By Richard Obrand,
MontrealAlouettes.com

Montreal – In years passed, fans of the Alouettes have had the pleasure of watching general manager Jim Popp piece together a team, whose spot in the standings is usually atop in the East Division.

In a city as culturally diverse as Montreal, it is only fitting that the team would have a wide variety of players from a wide variety of schools. 

Players like running back Jarrett Payton (Miami) , cornerback Davis Sanchez (Oregon) and 2008 second round draft pick Andrew Woodruff( Boise State) all attended schools where football is more than just a sport, but a way of life. 

As eye catching as those athletic programs may be, it is a school out of Cheney, WA, that continues to attract Popp and the rest of the Alouettes scouting department. With this year’s selection of linebacker Shea Emry, the Alouettes now have three representatives from Eastern Washington University.

Emry, along with veteran tackle Luke Fritz and cornerback Jesse Hendrix all played with the Eagles.

“It was a great program that really prepared you for the next level,” said Fritz

“Our coaches were constantly trying to help us out so we would be competitive with the rest of our conference.”

For Fritz, however, his time spent at EWU was more than just an opportunity to progress his football career; it was also a time where he made a major step forward in life.

“Meeting my eventual wife, Erin, was probably my best memory from my time at Eastern,” he said, adding that “winning the Big Sky conference in ’97 wasn’t so bad either.”

Hendrix adjusts quickly
Those who grow up playing football in the US often have a difficult time adapting to the CFL. For Hendrix that was not the case.

After starring with the Eagles from 2002-2005, where he recorded five interceptions and 41 knockdowns in 47 games, finishing second in NCAA I-AA history for most career passes defended with 46, second in NCAA I-AA and first in Eastern Washington’s history for most career knockdowns, Hendrix had very little difficulty settling in to the Canadian style of the game.

“Our program was very middle-of-the-road, but we kept getting better every year. Our coaches really helped us out and put things into perspective for the real world,” Hendrix said.

“They prepared us for the real football world; (the Alouettes) are going through changes now and we went through that at Eastern. That taught us how to take direction under a new coaching staff with a new program.”

In college, the level of competition is Jekyll and Hyde. There are times when you find yourself down 50 points to an athletic powerhouse, but then there are times when you find yourself on the bright side of 64-point spread.

“With different schools come different levels of competition. At times it can be really advanced, which prepares us for the next level of play,” Hendrix said.

Although this is only his second year as an Alouette, Hendrix looks forward to the day where he can provide the leadership qualities that he acquired at Eastern to younger Montreal players.

“I was forced into taking a leadership role because after being redshirted my freshman year, I was put into a starting spot. There were younger guys beneath me so I felt the need to lead,” he said.

“I played in some big games and it really helped me develop the character needed to play in the CFL.”