Tim O鈥橬eill and Brian Ramsay鈥檚 paths cross at least two times a season in the Canadian Football League.
But the history of the two offensive linemen 鈥� who play for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Edmonton Eskimos, respectively 鈥攇oes back more than 20 years, beginning as teammates with the Spartans football club in Victoria.
O鈥橬eill still has a picture of the two, standing side by side in a team photo.
鈥淚t was quite a long time ago,鈥� O鈥橬eill said of the snapshot that dates back to 1990, when they played peewee. 鈥淚 didn鈥檛 even know Brian and I were standing side by side. I just pulled it out and there we were.
鈥淚t is pretty cool that we鈥檙e both playing in the CFL now and I laugh when I look at the picture. Brian had the same height advantage over me back then as he does now.鈥�
And the two are back training together during off-seasons as they both reside in the Victoria area.
鈥淭o be side by side [in the picture] and 20 years later training together; those are some long odds right there,鈥� O鈥橬eill said with a chuckle.
鈥淭im and I were joking around with it,鈥� Ramsay said of the photo. 鈥淗e said, 鈥業 looked at the picture again and I had a pretty good scowl and you had a huge grin.鈥� He said, 鈥業f we鈥檙e going to duplicate it, you鈥檙e going to have to have the huge grin going again.鈥�
鈥淭im and I have kept in touch throughout. It鈥檚 a small league and while we鈥檙e both playing in it, we meet up and this last year and a bit he鈥檚 made Victoria his off-season home again, so we鈥檝e been training together,鈥� added Ramsay.
鈥淲e joke around with it [the fact that they were teammates back in 1990]. We don鈥檛 usually say how long ago it was, but now that you鈥檝e dated me 鈥� it is kind of neat though.鈥�
Now, 23 years later, the two are regulars at the PISE gym at Camosun College, but this week they will disperse for their respective teams.
Ramsay, a six-foot-eight, 312-pound guard, was slated to leave Monday as he drives back to the Alberta capital. O鈥橬eill, a six-foot-three, 305-pound centre, will fly out on Friday for Steeltown.
Both will be starting anew in a way with the Tiger-Cats welcoming Kent Austin as the new head coach and general manager and the Eskimos slotting Ed Hervey in as GM.
鈥淚鈥檝e heard good things,鈥� O鈥橬eill said. 鈥淚t seems like it鈥檚 going to be a real positive work environment, which will be nice to be a part of. I thought we had the talent last year, we just need to come together a little more and hopefully we can do that.鈥�
It was O鈥橬eill鈥檚 first year in Hamilton after four seasons in Calgary with the Stampeders. He was drafted in 2005 by the Eskimos, who had him on the practice roster the entire 2006 season.
Ramsay, 33, is in his third year in Edmonton after stops in Hamilton and Toronto, which drafted him in 2006.
鈥淚 feel good,鈥� said Ramsay. 鈥淭im and I were joking, which we always do during workouts, but as clich茅 as it sounds, I feel like I鈥檓 in probably the best shape of my life. I don鈥檛 know if it鈥檚 partly having been through it before and knowing where you need to be at. It plays a part of it, the mental game and what you need to do to be prepared for the season.
鈥淢y body feels good, my mind is good and I鈥檓 excited about what Edmonton is going to do this year.鈥�
Ditto for O鈥橬eill.
鈥淚 feel great. I think this is the best I鈥檝e felt in years,鈥� said the 33-year-old. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been a great off-season and I鈥檓 really happy with it. I think I can go a few more years. I definitely know I鈥檝e played more football than I鈥檓 gonna play, but I鈥檓 OK with that.鈥�
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