Xavier Fulton is a big man. The stalwart left tackle is six foot five, and weighs in at 287 pounds. Recently he stuffed his imposing frame into a car for 33 straight hours, his long arm dangling out the open window, the door panels bulging with the strain of his belongings. He drove his wife’s car, towing his own overstuffed SUV behind him, black and gold jersey pressed against the rear window.
Both vehicles were, “packed to the gills,” according to Fulton, who chose to make the trek to Hamilton in one caffeine-addled voyage.
Fulton spent four and a half seasons in Regina before he was acquired in a trade with Hamilton. The trade forced him to uproot his life and ship out east mid-season. In professional sports, sudden changes are just part of the job.
Take former Ticat Kevin Glenn for example. Glenn has spent time in every CFL market but two, leading offenses from Montreal to Vancouver, most recently landing in Saskatchewan. He has been relocating from one city to another alongside wife Asha Day for over a decade. He proves that it can be difficult to settle down during a career in the CFL.
Throughout training camp, numerous Tiger-Cat rookies and draft picks have weighed in on their experiences leaving home. Their words ring true even for a veteran like Xavier Fulton who is balancing the demands of training camp with the struggles of adapting to a relatively new city.
According to draft pick Justin Vaughn, getting over homesickness is a major obstacle when football uproots a player’s life.
“That was the hardest part of the transition,” Vaughn recounts, “just getting over the homesickness.”
For Nigerian born Kay Okafor, the gulf separating Hamilton and his hometown is wider than most.
“It was difficult first of all, leaving home. I just knew that I had to make my family proud and that’s really what has kept me going,” Okafor stated.
The players at Tiger-Cats camp have come from all over North America, filtering into Hamilton on the many roads leading to the city. In recent years however, one road in particular has seen more than its share of traffic. The stretch of pavement spanning from Regina to Steeltown has been particularly fruitful for the Tiger-Cats. Before the 2012 season, Andy Fantuz made his way east, returning to the welcoming roar of a hometown crowd. Since then, Fantuz has lived up to expectations, including a Most Outstanding Canadian performance in the 2014 Grey Cup.
Another player to pack up his talents and follow the Trans-Canada to Hamilton was 2016 All-Star defensive end, John Chick. Anchoring the Ticats defensive line, Chick produced arguably his best season statistically in 2016.
Ticats’ brass also has ties to Saskatchewan. Kent Austin came to Hamilton after a lengthy playing career spent almost entirely with the Roughriders. In 1989 he secured Regina its second Grey Cup victory, and first since 1966. He also brought Regina a Grey Cup in 2007, this time around as head coach.
In addition, Eric Tillman was the general manager that assembled the 2007 Grey Cup Championship winning team under Coach Austin. When he came to Hamilton, it was a reunion of the Cup-winning duo.
Xavier Fulton is the newest in a growing list of stars abandoning the prairies to alight in TigerTown. He brings years of CFL experience, and a level-headed veteran voice to the locker room.
Upon arrival, Fulton unpacked himself from a brimming vehicle, ready to follow in the footsteps of other former Riders by playing his best years in Hamilton.
