Solie very grateful for Gordie Howe Sports Complex support

Kicker’s football journey heads to CFL’s Roughriders

By Darren Steinke
Gordie Howe Sports Complex

David Solie has signed with the CFL’s Roughriders.

After signing with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders, David Solie was flooded with messages of congratulations and support from people he met at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex.

Solie, who is the place kicker and punter for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Football Team, has worked at the Complex during his off-seasons taking on various roles for a number of years. When he isn’t working at the Complex as a staff member, he is either training at the Complex grounds at Ignite Athletics or working on his kicking skills at Saskatoon Minor Football Field or the Indoor Training Centre.

With the Huskies this past season, Solie had an outstanding campaign being named a Canada West Conference all-star and a U Sports second team all-Canadian all-star at place kicker. He helped the Huskies finished first in the Canada West Conference with a 7-1 record and advance to the U Sports championship game – the Vanier Cup.

In the Vanier Cup played on November 26 at Western Alumni Stadium in London, Ont., the Huskies dropped a heartbreaker 30-24 to the always powerful Universite Laval Rouge et Or before 8,420 spectators. Just three days after the Vanier Cup on November 29, Solie signed with the Roughriders.

Naturally, Solie, who stands 5-foot-10 and weighs 200 pounds, received lots of supportive messages from family and friends and numerous persons he met in football. The 23-year-old was pleasantly surprised by the large number of supportive messages he received from people he met over the years at the Complex.

“The staff there at Gordie Howe are all so friendly,” said Solie. “It is like a mini family there.

“We’ve got the mom Janice Kozun there, and she is always taking care of everybody. You get to meet a lot of new people. I’ve gotten a lot of messages that I’m very grateful for from a lot of people that maybe you don’t always hear from, but you hear from them, and they are grateful for you.

“It is a special place that hits you when there are a lot of congratulatory texts and messages coming in. I’m grateful myself for all those messages. I’m grateful that the ’Riders are able to give me this opportunity to hopefully go make the team and show what I can do.”

Solie received lots of supportive messages from staffers he has worked alongside with at the Complex. He didn’t realize how many people he met at Ignite and from sports teams and groups he has interacted with at the various facilities on the Complex grounds would reach out too.

David Solie is pictured for Bell Let’s Talk social media posts in Jan. 2021.

The graduate of Saskatoon’s Holy Cross High School believes he has heard from coaches, athletes and team staffers from every sporting group that has trained or competed on the Complex grounds. The Complex hosts events and training sessions for baseball, football, lacrosse, Nordic Skiing, rugby, softball, speed skating, track and field and ultimate disk.

Solie said Johnny Marciniuk, who is the Operations Manager of the Gordie Howe Sports Complex, has helped develop a culture at the Complex that is special and the crew at Ignite Athletics and co-owner Joel Lipinski have made a huge positive difference on the lives of the athletes they’ve trained.

“They’ve created an environment that bleeds sports,” said Solie, who was the Canada West all-star and U Sports first team all-Canadian all-star punter in 2021. “Being able to work there, I know Johnny (Marciniuk) has been able to give me those hours that work with my schedule.

“I know he has been able to do it with others as well. I’m just forever grateful for everything that he has been able to allow me to do. If I need time off for training, if I need time off for football or if I need time off even just to go visit, I know Johnny (Marciniuk) has always been really good with that.”

With the Huskies this past season, Solie said the team had big goals after advancing to the Vanier Cup in 2021 and falling to the University of Western Ontario Mustangs 27-21. The Huskies were looking to get back to the Vanier Cup in 2022 and win it.

“We expect that from ourselves,” said Solie. “Obviously, it is not going to happen every single year.

“I think we just had an expectation in our minds that we were going to be back on that stage, and we were hopefully lifting that Vanier Cup. Unfortunately, we came up a little bit short there the last couple of years. It is tough in itself, but I’m super proud of our guys.

