HOTDOGGING IT: THE SHELDON NAPASTUK STORY

By: Braedyn Wozniak, RP Show Intern

Not many athletes in any sport can tell the story Sheldon Napastuk told on the Rod Pedersen Show.

In fact, there’s probably not a single person with a similar story. His path involves a hotdog cart and a wakeup call from his mother.

The 6’5″ defensive lineman played for the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders and Calgary Stampeders (1999-2007). He enjoyed an eight-year career in which he accrued 157 tackles and 23 sacks in 126 games.

But after being cut by the Edmonton Eskimos (now known as the Edmonton Elks), the CFL third-round pick’s dreams looked dire.

“That was kind of disheartening,” said Napastuk. “I just spent the last couple of training camps trying to get on the CFL team, and just couldn’t quite crack (the roster).”

The North Battleford native was fresh out of college from Iowa State and running a hotdog cart business in Saskatoon while trying to make a pro team. He even tried out as an offensive lineman for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, but got cut before the season started.

He had his wiener cart set up outside a night club in Saskatoon in 1999 at the same time the Roughriders were in town for training camp. He ended up serving some Riders that evening.

“The next morning I’m calling my mom and telling my mom, ‘Two years ago, I’m playing in front of 90,000 people,’” he said. “’Now, I’m serving these guys hotdogs. Where did I go wrong?’”

His mother answered by telling him he should just call the Roughriders and “let them know you’re in town and want to play.”

Napastuk replied by telling her that wasn’t how professional sports work. He couldn’t just walk up and demand a spot.

Mrs. Napastuk wasn’t having it. She told him if wasn’t going to try then he best not complain to her again.

“I thought about it. I was like, I got one shot, one opportunity. So, I picked up the phone, and I called Head Coach Cal Murphy,” said Napastuk. “You know what he said? Nothing. He wouldn’t return my phone call.”

Frustrated and impatient, Napastuk decided to go one step further and make the trip to Regina to catch them after practice and give them some film on his play from college.

“I shut down the cart, make the two-and-a-half-hour trip to Regina. I watch practice and wait outside for three, four hours for the coaches to come out,” he said. “When they did, I handed them the game films.”

At the time, the Riders still seemed uninterested. They told him him they’d take a look, but they were good at the moment.

“I jumped in the car a little deflated,” said Napastuk. “I get back to Saskatoon and within five minutes of walking in the door, the phone rings. Its coach Cal Murphy saying, ‘Hey, can we get you back here tomorrow? We just want to get you on film moving around a little bit, see what you got.’”

The next day, Napastuk shut the cart down again and made the trip back to Regina. He borrowed some “turf shoes” for the quick 15-minute tryout which was followed by a quick interview. They said they’d let him know.

In an interview on the Rod Pedersen Show from Feb. 18, Napastuk said he just returned to Saskatoon when the phone rang again.

“Sheldon you’re a Rider. You’re moving to Regina.”

As Napastuk put it, the rest is history.

In two days and about 10 hours of driving, Napastuk’s football dreams came true.

“The whole point is, they weren’t going to call me. And I wasn’t even going to do it myself. It was a phone call from my mom saying ‘if you’re not going to call don’t complain. Either do something about or move on.”

Napastuk would play four years with the Riders until signing with the Stampeders in 2003. He would retire in 2007.