Think you have what it takes to be the Dinos 13th Man this year?

We want to see you on the field!



The Dinos 13th Man will be an official student-athlete leading up to one of three regular season home games this year. On game day, the 13th Man will be utilized on 1 Special Teams kick off.

Each winner will be expected to attend all practices leading up to their designated game. The 13th Man will receive their own locker during the week, Dinos jersey for the game, name on the official game day roster, and the opportunity to be on the field when the Dinos kick off.



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Here's a look at our 2014 13th man participants:Oct. 25 vs UBCDB5'8''164ArtsCold Lake, AB@s_dunnillThe first three practices seemed to fly by. Practice one was no gear, just helmets and was a blast. I experienced the drills runningbacks do and they are pretty fun. At one point we did scout defense and I made it through the offense line and got a hand on the quarterback. That was a mistake, got yelled at for that one but it was a lesson learnt quickly. The next time I made it through I made sure I didn’t touch the quarterback and slowed down when I got close to him.Practice two was full gear, and we did receiver drills instead of running drills. The other players made catching the ball seem so easy and did it flawlessly. The runningbacks moved effortlessly through the defense in some of the drills, it was quite impressive. We did scout defense at the end and with gear on it was a lot harder to make it through the offensive line.Practice three was the last practice with gear, and it was definitely the most fun so far. We started with footwork and running drills and I dropped a ball during a drill. It was kind of embarrassing but the guys were very supportive and encouraging. I got to run the kickoff drill in this practice and it was a little nerve racking lining up behind the kicker. When he kicked the ball I took off down field with the rest of the guys and was able to catch up with the kick returner, I was pumped. At the end of practice the runningbacks let me run the break down before we left the field, I tried my best not to sound too dumb and say something similar to what one of them had said in the previous practices. I’m glad they let me do it because it was fun once I got over the nervousness of not wanting to screw it up.Practice on Friday was super light. It started with some film watching and going over the plays so everyone knew where they should be. After that everyone put on their helmets and headed out to the field to run through the drills without pads or contact. Watching the team run their drills, they looked ready to perform for Saturday’s game. At the end of practice Coach Nill gave a speech to motivate the boys and then we went to the dressing room. Once we got back the players had their own meeting and a couple guys had speeches to fire the team up for the game. It was a great atmosphere to be involved with. Saturday’s game is going to be a blast and I can’t wait!Game Day! The dressing room had an atmosphere of excitement and nervousness. Everyone was so pumped for the last home regular season game. People started showing up at 11am and the dressing room slowly started filling up. As the guys started piling into the dressing room, the room started getting more and more energetic. The team got dressed and went out for warmup. After warmup, we came back to the dressing room and a couple people gave speeches and then there was a team prayer before we headed out. Lining up for the kickoff was a little nerve racking as I didn’t want to get in one of the guys' ways and have UBC score and it be my fault. Running down the field I saw one of the UBC players start lining me up for a hit. I tried running around him but he got his hands on me and sent me a couple feet to the side. I jumped up as quickly as possible to continue with the play but Johnny’s kick had gone through the end zone getting us a point. The game seemed to fly by from the sidelines and all of a sudden it was over. The experience was great and it was an awesome week.I would like to thank everyone involved in the experience and making it happen, from the coaches to the players to the organizers of the 13man promotion. Thank you to Jake Harty for giving me gloves, they helped a lot in the drills and plays; special thanks to Jordan and Bryce for explaining things and making sure I didn’t get killed and thank you to the ground crew for teaching me the ropes and being supportive. Ground crew on 2; 1,2 GROUND CREW!Thank you for making this experience possible.Oct. 4 vs. ReginaDB5'9''170HaskayneVancouver, BC@13thManTonyTran@tdntranI survived!!! Everyone told me I was crazy when I decided to become the 13th Man. The experience has been amazing so far. I was a little bit nervous on how the players would respond to having a new player in the locker room every week, but once the coaches assigned me a locker all of the players came up and introduced themselves to me. They seemed quite excited to have me there, and I wasn't as nervous afterwards.Before practice I attended a meeting looking at video footage. The coaches would pick out every small detail of the opposing team and make sure that the players knew that to expect. That explains why the Dinos are such a strong team! Johnny (the equipment manager) and I shared a few laughs over how I've never worn any football equipment before. It was actually lighter than I expected and I actually felt safe enough to take a hit or two.Now for the exciting part, I finally set foot on the field like a real football player. I practiced with the receivers, and it was great because everyone was super helpful getting me used to the drills and what routes I needed to run. I even caught the football a few times, but that was because the quarterbacks threw absolutely perfect throws that were almost impossible to drop.On to the next one, I'm so excited!All of the practices are finally over! I’m excited and a disappointed, I’m excited because I get to finally play tomorrow, and I’m disappointed because this is my final practice of the week. Throughout this week I got the opportunity to practice with the best group of receivers in the country. I got to see how hard the entire team worked. Their work ethic is ruthless, the coaches expect the best performance from the players, and the players expect the best out of themselves and their teammates. It was incredible for me to watch every play