’ offence at the time was patterned around certain US college teams that utilized athletic pulling guards who paved the way for the team’s backs, and Gottfried fit the mould. Making the roster was no easy task, especially considering how strong the program was at that time. Still, the agile hoggie was able to secure a spot. 

“George had a system that he wanted to play with relatively small, but mobile linemen. I was a 190-pound guard, and he wanted running guards who were mobile and tough enough to meet his standard. I think of it as being in the right place at the right time,” Gottfried recalled.

“Even though the population was smaller at the time, I know with the RODS in the year that we won the national championship, we would have like 110 or 120 guys that would come out for tryouts. Competition for a spot on those teams was pretty high, and the interest in football from young men at the time was very high. In those years, no one had their face in an electronic pad or a telephone. Life was a lot different.”

The journey to Winnipeg’s last junior football championship  

Under Depres – a former quarterback for the RODS who was also an assistant coach for the team while playing for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers – St. James finished first in the regular season.

“He really expected you to work your ass off, but at the same time he was really aware that these were young guys who needed to have fun too,” noted Gottfried of his former head coach. 

“When we’d travel, he’d give us a fair amount of rope to have fun, but then when he said ‘okay boys, the party’s over, it’s time to play football now,’ he taught his players to settle down and become really serious and focused at the right time. He really was able to manage a group of 40 or so young men, and to motivate them at the right time.”

By the time the RODS made it to the western championship in Vancouver, they were battl tested. This was due in part to the gruelling two-game set they previously played against former conference champion Saskatoon, which they won by a combined total of 51-27 amidst a raucous crowd. 

“By the time you went through playoffs, you were so beat up that you could barely walk. It was pretty rough,” says Gottfried. 

“In Saskatoon, we actually sat on the sidelines in makeshift dugouts that you would see in a baseball game. That’s because the fans would throw stuff. They were the most avid fans you’d ever want to see. The players were sort of isolated from the fans for that reason. When we went to Regina or Saskatoon with the team, we travelled by train. We used to get two railroad cars, and I’ll tell you it was party city on the way home. It was a lot of fun.” 

The RODS overcame wet conditions in BC, knocking off the Meralomas 21-8 to advance to the national final in Calgary. Then known as the Shrine Bowl, over 6000 fans packed McMahon Stadium to watch St. James take on the Montreal Rosemont Bombers, the eastern representative and defending national champs. 

The RODS lived up to their “clenched fisters” nickname with an aggressive defensive performance. They sealed a 16-13 win by sacking Montreal pivot Bryan Murray twice late in the game as the Bombers were driving. 

Legacy 

The team, and their head coach’s legacy live on to this day. In 2009, the ’61 squad were inducted into the Manitoba Sports Hall of Fame, joining the two previous RODS squads that had won it all, along with Depres (inducted in 2006), who later revived the dormant U of M football program, winning the Western Canadian Championship in 1966. 

“We went through hell together, and I saw none of them until 2009, so 49 years later. It was really nostalgic and just plain old fun to see how these guys had matured and grown old and so on,” says Gottfried. 

“It was a wonderful ceremony, I really enjoyed it a lot. You almost had to say who you were, because you look a lot different when you’re 20 years old compared to when you’re 60 years old. It was a really unique experience. I was very happy that I had that opportunity.” 

St. James Rods head coach Caleb Goudie looks back fondly on his time as a player in the Manitoba Major Junior Football League (MMJFL). 

A product of Sturgeon Heights who played with the likes of Anthony Coombs, Kienan LaFrance and the Herdman brothers, Goudie tried out for the Winnipeg Rifles as a defensive back in 2011, but was cut. Down on his luck and, he took a season off, which he says was one of the worst years of his life. 

But Goudie wasn’t down for long. Upon the suggestion of a friend, he signed up to play for the Rods, which turned into two of the best years of his life, both on the gridiron and personally.

“I got so demoralized, thinking that I sucked. But then I got on the Rods and it totally did a 180 for me. It changed my perspective on things, and on life. I won’t lie, playing on the Rods’ major team turned my life around in such a positive way. It’s tough to think of where I would be in life without that opportunity to play in the major league,” he says. 

