Landon Rice has made the next step with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
The Brandon product is one of seven offensive lineman on Hamilton’s roster to start the season and is expected to make his CFL debut this weekend.
"It’s huge, when you set a long distant goal like that for yourself, like when I was in the middle of university playing ball there, the dream is to play in the CFL and get a job. To be able to do that for a living, do something you love and to have that opportunity now to be on the active roster and get the pads on game day and go out there and hit somebody. It’s a dream come true," Rice told CKLQ’s Tyler Crayston.
The former Crocus Plainsmen standout spent the 2013 season on the practice roster with Hamilton, who won the East Division championship and finished runner-up at the Grey Cup.
"I was able to just learn and get all that experience at the next level and become comfortable with the speed and the different defensive tactics that we have to block against. Being able to just marinate in that for all of last year and then going to the Grey Cup and being in that whole experience and that exposure, it helped me out tons, and it’ll continue to help me out further along in my career," said Rice.
Rice’s first official game will be a Grey Cup rematch on Sunday between his Tiger-Cats and the defending champion Saskatchewan Roughriders in Regina, and if his name is called upon, Rice is ready.
"We’re not sure what capacity it’ll be in, but I will be on that field, I’ll be doing everything I can, playing hard and having a great time," added Rice.
Rice signed as a free agent following a five-year career with the Manitoba Bisons where he served as captain and was a member of the Herd’s Vanier Cup winning team in 2007.
He inked a new two-year deal back in December.
