Professional athletes are known to have some very quirky superstitions when it comes to winning games.

Some come up with elaborate routines they go through on game day, or a lucky item that they feel gives them a better chance to win.

Stampeders offensive coordinator — and former CFL all-star pivot — Dave Dickenson has seen a lot of different pre-game rituals over the years.

“Some guys like working out in the morning,” says Dickenson. “Then there are the guys that wear the same shirt underneath their pads. Usually, it’s yellow because of all the sweat collected on it.”

As for Coach Dickenson, he operates under a consistent routine for game days rather than lucky charms that border on the line of bio-hazardous material.

“I’m a schedule guy. I don’t like to feel overly rushed. I like to come in at a certain time, have a coffee and go through the game plan,” says Dickenson of his game-day preparations, which also include some time with his kids.

If anything could be thought of as strange in his pre-game prep, it could be his method of game planning.

“I honestly don’t know what secrets or plays I’m going to call until that day,” says the offensive tactician. “I wait and then I just get a feel for how I think the guys are going to play and then I make a plan or order of how I want to start the game.”

Once Dickenson gets his game plan together, he has a brief meeting with his players to give them an idea of what to expect. While the late notice could be stressful on players, it also ensures his game plan won’t leak out to the opposition.

For the players’ part, Coach Dickenson’s methods put more emphasis on knowing the playbooks backwards and forwards.

“You should always know what you are doing,” says rookie receiver Tim Hawthorne. “Because if you know what you should be doing, then you can play fast and carefree.”

Hawthorne has his own game-day ritual to prepare himself for the action on the turf.

“What I do is put my gloves on first,” says the speedster. “That’s what I get paid to do is catch balls. So I have to get a feel for the gloves and catch a couple balls. My confidence gets there and I’m ready to go.”

On the defensive side of the ball, Stamps cornerback Derrius Brooks has a more Zen-like approach his game-day prep.

After kissing a photo of his daughter he keeps in his locker, Brooks likes to throw on the headphones and listen to slow relaxing music to calm him down before taking the field.

“Before every game, no matter what, I always get butterflies until that first hit,” says Brooks. “So I listen to some slow music to calm everything down.”

It may seem ironic for a member of such a high-octane defence to want to slow things down, but for many players, taking the time to slow down and look at the big picture is an important part of game-day prep.

“A lot of guys come out and do their prayers every game,” says Brooks. “Before I run out on to the field, I make sure to say a prayer, to make sure God is behind me, my team and free us from injury. The other team, too.”