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Bill Manchuk Edmonton Eskimos Linebacker 1981 – 1982 By Lee Nohos He wasn’t here for a long time, but he was certainly here for a good time. After 10 years as a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Bill Manchuk returned to his hometown to suit up for the Green and Gold at the tail end of the five-in-a-row run. The Strathcona High School grad retired after the 1982 season and this month Where Are They Now shared lunch with Manchuk and talked about his career in the Canadian Football League and life after sports. Growing up in the west end of Edmonton Bill Manchuk participated in sandlot football games with boyhood friend Larry Kerychuk but never participated in organized ball until his senior year of high school. With good size and speed, Manchuk lined up at tight end with the Strathcona Lords and after one year of high school football he joined the Edmonton Huskies where he was noticed by the Edmonton Eskimos scouting staff.

In the late ‘60’s, CFL teams were able to protect local talent through a territorial draft and many of the top prospects were given full-ride scholarships to U.S. Universities. After one-and-a-half years with the Huskies, Manchuk was on his way to Idaho State on a four-year scholarship, but after just one season he decided life abroad wasn’t for him and he enrolled at the University of Alberta.

Under the guidance of Jim Donlevy, Manchuk was a Canada West all-star at tight end in his first two years before he was moved to middle linebacker for his final year. Manchuk made the all-star team again at his new position and the following year he was drafted by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the first round, second overall. Although he was born and raised in Edmonton, Manchuk gladly changed the color on his sleeves from green and gold to green and white and headed to Regina full of hope.

At the time, the road to the Grey Cup in the west went through Regina and with a veteran-laden roster, Manchuk had his hands full trying to make the team. Because he had experience on both sides of the ball and was an exceptional special teams player, he was one of just two rookies to start the 1971 season on the active roster and even though it’s now 30 years since he first lined up as a professional athlete, he says it still seems like yesterday.

“After the final cuts I was ecstatic, it seems like it was just last week,” smiled Manchuk. “Training camp had a way of dulling your senses but I remember it was quite a relief even though the money wasn’t great. I think I got a signing bonus of $1000 and my salary was $7500 but it wasn’t about the money, it was about playing for the love of the game and I was very proud to be a part of a CFL organization.”

In his first year he backed up Wayne Shaw at outside linebacker and participated on special teams. The following season he was thrust into action after Shaw was injured and he ended up starting for the Roughriders in the 1972 Grey Cup game against Hamilton at Ivor Wynne Stadium. Unfortunately for Manchuk and the Riders, Hamilton kicked a field goal on the last play of the game to win 13-10 but it was an experience to remember and was personally satisfying for Manchuk who proved he belonged in the CFL.

When the 1973 season opened, Manchuk was the starter at outside linebacker and he was considered to be one of the top Canadian linebackers in the game. The Roughriders were still at the top of the heap and were led by Ronnie Lancaster and George Reed but they continued to meet with playoff disappointment before making it back to the national classic in 1976 against Russ Jackson and the Ottawa Roughriders. Again, Saskatchewan lost in the dying minute of the game, this time when Jackson hit Tony Gabriel deep in the endzone with just over a minute to go. It was another heartbreaking defeat and signaled the end of the ‘Riders dominance in the west.

Over the next four years Saskatchewan would be relegated to the bottom of the pack as the team went through a major rebuilding process and in his final two seasons Manchuk and his teammates won just four times. At the end of the 1980 season, he was contemplating hanging up his cleats and moving on to commercial real estate but as it turns out his long-time friend and mentor, head coach Ron Lancaster, would make a call that would take his life in an totally unexpected direction.

“I was getting beat up and I was getting too old for that,” Manchuk laughs. “I remember distinctly walking in to Ronnie’s office and telling him that will all due respect it was time for me to go. Of all the people I’ve met through football he’s the guy I probably respect the most and I looked at him as a mentor but it just seemed like it was time. I knew that Winnipeg was looking for a linebacker but Ronnie said he owed Edmonton a player from a previous deal so he picked up the phone and called Hugh (Campbell). Hugh told Ronnie to send me down and I ended with the Eskimos just like that.”

Manchuk came to a team that had just won it’s third straight Grey Cup and he knew he would be a backup but it was a role he was comfortable with. At the time the Eskimos linebacking corps included Dan Kepley, Tom Towns and Dale Potter so Manchuk didn’t expect to see much playing time but kept himself prepared in case the call came. As it turns out he would start almost half the games both seasons due to injuries to Towns and Potter respectively so he played a much bigger role than he originally anticipated.

In 1981, the Eskimos became the first team in league history to win the Grey Cup four consecutive years and Manchuk had the opportunity to hold the prized trophy for the first time. While it was old hat for some, for Bill it was a moment he’ll never forget.

“The first was just such an incredible experience but when we were down by a score of 20-1 at the half I had a black cloud over my head and I figured it must be my fault,” Manchuk laughs. “All I could think was here we go again, but the guys came out in the second half and when Dave Cutler kicked the final field goal to win the game it was probably the most memorable moment of my career.”

Manchuk and the Eskimos would complete their run the following season and after two straight Grey Cup wins, he knew it was time to leave the game. As he explains, “I just didn’t have the desire to go through the training anymore and I had always worked another job so the transition was pretty easy.”

Manchuk joined a local commercial real estate firm before moving on in 1996 to join the team at Christian Developments and after four years Manchuk recently joined Landrex as the Manager of Special Projects.

Today he still stays involved with the Edmonton Eskimo Alumni but he begrudgingly admits that he considers himself to be a Roughrider when push comes to shove. After all, he spent just two seasons in Edmonton and a decade in Saskatchewan so it’s understandable and recently his commitment to the organization was rewarded when he was inducted into the Plaza of Honour at Taylor Field, recognition that he holds very near.

“It’s not like the Eskimos Wall of Honour because they name three or four guys each year, but it’s a great honour and it was a very humbling experience,” he shares. “The lifestyle in Regina is so different than it is here and the people are even more connected to the team. The banquet where we were honoured had 1,234 people in attendance. It was a big deal.”

While deep down inside he still thinks like a ‘Rider, Bill Manchuk will always have two Grey Cup rings to admire that will remind him of what he accomplished as a member of the Edmonton Eskimos.

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