Mark Dewit is no stranger to Calgary or to the Stampeders or to McMahon Stadium.
Sure, until this season, he’d called first the Rogers Centre and then Ivor Wynne Stadium home as a member of the Toronto Argonauts and Hamilton Tiger-Cats but as a native Calgarian, University of Calgary Dinos alumnus and former Stamps season ticket-holder, the Red and White was second nature to the offensive lineman.
“It’s been great to play in my home city and it’s great that I have family and friends at every game,” said Dewit, who played his high school football at Bishop Carroll. “It’s not like when I was in Toronto and Hamilton where I’d go to the game and try to scam my tickets off on someone because I don’t want to give them to you. It’s nice to have to fight to get some extras here.”
That ticket tussle has perhaps been Dewit’s biggest challenge during his homecoming season.
“The ticket situation is a challenge, that’s for sure,” he said with a chuckle. “I’ve got a lot of friends who are asking for tickets every week but overall, it’s been a great experience so far. I love playing at home.”
As is generally the tradition with offensive linemen, the newcomer has wasted little time bonding with his fellow big men. The banter in the northwest corner of the locker-room where the giants suit up is usually lively on practice days and the off-field get-togethers for meals and, well, more meals, are frequent.
“If you want to succeed as an o-line,” Dewit noted, “the guys have to be close. You have to share on brain between the five of you or six of you that are out there. If you don’t have that bond, you’re (in trouble). You can’t have one who’s off to the side not being part of it.
“This o-line is just like every other group I’ve been with — o-linemen are a little off; they’re a little bit of a different breed . . . and it’s great. We all fit in together.”
It’s been mixed results for the offence and the line so far this season. While improvement is definitely sought from the seventh-ranked running game, the Stamps have protected the quarterbacks well among that Calgary leads the CFL with a 70.1-per cent pass completion rate.
“I think we’re doing OK right now,” said Dewit, “but we don’t strive to be ‘OK’ o-line. We want to be the best in the league and we’re going to keep working until we get there.”