LOCKER-ROOM BLOG

BLACKMON: This was meant to be

June 4, 2009

Former Auburn star Tray Blackmon is one of the rookies who hit the field for the start of training camp today.

I’ve had a good journey to get to this point of my football career. I’ve seen a lot of things and experienced a lot of things through college at Auburn. Now getting an opportunity to go to another country and play pro ball? Man, it’s a great opportunity. It just speaks for itself. My mind is to take total advantage of it and try to make the best of it.

I’m happy to be here. I have no regrets about the path I’ve travelled. I’m trying to get better and get to another level. Coach Jones got in touch with me and he set it up and I’m just thankful he believed in me and wanted to coach me and I’m excited about playing for him. I’m excited to get to know my teammates and getting into a team setting because I treat my teammates like family. That’s my family while I’m here. On top of that, this is a game I love and I have an opportunity to make some money and support my family — I have a wife and three kids — so it’s all to the good.

I sit back and think about it and I believe this is the path God wanted me to take. I truly believe that. I have no regrets about Auburn even though I never got the chance to play my final season there. I hurt my wrist and missed a lot of time in my third year at Auburn and then I was thinking about transferring and trying something different. Luckily, I ended up here.

No matter what, I have nothing bad to say about the people at Auburn. I love them because they took really good care of me and they’re still like family to me. That’s why I say that this is just the way things were meant to be and I’m trying to seize the moment and take advantage of it.

There’s nothing but football knowledge around here with all of these guys and I’m just trying to suck it all up. Different experiences form guys who have been to different places. Hopefully this will all help me to be a better player and a better person.

People ask me about some of the big hits and plays they’ve seen of me and it’s always exciting to go back at look at those video clips, but I can’t think about that anymore. It’s time to create some more highlights. It’s time to create some good Calgary heat, to give the fans around here a reason to cheer for Tray Blackmon. I’m looking forward to it all.

A couple of guys from my hometown of LaGrange, Ga., are playing here in this league. Denatay Heard, who’s playing for Saskatchewan. Sam Olajubutu, who’s also playing for Saskatchewan now. And another guy, Jayson Bray, played at LaGrange High and Auburn and he’s an ex-Stampeder. So I had a lot of opportunity to talk with guys who played in this league.

Now that I’ve experienced it for myself, my first impressions of the Stamps is that this is a good group of guys and a good group of coaches. Everybody’s competing and the coach is pushing me. My intent is to keep an open mind, stay focused and continue to work hard no matter what. I’m having fun. It’s just fun to get out there running around and get back in football. I haven’t been in pads since my wrist surgery and that’s almost two years ago. It’s a good experience to be back at it and there’s no place I’d rather be right now.

Tray Blackmon, #30
>> Blackmon bio

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