Griffins carrying on Drummond's legacy with third-annual Dano Day intra-squad game Saturday

EDMONTON – Not all of the current Griffins men's soccer players had the chance to play for and know Daniel 'Dano' Drummond.

But as they prepare for the third annual Dano Day (Saturday, 2 p.m., Edmonton Scottish) – an intra-squad game in his honour – all of them have the late former coach and star Griffins player top of mind. 

Drummond passed away at age 37 in 2023 after a courageous battle with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC). 

He had an incredible playing career at MacEwan, amassing 23 career goals from 2006-09 and winning three-straight team MVP awards – a feat unmatched in the program's entire 42-year history.

Drummond returned to MacEwan as Adam Loga's lead assistant coach in 2017, serving in that role for five seasons, helping them get to the Canada West playoffs for the first time in 2021.

"Obviously, he was a brother and a great friend of mine, and we did great work together," said Loga. "He was there from the start when I got this position and … to see where we're at now from where we started, we've come a long way. 

"His time as a coach and as a player is not only important to me and my close relationship with him, but for the University and the Athletics department. He put in a great amount of time and years – I think it was eight or nine total – to the program and I think (the Dano Day Cup) is definitely more than warranted."

Just a handful of student-athletes remain who played for him on the Griffins, but Loga noted they've always tried to tell the newcomers all about the impact that Dano had.

"It's been a topic of conversation all week," he said. "We hope it resonates through the group and the experience tomorrow will heighten his legacy within the group and we can keep pushing it forward. 

"We do a pretty good job of referring to him, speaking about him and keeping him present with the boys."

 The Dano Day Cup (Norman Bo photo).

Two intra-squad teams led by assistant coaches Pascal Jarzyna and Allan Zebie will square off against one another, vying for the coveted trophy presented by Drummond's family. The game is also to raise awareness about PSC.

And of course, it also represents the first game action for Griffins players since training camp began – an important step in their growth towards their season opener at Calgary on Aug. 23 (1 p.m., Canada West TV).

"It is an important game and date for the boys in terms of the evaluation process and assessment, and their level of compete in between," said Loga. "Obviously with camp, there's a lot of emphasis on game fitness as well as team tactics and systems. So, this is an opportunity to show they're understanding what we're teaching. Also, maybe some of the tactics, structure and systems has held them back a bit as well, so now they can go and express themselves a little bit more and hopefully we have some pleasant surprises."