Neumann's Notes: A Trip Down Memory Lane

CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos had a different venue for the first day of practice when Fall Training Camp began Saturday morning under clear skies.

Instead of practicing on the newly installed turf at McMahon, the team trained on natural grass on what is now known as Field 7 on University of Calgary campus and what informally known as "Connellan Field." More about that later. The change was necessitated due to the Calgary Stampeders Canadian Football League game Saturday afternoon against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The tradition behind "Connellan Field" is immense. Four Vanier Cup Champions under legendary coach Peter Connellan trained on that field no matter the weather. The university grounds crew kept the field in pristine condition once spring camp ended. Numerous outstanding players that wore the Scarlet & Gold of the Dinos honed their skills on that field. When Connellan left the program in following the 1995 season, head coaches Tony Fasano and Blake Nill also practiced on that field before the team started training at McMahon Stadium about 2010.

Practicing on the campus meant Presidents would often stop by. Presidents Wagner, Fraser and White did and more than once.

Former Dino slotback Craig Harrison stopped by practice Saturday morning to watch the team practice on the grass field and it brought back many memories. 

"I spent a lot of hours on this field. This brings back a ton of memories," stated Harrison, who was a starter on the 1988 national championship team and played two years in the CFL with Winnipeg. "Football is different now...we had two-a-day practices on this field," stated the elder Harrison, whose son, Caine, is one of the quarterbacks. 

The history of practicing on the grass field was not lost on current head coach Ryan Sheahan, who is entering is second season as head coach of the program. 

"It was great to be on campus," stated Sheahan. "It was different, but good. It was good to see the buzz of people around the campus and the new University District. The University of Calgary is who we fight for, so having that as our backdrop for a change and to touch a little history in the process of kicking things off was a special feeling."