get executed to perfection.Practice on Wednesday was around 2-3 degrees, however I felt like it was -20. Even with the cold weather, everyone was still working hard and you could still see everyone sweating. On Thursday I was able to run the kickoff with the guys and everyone on the sidelines were all chanting my name. I was super pumped and all the guys were really supportive of the 13th man. Afterwards a few of the guys went up to me and told me to make a play during the game. I was told to run down field and hit someone as hard as I could and just have fun with it. I don’t think I could be more excited for the game!I was pumped to start the day, when I entered the locker room everyone was super pumped too. I joined the receivers for warm up and only dropped one ball, so my confidence was through the roof. The players were all getting me pumped up and they kept giving me high fives and fist pumps and told me to get ready. After warmup concluded, we headed back to the locker room where Coach Nill gave us a motivation speech, the speech was something you would see in a movie!When I ran out on the field with the guys I was super pumped to play, the entire kickoff to me was a bit of a blur. I remember the guys chanting my name as I was running down field telling me to make a play. I remember getting blocked and I immediately went after the player that blocked me like the guys had told me. After the play was finished the players and coaches gave me high five and congratulated me on the play. Even though the only stat that totaled was that I had a team high in high fives and first bumps, it was still an amazing experience. I got to see all of the hard work my teammates had put in over the past week. All of the plays that were run to perfection in practice were being executed one after another. Coach Nill and the rest of the coaching staff has built a championship mentality.I’m glad that I was part of this brotherhood and their quest for a national championship. This team is not only full of great players, they’re great teammates. I truly believe that this is a championship team, they have the right mentality, and great coaching. Even though this team is ranked number 1 in western Canada, this team is the most humble team that I have ever been apart of. This team plays like a family and treat one another like a family.Also a shout out to James Gaetz for giving me his gloves, there was no way I was going to catch as many footballs, as I did without those gloves and Ross Delauw for helping me with my equipment and being an awesome locker neighbor. I promised Johnny the equipment manager a shout out too, Johnny you are too funny!Sept. 26 vs. ManitobaDL6'0''264ScienceRaleigh, NC, USA@chiefmohammad@chiefmohammadJust got off of Day 2 which is actually Day 1 of pads, but 2 on the field. I'm loving the ride so far! Yesterday was a little boring because I had limited participation, I mostly attended meetings and got my gear from Johnny the equipment wizard, but today, in pads, I got to play scout team pretty much all of practice. For those who don't know Scout team defense is when the non-starters line up and go against the starting offense to give them reps against the other teams defensive setup... so I got to line up against some of the best OL (offensive lineman) in the country! It's a crazy feeling especially when you know they're nationally ranked!Later in practice, Coach put me on Scout Kickoff to get me reps to get ready for Friday. It was fun and we did an all out sprint from midfield to wherever Alec Curtis or Johnny Mark kicked the ball to! After that was the easy part: conditioning! We did sprints across the width of the field, which is bigger than an American football field, down and back! I surprisingly wasn't the last one so I ran hard and tried to keep up, and like Jarrett told me, I didn't jump the whistle!Overall, the guys were super supportive! People were introducing themselves left and right, giving me high fives, fist bumps you name it! I also want to give a shout out to my boys on the DL (defensive line) John, Matt, Jack, Brett, Tyler, Connor, Cory, Sam, Donald, and Joel. These guys grind every play and kill it at practice all under a close eye because Coach Nill actually works really closely with the DL. I have to get to bed, gotta be up early for class and rest for practice. Peace!Just finished walkthrough, and I'm feeling more excited than I've ever been in my life, I'm also nervous about kickoff tomorrow. During the walkthrough I'm the L4 so I'll be the man right next to the kicker, and I'll be right next to Carson Stambene. Last game he made a hit that made the ball fly off the return man, I'm gonna stick close behind him so if he does that again and I can maybe recover a fumble, fingers crossed.All week everyone's been telling me to make a play. Even hitting the man on the other team that's blocking me will suffice so that's what I'm planning on doing! After walkthrough some of the guys went to teach football to international students, it was funny to hear about! Then we did this thing where we went in the meeting room with the whole team and aired everything out, guys let out how they felt about the other team taking shots at us on social media, and other concerns. My favorite quote from then was when Cy (Iwanegbe) said, "tomorrow we are gonna play for 95, and the brother next to us and every single person in the stands." It really resonated with me and it felt like we're more than a team, we are all brothers. After that me and Doc went to Nicks and we ate dinner while we watched Thursday Night Football! It was great and everyone went crazy for the garlic bread, especially Konar. When we finished the meal, the guys gave me some advice for tomorrow and we split up. I'm going to bed now. Catch you all on the flip!Today was AMAZING! I'm writing this so it's obvious that I lived through my first CIS Football play. I've been getting shout-outs on twitter, likes on Instagram and Facebook, it's was almost dreamlike! My phone has been going off non-stop! It got to the point where it was distracting me in class! All day I had butterflies in my stomach and I was extremely nervous from when I woke up till five seconds before Johnny kicked the ball.This week of preparation got me ready to be in my spot, and how to react on the play, but nothing got me ready for the mental part, so I had to figure that out and get focused. After my Chem class ended, I went straight to McMahon stadium and found my