Even before he first set foot in the home dressing room at McMahon Stadium back in 2003, Marc Calixte had made Canadian Football League history.
Plucked by the Calgary Stampeders with the seventh overall selection in the 2003 CFL Canadian Draft, Calixte was the first alumnus of the University of Tennessee-Martin to be drafted by a CFL club.
Calixte was thrilled to exchange Skyhawks orange and blue for Stampeders red and white, but little did he know his stay in Calgary would last a full decade.
“To be honest, no,” admitted Calixte, who is announcing his retirement as a player after 156 games with the Stamps. “I thought I would play for a few seasons but to play 10 years? No, I never would have imagined that.”
When Calixte arrived in Calgary 10 years ago, the Stampeders were a team in transition. The Wally Buono era had ended the year before and it was the next-to-last year of Michael Feterik’s ownership of club.
Calgary would post losing seasons in Calixte’s first two years with the club, but then new ownership stepped up, the front office was overhauled and things started looking up. The Stamps made the playoffs in each of the next eight seasons, posted at least 10 wins seven times and made two trips to the Grey Cup, including a victory in the 2008 contest.
“There’s no doubt, that was the highlight of my football career,” said Calixte, who was a special-teams standout throughout his Stampeders career. “To be able to participate and win the Grey Cup, especially in my hometown of Montreal in front of my family and friends.”
His son Bradley had just turned one when the Stamps claimed the Cup.
“That’s what I remember the most — being with my son after the game,” he said. “Here I was, starting a family and I was a Grey Cup champion. It was a highlight for me both personally and professionally.”
Bradley, who is now five years old, has since been joined by sisters Alissa (3) and Danica (eight months). The Calixte young’uns are at the top of the list of retirement benefits.
“Now I’ll be able to spend a lot more time with my family and my children,” the proud papa remarked. “As a football player, there are certain things you just don’t have time to do during the season. So this will be really nice.”
As for how he’ll fill the rest of his time, Calixte has a game plan.
“I’d like to give back to amateur football,” he said. “I want to pass along what I’ve been able to learn during my career, to share my football experiences with young players and try to help them advance in the sport.”
His coaching career got a bit of a jump-start over the past two seasons when he was sidelined by injuries that cost him a total of 20 games. Already as a leader as the Stamps’ special-teams captain, Calixte eagerly accepted new responsibilities.
“Nobody wants to be hurt, of course,” he said, “but it did help me from a coaching standpoint. I wanted to find new ways to contribute and to help the young players as much as I could. I did my best to help the coaches prepare the players for every game.”
As Calixte watched the second half of the 2012 season from the sidelines, he may have suspected that he had played his last game but he remained a vocal and enthusiastic cheerleader.
“I wanted to support my teammates,” he said. “That was important to me. I’m so lucky to have had the chance to play football and I’m happy to have spent my entire career with Calgary. I can’t thank the fans enough for showing up in all kinds of weather — rain, snow, sleet, bitter cold — to support us in those late-season games.
“I’d also like to thank the administration and the coaches of the Stampeders for having faith in me and in my abilities. I enjoyed my career as a player, but now I’m ready for the next chapter.”