It took longer than he had hoped, but patience has paid off for Anthony Woodson.

Shortly after the 2017 free-agency period began, the Stamps reached out to the native Calgarian running back and it hardly took any time at all for Woodson to eagerly accept the offer.

Which should come as no surprise, considering the 29-year-old had been secretly dreaming to one day represent the White Horse.

“Absolutely, even in my draft year,” replied the graduate of St. Francis High School as he revealed his longstanding desire to become a Stampeder. “And I wasn’t allowed to admit it when I was on other teams, but Calgary was definitely my No.-1 spot and my No.-1 destination. To be here is actually a dream come true.”

Woodson was a fourth-round selection by the Blue Bombers in 2010 but would return to the University of Calgary to play out his senior season with the Dinos. Once he wrapped up his career at the U of C, he ventured out to Winnipeg which preceded stops in both Toronto and Hamilton.

His winters were spent back in Calgary and would include occasional route-running for Bo Levi Mitchell, a former rival who he is now taking handoffs from every day in training camp.

He also made a concerted effort to attend numerous appearances on behalf of the Stamps ever since officially joining the squad which helped give him a head-start on establishing relationships with his new teammates.

“Just seeing the guys around the community, I’ve gotten to know a lot of them,” he said. “It’s such a strong locker-room so it was an easy decision for me.”

His position group is led by Marc Mueller, a former Regina Ram quarterback who has since transitioned to a member of the Stamps coaching staff.

“You know what’s funny is that I played against Mueller in university,” said Woodson, “so I’m kind of dating myself there. But having a former quarterback gives a very unique insight into the game and he has such a good understanding of the offence so that really helps.”

The six-year veteran has 17 special-teams tackles to his name and has been a regular contributor on coverage units since entering the professional ranks. His first and only CFL touchdown came last year with the Ticats in a game against Montreal, and Woodson is quite alright with filling any role necessary if that’s what it will take to stick with the Stampeders.

“I always go into camp looking to make my name on special teams and then earn my offensive reps,” said the son of a former Stamp himself, as his father Tony played with the Red and White in 1985 and 1986. “But I’m just excited to be back home. It’s been a five-year journey to get back here so I’m excited to see what we can do and (hopefully) get a Grey Cup.”