Bryce Forbes
Stampeders.com Staff

Brett Jones probably doesn’t need to find his dad Rob a Father’s Day gift.

Two days ago, Brett gave Rob one of the best gifts a father could ever ask for.

On that day, Rob was in the stadium watching his son make his CFL debut, centring the offensive line for the Calgary Stampeders.

“It’s just cool that they could come watch me,” said Brett about having his parents in the stands. “I didn’t think about it much during the game, but now it’ll be cool to go talk to them to see how the game went.”

It was a rewarding moment for father and son, showing that all the football camps and early-morning training were necessary for the family that grew up in Weyburn, Sask.

“Coming into this game, you realize why you go through all those camps and it was totally worth it because that game was probably the most exciting thing I’ve ever done,” Brett said.

Before the Friday night pre-season game against the BC Lions, Rob said he was nervous for his son, but knew his kid had it under control.

Because of a slew of injuries on the offensive line, Jones was going to be tossed straight into the fire, making the line calls against a fierce Lions defence.

“We talked a little bit this morning, and I told him you spent all these years trying to craft your trade, now you have to apply it,” Rob said. “I guess the final thing was don’t let any Lions get to the quarterback.”

All in all, Rob was a beaming father up in the stands.

“On the way here, I was talking to my wife and I was saying it was just surreal that our boy is here,” Rob said. “A lot of early mornings and bringing him to all these camps and now, here he is. All the work has come to fruition.

“In the early days, (I didn’t think he’d make the CFL) but as the days went on and he got bigger and stronger . . . when he went to college, he really bought into his dreams and so you could see things really change. I was a believer for the last two or three years.”

As for actual Father’s Day, Brett wouldn’t be able to spend it with his dad. He still has training camp to get through, while Rob was heading back to Swift Current — his other son was in a baseball tournament.