By Stampeders.com Staff

When a player achieves a longevity milestone, the custom has been to dig up examples that good-naturedly illustrate the passage of time.

If that’s your bag, then we can point out that Randy Chevrier played his first Canadian Football League game in 2002, not too long after current rookie Stampeders defensive back Tevaughn Campbell celebrated his ninth birthday.

Or we could do the degrees-of-separation thing and mention that, as a first-year CFLer, Chevrier was a teammate of Jed Roberts, who was a teammate of Marco Cyncar, who was a teammate of Dave Cutler, who was a teammate of Howie Schumm, who was a teammate of Normie Kwong . . . who broke into professional football in 1948.

Amusing trivia, to be sure, but it’s important not to lose sight of the significance of the accomplishment. In this particular case, we’re talking about Chevrier’s 200th regular-season game, which will happen when the veteran long-snapper steps on the field for Saturday’s contest against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

“It’s pretty cool,” said Chevrier. “I first became aware of the possibility of playing 200 games earlier this year when someone mentioned I was at 190. For someone who got a late start in the sport — I didn’t start playing until I was 18 — this means a lot.

“It comes down to being healthy and being good at what I do.”

In a career spanning 13 seasons and two teams, Chevrier has snapped for a grand total of only six different kickers and punters — Sean Fleming in Edmonton and Sandro D’Angelis, Burke Dales, Duncan O’Mahony, Rob Maver and Rene Paredes in Calgary. No fewer than five of those kickers earned all-star recognition while working with Chevrier.

By comparison, Ottawa’s Kevin Malcolm has long-snapped for seven different kickers this season alone.

Chevrier has also played for only two head coaches during his CFL career — Tom Higgins in Edmonton and again in Calgary and current coach John Hufnagel.

Logging 200 contests in a league that plays just 18 regular-season dates per year and in a rugged sport that doesn’t lend itself to marathon careers is indeed a noteworthy feat. The winding road Chevrier has taken to get to this point only adds texture to the tale.

Though now exclusively a long snapper, the Montreal native has been a defensive lineman and an offensive lineman during his pro career. He’s caught a couple of touchdowns passes — the first in 2007 from Henry Burris when current Stamps quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell was a senior at Katy High School in Texas — and these days usually works out with the running backs at practice.

He weighed 300 lbs. when he came into the league and was at the upper end of the 200s for most of his career. When it became apparent that his role was exclusively as a special-teamer who needed to get down the field and make tackles after snapping the ball, he slimmed down dramatically and reported to 2013 training camp at 245 lbs.

Chevrier is on the precipice of 200 career games despite getting a late start to his CFL career. He finished his university career at McGill in 2000 and was a first-round selection of the Eskimos.

However, he was also drafted by the National Football League’s Jacksonville Jaguars and was with three teams — Jacksonville, Dallas and Cincinnati — before landing with the Barcelona Dragons in NFL Europe.

It wasn’t until the middle of the 2002 season that Chevrier reported to the Eskimos and saw his first CFL action. He returned to Edmonton in 2003 in anticipation of his first full CFL campaign and, at the relatively advanced age of 27, had a grand total of five games to his credit.

After a full 18-game slate in 2003, he missed out on another full CFL season chasing NFL employment as he signed with the New York Jets. A year ago, he played just three games as Tim St. Pierre took over the long-snapping duties.

There was some talk Chevrier may have reached the end of the line but he reclaimed the job this season and has played all 16 games so far.

“Last year was an amazing year, even though I spent most of it on the bench,” said Chevrier. “It gave me a different perspective and allowed me to become a better teammate. The payoff for last year is this year. I was able to come in and win my job back and I never allowed negativity and the speculation that I might never play again to get in my way.”

Now, thanks to some good luck in the health department over the years — or, alternately, a willingness to play hurt — and the possession of a very unique skill, Chevrier is one game away from becoming the first player to appear in his 200th career game as a Stamp since Kevin Glenn did it during the 2012 season.

Unlike Glenn, the large majority of Chevrier’s games came while wearing red and white. He had 23 games to his credit when he signed with the Stamps as a free agent on Jan. 31, 2005. His 176 games with Calgary ties him with Allen Pitts for 10th place in franchise history.

If he suits up for the season’s final two games, Chevrier would tie the great Wayne Harris for ninth place at 178 games.

“I’m so grateful,” Chevrier says. “The CFL has given me the opportunity to meet all kinds of people from all across Canada. It’s been great to be able to share in something that’s so special and it’s been great for my family to be able to share in that, too.”

A common sight after a game at McMahon Stadium is to see the entire Chevrier clan — Randy and his wife Tania have three boys: Luke, 9, Brett, who turns 7 in December, and Kyle, 4 — on the field.

“That’s one of my favourite things,” said Chevrier. “Going and getting my boys and bringing them into the locker room after the game.”

And, even at age 39, he hopes there are more of those moments to come.

“I think I’ve got a couple of years left in me, if they let me,” said Chevrier. “As long as I’m healthy and I have the ability and they give me the chance, I’d love to keep going.”

CHEVY TOUGH

Randy Chevrier identifies some of his favourite moments from his first 199 career regular-season games:

• The 2003 Labour Day Classic when, as a member of the Eskimos, he was involved in a testy contest against the Stamps at McMahon Stadium that featured a brawl, a helmet-swinging incident and lots of hard feelings
• The legendary blackout game in 2003 when the Eskimos were stranded in Toronto after a massive power failure in the Eastern part of the continent. The team used the unexpected down time — the game was played three days later than scheduled — to bond and the ensuing victory over the Argos was part of a 10-2 finish to the season as the Eskimos went on the win the Grey Cup
• In 2005, during his first season with the Stamps in his first game against his former team, Chevrier picked off a Ricky Ray pass after the Edmonton quarterback was hit while throwing. “Ricky Ray is a good friend of mine and I caught the ball with one hand in front of the Edmonton bench with all of my former teammates on the Eskimos watching”
• In 2007, playing as a tight end in a jumbo package at the Saskatchewan’s one-yard line, Chevrier caught a one-yard TD pass from Henry Burris. Chevrier remembers with a chuckle: “(Stamps offensive coordinator) George Cortez said I was the third option on a two-option play”
• In 2011, just hours after the birth of his son Kyle, Chevrier was summoned to McMahon Stadium to snap for five kickers auditioning for the vacancy created by Rob Maver’s injury in Week 1 of the season. Rene Paredes emerged victorious from that battle and, just four days after signing, kicked a game-winning 50-yard field goal on the road against the BC Lions
• On July 29, 2013, in Winnipeg, Chevrier snapped the ball on the kick that allowed Paredes to set the CFL record for most consecutive successful field goals