CALGARY – The 2013 Canadian Football League season is about to begin, National Football League early camps are underway, and it's no surprise that the Calgary Dinos have graduated another large class of football players ready to take the plunge into their professional careers.
 
During the CFL draft in early May, five Dinos were chosen, including the No. 1 overall pick going to Linden Gaydosh, and a total of eight former Dinos will begin their first year as professionals this upcoming season. Adding to those eight players includes another nine that have already had a couple seasons in the CFL under their belts.
 
A total of seventeen players makes up more than any other school, Canadian or American, in the entire league and since the 2007 CFL draft, more selections have come from the Dinos football program than any other CIS program. Head coach Blake Nill attributes this success to a number of factors.
 
"Our ability to evaluate and recruit the top student-athletes in our area helps us develop players ready for the pro leagues.  On top of that, we're a high school based program, which means the vast majority of our athletes come in at 17 years old and the CFL prefer to draft youth. Finally, it is our commitment to full-scale development as our young men grow as students and athletes while with the Dinos," said Nill.
 
Gaydosh is notably Calgary's most outstanding recent graduate from the Dinos program. At 6-foot-3, 314 pounds, the defensive lineman had an incredible four-year career at the University of Calgary. The Peace River, Alta. native was named Canadian Interuniversity Sport rookie of the year in 2009 and maintained that level of play throughout his career. A second team All-Canadian in 2011, he led the Dinos with 7.5 tackles for loss and four sacks as Calgary once again led Canada West in run defence. A vigorous off-season training program had him in the best shape of his life and he again led a stingy Dinos defence through the 2012 season, when he was named a Canada West all-star for the second straight campaign.
 
Although the defensive lineman was drafted first round in the CFL, Gaydosh signed a week later with the NFL's Carolina Panthers as a free-agent signee.
 
"Linden is a classic example of the development our young men go through.  During his time at the University of Calgary, Linden matured and grew into a disciplined young man.  As a result he has the opportunity with the Carolina Panthers," said Nill.
 
Gaydosh joins former Dinos defensive lineman Dan Federkeil as a free-agent signee in the NFL. Federkeil signed with Indianapolis in 2006 and played four seasons with the Colts as an offensive lineman, earning a ring in Super Bowl XLI, before concussions shortened his career. Federkeil has since signed with the Calgary Stampeders. Former Dino Anthony Parker, a wide receiver, will also play with the Stampeders in 2013.
 
Although none of the most recent Dinos graduates will stay in Calgary to play, five of them head to Montreal together to become Alouettes.
 
Mike Edem, the third overall pick to Montreal, wowed scouts at the CFL Combine in Toronto and improved his draft stock significantly - jumping four spots on the CFL Scouting Bureau list to take the final spot in the top 10. He had a career-best season with the Dinos in 2012 and was recognized for it in the December CFL rankings.
 
The Canada West defensive player of the year, the Brampton, Ont. native led the conference with 55 tackles – 10 more than the next-best total – and 9.5 tackles for loss. He averaged nearly seven tackles per game, adding four sacks and an interception to anchor a Calgary defence that led the conference in every category. A converted defensive back, Edem played linebacker for the first time in 2012 and played a key role in the Dinos' defensive scheme as both a run defender inside the box and a pass defender on the edge – requiring a varied and versatile skill set.
 
Steven Lumbala went just two spots after his teammate as the fifth overall pick in the CFL Draft and will also be part of Montreal's active roster this season. He dressed for seven of the eight games in the 2012 season but played in six, recording 636 yards on just 79 carries to lead all starting tailbacks in the conference with an 8.1 yards-per-carry average. He posted a career-high 217-yard performance Oct. 12 at Alberta, scoring three touchdowns, then bettered that performance in the hardy Cup with a 22-carry, 251-yard effort that landed him national offensive player-of-the-week honours. Through four seasons with the Dinos, he has 2,114 rushing yards – good enough for eighth on the school's all-time list.
 
Michael Klassen and Jordan Verdone were also chosen for Montreal's active roster heading into the CFL's opening weekend, while Jamahl Knowles is currently on the Alouettes' practice roster.
 
"This is actually an interesting scenario.  I spoke to the Alouettes GM – Jim Popp - prior to the draft.  He was very complementary about our program and felt that our athletes were prepared to transition into pro football.  The fact that four out of five Dinos that the Alouettes brought to camp made the active roster shows sincerity in Jim's comments," said the Dinos head coach.
 
Drafted last season by the B.C. Lions, Kirby Fabien is another Dino that will make his CFL debut on June 28, ironically, at McMahon Stadium. The offensive lineman decided to return to the University of Calgary last year instead of signing with the Lions where he won another Hardy Cup with the Dinos. After tryouts with the New York Giants in Ruthersford, N.J., the Calgary native came to contract terms with B.C. and will be a starter in their first regular season game.
 
Carson Rockhill is the final Dino to begin his professional career in the CFL. He will be part of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats active roster for the season.
 
Below is a complete list of Dinos as active players in professional football.
 
CFL
Kirby Fabien, T – B.C. Lions
Dan Federkeil, OL – Calgary Stampeders
Anthony Parker, WR – Calgary Stampeders
Matt Walter, RB – Calgary Stampeders
Nate Coehoorn, WR – Edmonton Eskimos
Alexander Krausnick, OL – Edmonton Eskimos
Tim O'Neill, OL – Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Carson Rockhill, OL – Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Mike Edem, LB – Montreal Alouettes
Michael Klassen, DL – Montreal Alouettes
Jamahl Knowles, DB – Montreal Alouettes
Steven Lumbala, RB – Montreal Alouettes
Jordan Verdone, LB – Montreal Alouettes
Sam Hurl, LB – Saskatchewan Roughriders
Paul Swiston, OL – Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Anthony Woodson, RB – Winnipeg Blue Bombers
 
NFL
Linden Gaydosh, DL – Carolina Panthers