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May 27, 2016

Multiple years in the making

Receiver Chleb Ravenell catches a ball during 2016 rookie camp (Photo by Molly Campbell)

Taking the field for rookie camp with the Calgary Stampeders felt like a long time coming for Chleb Ravenell.

Sure, the off-season can seem like an eternity for players anxious to return to the gridiron and compete through two-plus weeks of training camp before embarking on another CFL season.

But Ravenell’s circumstance is rather unique as the receiver has yet to land with a team since wrapping up his college career way back in 2011.

“It was the worst thing ever, the worst feeling ever,” said the 27-year-old when asked about being out of the game for five years. “Just knowing how good you are and never really getting a shot. This year, I was fortunate to enough to get a call from my buddy and he said, ‘Move up to Arizona and let’s just train and let’s go at it’. I went up there and I trained and look where I’m at.”

Receiver Chleb Ravenell during a drill at 2016 Rookie Camp (Photo by Geoff Crane)

Holding out hope ever since that his phone would ring, the Charleston, S.C., product has been keeping busy, albeit in industries vastly different from professional football.

“I have been working,” the small-statured No. 79 explained. “I had a 40-hour job at a car dealership. I worked in a chemistry lab and I trained.”

After attending Georgia Military College for two seasons, the coach at Western Michigan went on a recruiting trip to small-town Milledgeville, Ga., in hopes of convincing some Bulldogs into becoming Broncos. Ravenell made the switch and in two years at WMU, he posted 115 catches for 1,352 yards and nine touchdowns.

“The coach from Western Michigan came to Georgia Military and asked if there were any receivers,” the five-foot-11, 188 lb. business major explained. “They mentioned me and some others. They grabbed me out of class and when they did that, the coach told me they threw the ball 55 times in one game and I said, ‘sign me up.’ ”

Ravenell was a last-minute addition to the Red and White’s rookie-camp roster after officially signing with the club on May 26. Yet the Stamps brass was already familiar with the wideout as Ravenell attended the team’s mini-camp just over a year ago at the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

“That experience definitely helped me,” admitted the former third-team all-conference selection. “I knew to get ready for the speed. I trained over the off-season and I was invited back. I knew exactly how it was going to be. Last season, I was a bit slow off of my routes but this year I came and prepared and it paid off.”

With his football future clouded in uncertainty, Ravenell is well aware of this precious opportunity.

“I will definitely make the most of this right now,” he stated. “That’s just how it’s going to be.”

Receiver Chleb Ravenell during a drill at 2016 Rookie Camp (Photo by Geoff Crane)