Stamps’ Williams keeps on grinding

CALGARY — Life in the CFL should almost feel like a cakewalk for Zack Williams compared to what he went through to get there.

After a brief stint with the Winnipeg Rifles, the Murdoch MacKay Collegiate product earned a scholarship to play for the Manitoba Bisons in 2015.

The only problem was that Williams was fully committed to football and paid little attention to the “student” part of being a student-athlete.

The promising offensive lineman skipped classes and let his grades slip, leaving the program with no choice but to revoke his scholarship.

“I knew school wasn’t my strength back in the day. And when I went to university, I didn’t know what I wanted to take,” Williams, now a member of the Calgary Stampeders, told the Free Press on Thursday. The Stamps host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers tonight at 8 p.m. CT in Week 1 action.

“I always wanted to play football and that was my focus. I had set the goal of trying to make it to the CFL, NFL, just the highest level possible.”

Not wanting to lose the opportunity to play U Sports, Williams started attending classes and worked four jobs in the off-season to be able to afford his schooling.

“Sometimes I’d be up for two or three days straight,” he said. “I’d try to sleep on my breaks or whenever I could.”

He worked nights at a plastics company before going straight to Sobeys to work in the bakery until 2:30 p.m. After being on the clock for roughly 14 hours, he’d train for football before heading home in the evening to, hopefully, sleep for a bit before doing it all over again. He also had a part-time job at Visions Electronics and worked security on weekends.

“It was excessive, but I always find myself being a workaholic,” said Williams.

“And at the end of the day, I was like ‘This is on me.’ I could’ve told some people or reached out for help, but I wanted to handle it on my own because I knew I put myself in that situation.”

The Bisons are fortunate he made the effort to stick around. In 2018, Williams was recognized as a Canada West all-star after helping the Herd finish second in the conference in rushing while averaging a whopping 467.3 yards of total offence.

“In my entire career, Zack is one of my favourite players in terms of how much I respect him,” said former Bisons head coach Brian Dobie.

“It was actually unbelievable what he endured to keep grinding and push forward. He trained non-stop, practised and played relentlessly, and worked various jobs in what little spare time he had just to keep afloat. He truly was amazing and I’m so proud of that kid.”

But that same year brought an even bigger setback. His father, Owen, was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer.

Williams was selected in the third round, 28th overall, by the Stampeders in the 2019 CFL Draft. Two months later, Owen passed away.

“My goal was to try and play a game that he could see. By the time his sickness came, he wasn’t at the point where he could watch,” said Williams.

“He was always my No. 1 supporter. He was always at all the games. We had long conversations after every game — whatever sport it was, hockey, football, it didn’t matter. He would always be like my coach, but also my supporter, motivator, and would always challenge me and push me to the edge. Nothing too far, just to always be better, be the best version of myself, and to believe in myself, too.”

The belief his father instilled in him is what got him to where he is today.

Williams is coming off a career year where he started all 18 games at left guard, was named a West Division all-star and earned Calgary’s nomination for the league’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman award.

The 29-year-old signed a two-year extension in April to remain in Calgary. He now lives there while still making time to return to Winnipeg, and plans to take a firefighter course in the off-season to prepare for life after football.

“There’s been mental challenges, and obviously, physical challenges in the game and stuff, but it’s about how you respond, how you react, and just trying to always find a way,” said Williams.

“I always believed in myself and my abilities. Whether I was at work, or whether I was at a workout, I put 100 per cent effort into it and just tried to focus on one day at a time.”

His head coach and general manager, Dave Dickenson, thinks he has only scratched the surface.

“I want him to take another step,” said Dickenson.

“Listen, I think our offensive line is pretty good, and I think Zack’s our leader. I want him to become a little more vocal. And I truly believe he’s a (CFL) all-star in our league. I do. It just hasn’t happened for him. You haven’t seen him up for a lot of awards. I believe in him, and I want him to make sure he shows why he’s that type of player and that type of leader.”

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