jersey and pants already waiting for me in my locker, it was surreal.At the stadium, I hung out and talked with the guys. Most of what happened after that was a huge blur. I remember a couple guys telling me to make a play, and I remember being told that I will have a camera trained on me the whole play! I wasn't as focused as I should've been, so after we warmed up I took some pre-workout to get me amped, and needless to say it worked!Moments later, we were on the field, and had won the toss. I hear shouts of my name to get on the field. Next thing you know the ball is kicked and I take off, although my first instinct was to turn and follow the ball I ended up tied up with one of the linebackers from the other team as he is swearing at me, so we exchange words, a hand gesture, and I walk off the field. Seconds later Alanna Nolan, the sideline reporter for Shaw's CIS football, grabbed me and said, "catch your breath I'm going to interview you for national TV." So, I naturally caught my breath, and just nonchalantly draped my arm over her shoulder (as per her request) and did my interview. Putting my arm over her shoulder actually drew a reaction from the commentators that I found hilarious! So, I hung out on the sidelines and waited from my other two interviews and watched the game. It was a nail-biter but Dallas saved us at the last second and we won by one point! The air was electric and we rushed the field. After that, Coach Nill gave the post-game speech and revealed it was his 100win so we all sang, broke down, and went home. On my way out I thanked everyone for the great experience, and Coach told me to stay in touch! It was probably one of the greatest experiences of my life, and I probably won't have another one like this but it was a whole lot of fun.Sept. 5 vs. AlbertaDB6'0''200ArtsWhite City, Sask.@jaretthenryI made it! Well, I haven’t played yet, but I survived my first practice. It actually turned out to be a lot of fun, rather than the physical challenge/embarrassment that I expected it to be. My 13Man experience started out with Coach Nill introducing me to everyone at the team meeting. The guys were extremely supportive of the program, which was a big confidence booster for me. Coach Nill then went over film from the team’s preseason game against Laval, where I was very impressed at the level of detail that was picked out of a three hour long game (note to self: never jog on the field).Before I could actually get out on the field for practice, I had to get suited up head-to-toe in protective gear… for which I was very thankful for. I’m not sure if Johnny (the equipment guru) gave me any extra protection, but the helmet sure feels like something I could take on a small truck with. Practice started with some dynamic stretching, and then I joined the receivers for a wide variety of drills where I somehow managed to avoid dropping the ball. Conditioning was up next, where I unfortunately missed the memo about not starting before Coach Nill’s whistle… sorry for the extra set of lines everyone.The last part of practice was the live scrimmage, where offensive and defensive units lined up in order to practice their massive array of formations and plays. If there was one thing that has really impressed me in the entire experience so far, it was the intensity that everyone put into these practice scrimmages. This is a team that is driven to excellence at every opportunity, and one that I am sure lucky to be a part of for this week.I’m ready. Well, that’s not entirely true, but I think I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. Today consisted of a final set of pregame meetings, and a walk-through on the field for each separate unit. I’m feeling relatively comfortable with my role on the kickoff team—big thanks to Coach Taylor for going through game film to teach me about lanes, angles and keeping my head up. Of course, every football play has the random variable of twelve other players on the other side of the field, so it’s impossible to be fully prepared for how my ten seconds of fame will turn out.As I think about hitting the field with the team tomorrow, there is only one image that comes to mind… seeing the stands packed with fellow students in Dinos red. As a long-time fan at Kickoff, I’ve never before viewed my attendance as beneficial in any way. But after spending just three days sweating with the team on the turf, I’m starting to see just how appreciated each fan in the stands is to everyone on the field. So on that note I’ll sign off for now… hope to see you there tomorrow!It's amazing to think that a whole week of build-up was over in less than ten seconds. Especially because I had so much adrenaline running through my veins, the whole play is a bit of a blur. I like to think that I was pretty calm throughout the day, right up until it came time to run out onto the field. From there the combination of the energy of the crowd, singing the national anthem and watching the coin toss all added up to make me a bit of a nervous wreck. Of course, feeling like someone just infused you with electricity has its benefits as well. While I may not have tracked down the ball carrier, I did run into the first opposing player I saw without a second thought.And while that was the end of my play, it wasn't the end of my experience. I was very lucky to be able to stay on the sidelines with the team, taking in the whole game from the real front row. It was great to see all of the moving parts of organizing a 50-man squad (especially the elaborate body movements that make up each play call from the sidelines). My favourite part of the whole game may have been the camaraderie of the whole team throughout the game. Of course everyone was excited up when Mercer Timmis scored the first touchdown of the game. But the team was also fired up when first-year player Andrew Britton got his first CIS tackle, or when another first-year Micah Teitz got a sack. It's things like this that made me realize that this group isn't just a team, it's also a family.Which I suppose sums up my experience this week. I've always believed in the phrase 'we are all Dinos', because whether your sport is Netflix marathons or football, you are a part of the University of Calgary fabric. But I want to thank Coach Nill and the whole team for giving me the opportunity to put the jersey on along with all of the experiences that came with it. Good luck to the next 13th man, if you need any advice you can find me in the stands.