“We definitely put our best foot forward. I think (Huskies head) coach (Scott) Flory has just instilled this expect to win mentality with the Huskies there. I think he has something going there that is going to be really great in the years to come.”

David Solie (#2) kicks a field goal for the Hilltops in 2018.

Solie had his share of highlights in the 2022 campaign. On September 17, he hit a 32-yard field goal with two seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to allow the Huskies to slip past the University of Regina Rams 11-10 at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

During the Huskies eight regular season games, Solie connected on 17-of-21 field goal attempts with a long from 44 yards and hit on 23-of-24 of his conversion attempts. He punted the ball 58 times for 2,276 yards for an average of 39.2 yards per kick.

In the Canada West title game – the Hardy Cup – played on November 12 at Griffiths Stadium, Solie hit three first half field goals to allow the Huskies to hold a 9-7 halftime lead before jetting out to a 23-8 victory over the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds.

In the Uteck Bowl U Sports semifinal game playing in Antigonish, N.S., Solie hit two first half field goals to allow the Huskies to be in a 6-6 tie at halftime before surging to a 36-19 victory over the St. Francis Xavier University X-Men.

“In the Hardy Cup, I don’t know if we played the best game that we played, but we expected to win,” said Solie, who is set to complete his academic studies at the U of S at the end of the school year. “We came out in that second half, and we were able to come out with the win.

“The same thing with the Uteck (Bowl). I don’t think we came out very strong in the first half. I think we only had six points in the first half, and it was tied 6-6 at halftime.

“When it mattered the most, our team was able to find a way to win. That is just what good teams do.”

During his football career, Solie has made many memories at SMF Field playing for the Crusaders football team in high school, Saskatchewan’s provincial team program and helping the Saskatoon Hilltops win a CJFL championship in his one season with the storied club in 2018.

Solie was a place kicker, punter and receiver for the Hilltops when they downed the Langley Rams 58-21 in the CJFL title game – the Canadian Bowl – played at SMF Field on November 18, 2018.

David Solie (#15) kicks a field for the Huskies this past season.

Looking towards preparing for the Roughriders training camp in 2023, Solie expects to be seen frequently at the Complex both training and working. He wants to make a good impression when he tries to crack the roster of the CFL club.

“It is a big motivation aspect,” said Solie. “I know (Roughriders long snapper) Jorgen Hus is working out at Ignite.

“There are a lot of those pro CFL players that work out at Ignite. Just being able to work with those guys, it is an extra motivation that it is something to look forward to.”

Home is where the heart is for Neufeld

O-lineman finds stomping grounds in Sask. and the ’Peg

By Darren Steinke
Gordie Howe Sports Complex

Patrick Neufeld, left, shares a chuckle with Evan Johnson.

Patrick Neufeld proved a good old Saskatchewan boy can be a proud Winnipegger too.

Neufeld grew up in Regina and graduated from Luther College High School in 2006. Following high school, he suited up as offensive lineman for the University of Saskatchewan Huskies Football team from 2006 to 2010.

Following his time with the Huskies, Neufeld cracked into the CFL in 2011 with his hometown Saskatchewan Roughriders, but was traded to the rival Winnipeg Blue Bombers in October of 2013.

With the Blue Bombers, Neufeld has become a Winnipeg hero after helping the team win two Grey Cups.

“It is a pretty special place that I’ve grown quite fond of, and (I’ve met) a lot of really cool people there that are important people in my life,” said Neufeld, who stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 311 pounds. “I’m glad I’ve gotten a chance to know them and form those relationships.”

Neufeld spends his CFL off-seasons in Saskatoon, where he trains for the upcoming campaign at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. He regularly helps out as a guest coach at the annual Playground to Pros camp run by Saskatoon Minor Football. The camp helps develop skills and fundamentals at the grassroots level.

During his years at the U of S, Neufeld carved out his place in Huskies lore. He was a red shirt in 2006, when the Huskies fell as the host team in the U Sports title game - the Vanier Cup - 13-8 to the Universite Laval Rouge et Or at Griffiths Stadium.

