Two UBC football players have been selected to start careers in the NFL.
Giovanni Manu made history over the weekend, becoming the first Thunderbird ever to be picked in the NFL draft.
The Detroit Lions picked the 6’8″, 352lb, 23-year-old offensive-lineman in the draft’s fourth round Saturday.
Manu, who migrated to Canada at just 11 years old from Tonga, grew up in Pitt Meadows. He says he recently answered a phone call that would forever change his life.
“I answered it, and it was the head coach, Coach [Dan] Campbell on the other side — and he was just fired up [asking] if I’m ready to be a Lion.”
UBC Football head coach Blake Nill told CityNews he couldn’t be more proud of Manu. He reached out to the Detroit Lions to prime the team for what they can expect from their new asset.
“He’s going to be a great addition to your locker room. The veteran [players] are going to rally around him. He’s going to be like the little brother,” said Nill.
According to the team’s website, Manu will now have the opportunity to become the fourth UBC Thunderbird to appear in an NFL game, joining Bill Crawford (OL – New York Giants), Brant Bengen (WR – Seattle), and current Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Dakoda Shepley.
Theo Benedet signs with Chicago Bears
Meanwhile, Manu’s teammate, Theo Benedet, has signed with the Chicago Bears as a free agent.
“It’s a dream come true,” said Benedet, who is also an offensive-lineman for UBC. “Even just to be on an NFL roster and thinking about where I started in football.”
Nill said Benedet’s future is just as bright as any player’s.
“Everyone who understands the game knows that Theo Benedet is a good enough football player to play with the best.”
Substantial credit, Nill says, goes to the Thunderbirds’ offensive line coach, Dan Darozio.
Nill encouraged the former B.C. Lions’ coach out of retirement to bring the UBC O-line to another level.
“I think what Coach Darozio was able to do with Gio and Theo is give them a one-year seminar on what the reality of NFL football and what high-end football is,” said Nill. “That might have been just what it took to push Gio onto the stage of the NFL, and it certainly added to Theo’s résumé, which is already just extraordinary.”
The only people more proud than their coaches, both players say, might be their parents.
Benedet said his mother started looking for apartments in Chicago the day he was selected.
“They had more emotions than me. My dad was jumping off the couch and he was clapping,” said Manu. “I was just excited to see them be that happy.”