Toronto Argos have their eye on Sudbury's Austin Roy

Sudbury native Austin Roy would love nothing more than to follow in the footsteps of the likes Frank Rocca and Mike Derks. This week, the graduate of Michigan Tech moved a step closer to realizing that dream.

The 6-3, 305-pound offensive lineman is one of 78 players currently attending the training camp of the Toronto Argonauts, having signed a contract officially with the CFL team on Wednesday.

That doesn't yet put the St. Benedict Catholic Secondary School product on par with Rocca and Derks, both of whom enjoyed successful careers in the Canadian professional league. But at least the path is heading in the right direction.

Roy capped off his time in Houghton, Mich., in style, starting every game of the 2014 campaign, a season which would see the Huskies advance to the NCAA Division II playoffs, falling 42-41 to the Angelo State Rams from San Angelo, Texas.

Despite the success on both an individual and team level, Roy would require some patience.

"Football is kind of done, at that point," he said this week in Sudbury, before leaving for the Argos camp at York University. "You send game film out to scouts, and you play the waiting game. There is a huge lull."

That quiet stage would be broken early in 2015, when Roy learned that he was among the invitees to the "Montreal Regional Combine", one of three such camps, strewn across the country and organized by the CFL.

It was a shot, and Roy knew what was at stake. Taking a leave of absence from the school — Roy remains incredibly grateful to the staff and administration of Michigan Tech for their support in allowing him to balance both academics and athletics — the multi-sport SDSSAA athlete would immerse himself in a six-week stretch of intensive training.

"It was 25 days of two-a-days, sometimes three-a-days to prepare for the combine camp," said Roy.

Working on strength and conditioning with John Hiller (Basement Gym), doing one-on-one training sessions with Rocca, McLean and other football friends from Sudbury, heading to the Sudbury Indoor Centre to work on speed and agility (and getting used to the turf), Roy left nothing to chance.

It paid off, at least to some extent.

"I did enough to get noticed, but not enough to get signed right away," he said. "I got to meet scouts and some GMs. From there, I got a feel from which teams were interested. I had a really good sense that I was doing well at camp.

"I was kind of average for all of the testing, the 40-yard dash, the bench press. Where I really shined was in the one-on-ones with the defensive line."

Still, without a pro contract, it was back to Michigan, finishing his degree.

His next break would come the Saturday of Mother's Day weekend, as he received a call from Argonaut management to attend a team workout the next day at York. A post-training conversation with Argo's GM Jim Barker provided a sense of optimism, but nothing concrete.

"I was told that I might be getting word within three weeks," said Roy. "Three weeks came, and still no word. At this point, I was thinking that maybe I should be calling other teams, but I really wanted to stay true to Toronto, because there was definite interest there."

On May 23, as his father, Dan, celebrated his birthday, Roy received the call from his agent. Pack your bags, and be in Toronto on Tuesday for the medical testing. He now has two weeks or so to show that once the roster is trimmed from 78 to 60, he should still be in camp, preparing for pre-season action.

"At my point right now, I am trying to compete to get on either the practice roster, or to get on the team," said Roy. "I've got to beat some guys out at camp, and that's my goal right now."

Ironically, Roy's first post-secondary training camp was at exactly the same venue, as he suited up with the York University Lions for one year before before transferring to Michigan Tech.

"It's come full circle," he laughed. "I'm going to the same dorm that I was living at during my year at York."

Given all the uncertainty of the past eight months, it stands to reason that Roy is excited, yet pragmatic.

"To be honest, I should be more nervous," he stated. "But it's really the same process, just at the next level. If anything, I am just that much more focused. You're not just earning a spot at this level, you're taking money out of someone's pockets."

It won't be easy, but little of his journey has been. That said, the finish line, or at least a key milestone, is now clearly in sight.

Receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in Theatre Entertainment Technology, Austin Roy became the second notable local football connection to Michigan Tech. Former Sudbury Spartans standout Ken Naples was inducted into the NFC (Northern Football Conference) Hall of Fame in 1993, and subsequently into the Michigan Tech Hall of Fame exactly a decade later.