Dayton Black once feared he would lose his leg, now he’s a full year into his CFL career

It’s CFL Draft Day  and who better to provide an overview of the general, and his individual, experience on draft day than Dayton Black, who was the Ticats’ first pick, sixth overall, in last year’s draft.

He was in the Ticats Audio Network’s video studio and chatted with Ticats Today, with the full podcast available in both audio and visual formats at ticats.ca.

Black’s answers, and our questions, have been edited for clarity and, as usual, the questions are in the bold face font.

A year ago at this very time of day, you were a University of Saskatchewan Husky. And as a native of Brandon, Manitoba, a lifelong Blue Bombers fan. Then a few hours later, the draft happens and it was instant Oskee-Wee-Wee. What do you remember about last year’s draft day?

“Like you said, I was a Bombers’ fan my whole life growing up. I bled blue for 23 years or so. And yeah, that day was pretty wild, waking up, just trying to keep normal. There were a lot of emotions going on. You’re nervous. I’ve been working for this my whole life,  this is going to be my chance. There’s tons of emotions going on.

“Luckily I was able to spend it with my entire family and a bunch of my friends and a bunch of guys off the football team as well. So, that made it all so much better, just being with people that mean the most to me and that I care about.”

What was that like when your name was announced? Did you get a call right before they announced that they were taking you or how does that work?

 “So Coach O  and all the staff in the room there called me three to four minutes before the announcement was made by  the Commissioner. It was pretty silent coming (towards the draft).  Hamilton brought me out on a visit and did some physicals and stuff. So, as it got underway in the first round I thought it was going to be with Hamilton. So when that pick came around, it was pretty nerve-wracking in the room. You’re just hoping to hear or get that phone call and hearing Coach O’s voice through that phone saying, ‘Hey man, we’re gonna take you here, it was a pretty surreal moment, feeling  like all that hard work over countless years was actually coming true.”

The Ticats used a pick that they obtained in a swap of draft positions with Calgary for the rights to negotiate with Bo Levi Mitchell, who’s now your quarterback. You were the second offensive lineman taken in last year’s draft behind Dontae Bull, who went number one overall. You can probably give us some insight into what everyone who’s projected to be in the first round is feeling right now. What is today like for them?

“I think it’s the same for everyone, no matter whoever’s in the draft because you never know for sure if you’re actually going to go in that first round or not, right? You really have no idea. Picks can change at the last minute or you think you have good interviews with certain teams and then their picks are passed. So there’s just a lot of not knowing. I was excited because it was something new and — like I said earlier—something I’ve worked for my whole life. So just having the chance to play, if I was drafted first round, seventh round or not at all, you know, all I wanted was an opportunity. And luckily enough, Hamilton decided to use that first round pick on me. I was more than ecstatic.”

Is there pressure when you’re a first rounder and the first pick of a specific team?

“Yeah, but honestly, I try not to think about that kind of stuff too much. It’s the CFL, it’s the pros now, but it’s still just playing football. It’s the game you played when you’re eight-ten years old. I always try to think back to that. There is obviously pressure. You want to come and perform, make a team and impress on the coaches that you can play. Still, I just think, ‘I’m just playing football now and now luckily enough this is my job so I just get to do it every day.’”

Are you going to pay attention to tonight’s draft? Just to see who your new teammates will be or see if there’s competition for you?

“Both. I’m excited to see who we take and I’m excited to see if there will be competition and also I’m excited for a bunch of my guys that are my old teammates on the Huskies who are eligible for the draft this year.”

You were a left tackle in your final year but you started at University of Saskatchewan as a defensive lineman. Then you red-shirted as a sophomore at your coach’s suggestion, to learn how to play offensive line. And before that, in high school, you were a league record -setting quarterback, and you also played defense. Position changes aren’t uncommon in moving into the pros. But you had your only start at right tackle and backed up the rest of the line for 17 games and a playoff game. You also played special teams.  Now how do you see this year for you? Are you a tackle? Are you a guard or are you quarterback?

“I’m not a quarterback anymore. That’s for sure. You know, I made that switch quite a few years ago.  Whatever Coach Milanovich has, I’m ready to do it.  I’m just going to try to make the team again and hopefully compete for a starting position. And wherever coaches see fit, I’m ready to adapt to that role and play, whether it’s guard, centre, tackle, sixth man for them. Ideally, I’m shooting for a starting spot but wherever there’s a spot for me I’ll do it.”

One of the reasons you played only one year at left tackle in U sports is that three summers ago you had a close call with a very bad bacterial infection. They even spoke at one point that they might have to amputate your leg below the knee. I’m not sure too many Ticat fans know that. Can you give us the details of that if you don’t mind, unless it’s too painful?

“We were out on my uncle’s farm. We’re building a garage for him, doing all the concrete and stuff. A couple of days go by and then just the one day I woke up, my knee was swollen, couldn’t really walk on it. Being stubborn, you know, I didn’t obviously want to go in to a doctor because we’re still working. But my mom, as a mom should,  makes me go in and we rush in and see my family doctor. They do a couple of tests and they still don’t know much and they don’t tell me much. They rush me the emergency centre in Brandon. The specialist comes in and she does more tests. They take samples out of my knee and give me some pain meds because I couldn’t walk and it was throbbing.

“Then  next thing you know, I’m rushed to surgery within an hour of being in that hospital. I wake up a few hours later and my leg’s all bandaged up,  and I’m sitting in the recovery room. The doctors come in and say, ‘We found a big infection. It was eating away at your knee and tissue and ligaments. Luckily enough, you came in early enough that we were able to perform surgery, clean it out, remove all the infection.’

“A couple of days later,  they said there might not be enough left in the knee to keep, so there was a chance of amputation. But I was lucky they saved my knee. It was pretty crazy. I was stuck in the hospital there, like recovering because I was on. heavy antibiotics for 14 days or so and lost about 30 pounds or so sitting in that hospital. It definitely kicked my butt. But I had a great group of doctors and nurses who took care of me and had a great rehab team after. Luckily enough I was able to return to football seamlessly and I was still able to get drafted.”

You mentioned after last year’s draft that you might be sent back to university for another year of seasoning, and you also had some shoulder problems at the start of training camp, but you made the team and about six weeks later you got a start in Montreal at right guard. You didn’t even have to go on the practice roster.

“I do believe in myself and I always thought I could make a team my first year out of university, but coming in the draft, obviously we had a couple shoulder issues with my shoulder but Claire (Tofflemire) and all the athletic therapists with the Ticats really worked with me and the coaches were very understanding, giving me the time to be prepared for the season. We never looked back after that and it was nice to be able to actually make the active roster and not just practice.  So I was more than grateful for that and everything they’ve done for me.”

By tomorrow morning, the new cohort of national draftees will be known. Some likely will be picks for down the road but  for those who will report to training camp for the first time, what advice would you give them?

“Just be prepared. You’re going to work now and  this is a full -time job. We do nothing but football; it’s not university anymore We’re playing against grown men and guys that have played in this league for 8 to 15 to fifteen years.  It’s a lot different than playing the 18-to-20-year-olds everyone’s used to in university.  So just enjoy it, have fun and take the day in but be prepared to work.”