Neufeld was on the active roster from 2007 to 2010, and he was named a U Sports first team all-Canadian all-star at tackle in 2010.

That run with the Huskies ensured Neufeld always had roots in Saskatoon and Saskatchewan.

When he arrived in Winnipeg in October of 2013, Neufeld developed roots that would ensure he was always identified with Manitoba’s capital city. 

Patrick Neufeld (#53) blocks for the Bombers in 2018.

He ultimately became a starter for the Bombers and helped them win the Grey Cup in consecutive seasons in 2019 and 2021.

The 2020 CFL season was lost due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that gripped the world.

On top of winning a second straight Grey Cup in 2021, Neufeld had a stellar personal campaign making starts at right guard and right tackle being named a West Division all-star and a CFL all-star at offensive guard. He was also given the Bombers prestigious Cal Murphy ‘Heart of a Legend’ Award for sportsmanship and dedication to the CFL and the community.

Neufeld has felt the dedication of the Bombers’ fans and is impressed how they seemingly know everything about the team’s history including the club’s 10 previous Grey Cup wins before he joined the squad. He has seen Bombers fans keep past players close to their hearts.

“They are the best fans in the CFL,” said Neufeld. “They’re passionate.

“They’re knowledgeable. They care about the team. They care to a point where they have expectations, which is great, because it forces us as players to match those expectations.

“We want to put on a great show for our fans. They’re extremely loud, and they make playing in IGF (Field) really, really hostile. It is a great community, and I’m really proud to represent those fans and that community every week.”

Before joining the Bombers, Neufeld was selected in the fifth round and 33^rd overall in the 2010 CFL Draft by the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Neufeld started playing for his hometown CFL team in 2011.

A trade on October 6, 2013 saw the Roughriders send Neufeld and a fourth round selection in the 2015 CFL Draft to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for defensive end Alex Hall and a second round selection in the 2014 CFL Draft.

Patrick Neufeld demonstrates offensive line hand positioning.

Hall helped the Roughriders win the Grey Cup at home in 2013, but his professional football career came to an end a couple of seasons later.

Neufeld is still continuing to build on his status as an all-time Bombers great. Even with that said, he enjoys returning to Saskatoon in the off-season and looks forward to helping with the Playground to Pros camp.

“It is awesome,” said Neufeld. “Saskatoon has been home for a long time now, and SMF does a phenomenal job of putting these camps on.

“I think I’ve done every single playground to pros camp that they’ve ever put on. It is just a cool camp to see kids come out get to learn all these different positions from really great Huskie players and pro players across the CFL. They do a great job of bringing in all sorts of people to this camp and give everyone a chance to learn this great game of football.”

Neufeld naturally coaches offensive line skills at the camps and enjoys seeing the spark kids get, when they realize they can do what they are being shown.

“That is the coolest part is when you see a kid kind of like click into the things you’re trying to teach them, and then they go do it in a drill or in a game,” said Neufeld. “Their eyes light up when you’re congratulating them.

“They get super excited, and they are motivated. It is just those little sparks of joy that make coaching this game really fun and really special. It is the best game in the world, and camps like this is why it is.”

On January 11, Neufeld signed a contract extension with the Bombers to remain with the team through the end of the upcoming 2022 campaign. He has studied the history of the Bombers, which includes watching highlight videos of the team’s Grey Cup championship years in 1988 and 1990 on YouTube.

Patrick Neufeld, centre, chats with coaches at the Playground to Pros camp.

At age 33, Neufeld could potentially play a few more seasons before hanging up the cleats. When he does retire as a player, Neufeld knows he could potentially face an opportunity to make Winnipeg home due to his now storied history with the Bombers.

With that noted, he tries to not look too far ahead.

“I take it year by year now,” said Neufeld. “I’ve said that for a while.

“I’m going to play this season and see how the body feels and see how the year goes and make a decision with family after that.”