Mark Masters
CFL.ca
Jamall Lee is aiming to be the next great Canadian running back in the Canadian Football League. He knows it will not be an easy road, but he’s hoping to prove he has what it takes starting this week at the CFL Evaluation Camp.
“The Camp will be mentally draining and I expect people will be looking to see who can rise above that and produce,” said Lee. “You are going to be spending hours on the field and in the film room and people want to see who can take that and maintain a physical advantage. I’ll be ready.”
The 6-foot-1, 215-pound tailback led Canadian Interuniversity Sport football last season amassing 1,202 yards on 182 carries while playing for the Bishop’s Gaiters. Along the way Lee set a new Quebec conference single-season record for carries (breaking his own record set in 2007) and accumulated the second-highest single-season rushing total in conference history.
But the individual accolades seemed a remote possibility early on in Lee’s career at Bishop’s as the school struggled on the field.
“University life has been a bit of a challenge,” said Lee. “We didn’t get a lot of respect in my first couple of seasons because we were not that successful. We eventually were able to get over the hump and beat some quality teams.”
Lee’s top memory from playing university ball is when he learned the Gaiters had made the playoffs during his third season.
“It was definitely the highlight because not many people expected us to make the playoffs let alone win a few games and to do it together with the group of guys we had … that was special.”
Lee, a native of Port Coquitlam, BC, does not need to look far for inspiration. His father, Orville Lee, was the first overall pick in the 1988 CFL Draft by the Ottawa Rough Riders.
In his first season in the CFL the elder Lee broke the 1,000 yard plateau becoming just the second Canadian running back to accomplish the feat. Lee would play for both the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Hamilton Tiger-Cats before hanging up his cleats in 1992.
“My dad isn’t the kind of dad who would put pressure on me to live up to his accomplishments. It’s been a benefit to me to have him there. He knows I’ll be fine on the field and it’s just a matter of being a great person off it.”
It’s not just his father who Lee looks up to. He also regards Jesse Lumsden, born in Edmonton, AB, and Calvin McCarty, born in Surrey, BC, as role models for how a Canadian kid can make it as a running back in the professional ranks.
“It’s so nice to see Canadian guys doing well in the league. They’ve done it the right way,” said Lee. “I can do that too. I know my teammates believe in me and wherever my need is in the CFL I know I can fill it.”
Canadian starting running backs have been few and far between in the CFL and Lee knows if he can make a good impression at the Evaluation Camp his stock among scouts could skyrocket.
“I’m a hard runner. I don’t really dance that much, but I give it my all. I’m a hard worker … I’m not a loud guy, but I’m always going to give 100 per cent.”
The career of a running back in any league tends to be short. Lee knows that and knows what he wants to do once his playing days are behind him.
Lee’s father and step-mom run the Pathfinders Youth Centre Society in Surrey, BC, which is dedicated to helping at-risk youth acquire life and employment skills.
“I’ve been going to meetings with my dad and I know that I want to be a part of the Pathfinders when I’m done with football,” said Lee. “My dad only played a few seasons and he stressed the importance of having a plan when you’re done. I’ve shadowed some people and just been seeing how it works so far, but I know I want to be involved.”
But for the moment Lee is focused on turning heads at the Evaluation Camp.
“I’m definitely excited and my mindset is just to go out there and do what I’ve been able to do during my career so far. Hopefully I can produce under the pressure.”
Mark Masters is a freelance writer living in Toronto. He has written about the Canadian Football League in the National Post, Enterprise magazine and the Toronto Argonauts game-day program.
