It may be a tough choice for some North Bay football fans to choose who they want to win in the 2022 Grey Cup which has the Toronto Argonauts taking on the defending champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Regina on Sunday.
It will be difficult because both teams have significant North Bay ties. Mike O'Shea, who was just named the CFL coach of the year for the second year in a row, is the bench boss for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, while on the field, the Toronto Argonauts have lineman and North Bay native Ryan Hunter who will be looking to put a Grey Cup ring next to his Super Bowl ring.
Sean Mullan, a junior football coach with the West Ferris Trojans knows Mike O'Shea as a former teammate in high school when O'Shea defied the odds back in 1988 playing nearly every down in the last three and a half games en route to Widdifield's first NDA football title back in 1988.
"It's a win for North Bay," said Sean Mullan.
"Call it Wildcats versus Barons Grey Cup. You know who I am cheering for."
But Mullan does not believe the two players will create division amongst the football faithful in the Gateway City.
"I don’t think North Bay is torn," he said.
"It is two football greats who will continue to be successful in the sport they love. They will both have more chances in the future."
Ironically O'Shea, as a player, brought the Grey Cup back to North Bay in December of 2004 when the Argos won the Grey Cup. O'Shea set up a table at City Hall signed autographs, talked football, and took part in a photo opportunity with Mayor Vic Fedeli.
Oh yes, and O'Shea had a field in North Bay named after him this past summer.
See related: City football field to be named after local Grey Cup winner
See related: Ryan Hunter signs with Argos
Meantime, Ryan Hunter would like to do the same thing as a member of the Argos in 2022.
Hunter was the Argos' first-round pick, ninth overall, in the 2018 CFL Draft. He joined the Argonauts in September of 2022 from the NFL.
The Algonquin Barons alum signed with the Los Angeles Chargers in October 2020 and had been on the team’s practice roster until the squad released Hunter in late August.
Hunter dressed for three career NFL games, and aside from his time with the Chargers, he spent two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs winning a Super Bowl in early 2020.
Aside from going to Algonquin himself, Ryan's brother Scott Hunter is a teacher and football coach with the junior team working with the linemen, while his mother Louise is a longtime secretary at the school.
Ryan Desbiens, the Algonquin Barons senior football coach, is cheering for both North Bayites, kind of.
"O’Shea is a great person and an exceptional coach," said Desbiens.
"But I’ll clearly be in camp hunter for this one Having taught and coached him and followed his career progression, I have an obvious bias there,I don’t know if I can objectively comment on North Bay’s overall sentiment, but either way, it’s great for North Bay Football. To have two local athletes succeed at that level is pretty special."
Yes, it will likely be an argument around town locally and will be a hot topic at many local Grey Cup parties on Sunday.
At least North Bay is guaranteed another local Grey Cup champion regardless of who wins.