“I look back on my time in the major league and it’s tough not to smile. We were just young kids. We weren’t playing to go onto junior or university, we were just playing to have fun. We were playing to go knock the snot out of the Mustangs or the Eagles. I had guys from my high school playing with me and guys from all over the community that you played against in high school. It’s a cool experience that whole melting pot in majors. You get guys who dropped down from junior and U SPORTS, and you get to see how you play against those guys. I never thought I was that good until I started playing majors.”

Playing in the MMJFL gave Goudie enough confidence to spread his wings elsewhere. He enjoyed successful stints with the Rifles and Broncos of the CJFL afterwards, and also played for the Bishop’s Gaitors at the U SPORTS level. 

Multiple knee injuries derailed Goudie’s playing career, but it didn’t remove his passion for the game. With a desire to give back to the Rods, he stepped into the vacant head coaching position in 2018. 

The first year was a learning curve. The team went winless, but a core group of coaches and players stuck with Goudie’s vision. In 2019, he added some key pieces during the recruiting process, such as Defensive Player of the Year Riley Tougas out of Elmwood, as well as two-way standout Nathaniel King-Wilson from DMCI. The Rods got their first victory under Goudie and played tough against consistent power two squads East Side and St. Vital. 

“You definitely learn from trial and experience. I was 25. It was a big time commitment, but I saw a lot of positives come from it,” Goudie noted of his first season as bench boss. 

“When you’re losing games, and things don’t go your way, you really find you who’s in your corner. Luckily, I’ve still got guys in my corner and we’ve got great guys in St. James on the coaching staff and player-wise. It’s been a rollercoaster. As a young coach, you’ve got to learn how to handle players and coaches and make sure they’re developing and staying on the right path. I love being the head coach of the Rods. I wouldn’t give it up for the world. You could offer me a job with the [New York] Giants and I’d probably turn it down because I love the guys I’m working with right now.”

Impressive list of commits and coaches for 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic put a halt to the 2020 season, but Goudie has pressed on, securing the commitment of an impressive 24 players since the end of the 2019 campaign. The list of signees is varied, and includes athletes from Winnipeg, Steinbach (advanced to the WHSFL Division 1 semi-finals in 2019), Portage and rural Manitoba. 

“I don’t even know how we pulled some of these guys, but we’ve got players coming in from Steinbach, so you know they’re well coached,” says Goudie. “We are loaded in St. James. We might have another class coming in with no football, so I might have more names. We’re on the come up.”

Included in the list of player commitments are former Sturgeon running back Campbell McKinnon – who rushed for over 900 yards, while averaging 8.9 yards per carry his senior year – and fellow Huskie Carter Wiwchar, a former Defensive MVP for the team. 

The squad also made some huge additions to their offensive line, which has been a position of weakness over the last few seasons. Among the crop of hoggies coming in are 6’1”, 285-pound Billy Godwaldt from Steinbach, 6’2”, 265-pound Atlantis Ironstand, a former Offensive Lineman of the Year award winner from Portage, and 6’1” 200-plus pound Jacob Mayer, a “mean and nasty” two-way beast from the St. John’s Tigers who plays the game with a nasty edge. 

Goudie’s coaching staff has also increased during the offseason. A few notable names include Derek Trager – a WHSFL All-Decade team member who set multiple records as a pivot for Miles Mac – as well as former Winnipeg Rifles fullbacks Tim Demidiuk (who will help anchor the o-line) and Joel North, the latter of whom Goudie played “in big games with” as a member of the Rods. They join a staff that already includes former five-time MMJFL All-Star AJ Braconnier, the team’s defensive coordinator who’s been on the staff for 13 years. 

“We’ve got a full coaching staff now. That was probably the hardest thing my first year was finding not just players but good coaches there,” says Goudie. 

“There were a lot of hats that guys had to wear in the first and second year, but now that we have a good core coaching staff, I think it’s going to be amazing for our players and for the league and for the program. I’m looking forward to coaching together with these guys for the next few years. I think we’ve got some bright days ahead of us as a coaching staff and program.”