Regina is more than 3,300 kilometres away from the University of West Florida but despite the distance, there is a football connection.
Quarterback Mike Beaudry was born in the Queen City and moved to Orlando as a child. He stood out in high school football in Florida and became the first player to sign with West Florida.
Beaudry broke his left fibula during spring practice in 2016 which caused him to miss the program’s inaugural season, but he returned in 2017 to assume the starting quarterback role. As a redshirt freshman, Beaudry started 14 games throwing for 3,215 yards, 29 touchdowns against 13 interceptions with a 55 per cent completion rate. He led the Argos to an 11-4 record and the NCAA Division II National Championship game, which the team lost.
Regardless the future seems bright for Beaudry. The six-foot-five, 240-pound QB has prototypical quarterback size. Beaudry is a dual citizen of Canada and the United States.
Prairie roots are close to his heart, he keeps track of the Riders, watches their games on ESPN and counts himself as a Brandon Bridge supporter.
