CALGARY -- Shaquille Murray-Lawrence is used to making big plays on the football field. The 27-year old is a running back for the Montreal Alouettes.
When Murray-Lawrence found the CFL season was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic he turned his attention to bobsleigh.
He was actually recruited into sport in 2017 but got into a car accident. With no CFL this season, he says it was the perfect opportunity to try it again.
“This year with COVID-19, the door opened and I just took my shot," Murray-Lawrence said.
He made the most of it: last week, Murray-Lawrence was one of 33 athletes named to the Bobsleigh Canada national program.
He says he does find some similarities in the two sports that have helped make the transition easier.
“For me it’s all in the start," Murray-Lawrence said.. "It’s very explosive and similar to football. I’m a running back so you need a lot of speed and power (to do that as well)."
“Once you get down the hill you’ve got to be a ninja or whatever," he added. "Jump in the sled and just put it all together.”
Finer points of bobsleigh
Murray-Lawrence isn’t the only CFLer to be named to the National program either. Jay Dearborn is a safety with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He first checked out bobsleigh in 2019. He went down the track a couple of times but it was more of an introduction to the sport.
Dearborn says he’s enjoyed getting to know the finer points of bobsleigh.
“It gave me a little more time to look into this bobsled thing and see what it’s actually about and sort of come and compete with the top athletes of the sport.”
Meanwhile, Kayden Johnson hasn’t played a CFL game yet. He’s a running back and was a seventh round selection of the B.C. Lions in the 2020 draft.
Johnson knows there will come a time when the CFL returns and so will the Olympics.
He says he doesn’t think he has to pick between the two. In fact he’d like to do both.
“If there’s a CFL season I definitely want to play and win a Grey Cup. I also have dreams of playing in the NFL and winning a Super Bowl. I like to set my ceiling high and obviously if those Olympic rings are calling my name (then why not give it a shot?). I‘ve watched the Olympics my entire life.”
Murray-Lawrence and Dearborn say until there is a CFL season there’s not much point worrying about choosing between the two.
They also believe they could find a way to do both. If they need any more motivation all they need to do is look at Jesse Lumsden.
He competed in both sports and had success on the football field and on the bobsleigh track.
