Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ head coach Mike O’Shea couldn’t be more proud that his son, Michael O’Shea, is eligible for the 2023 CFL Draft but doesn’t believe him joining his team’s roster would be the best for all involved.
“I don’t know that that would be really fair to anybody involved: my son, the players on this team, the coaches. I don’t know that that would be in anybody’s best interest but I don’t know. I can’t say one way or another,” O’Shea told 3DownNation. “My responsibility lies with our football team first and foremost in terms of that coaching hat. The dad side? I just want to see him keep playing as long as he can.”
“There is a personal level, it’s hard not to put that in there. You try to trust the film and numbers. Where does he slot in on the receiver rankings? If it’s a coin flip in the draft, this guy or this guy, it would be hard not to call Mike Jr.’s name, if it came to that,” general manager Kyle Walters said.
Michael started his postsecondary career at the University of Guelph, his father’s alma mater. He spent two years with the Gryphons but didn’t record any statistics as he was buried on the depth chart behind veterans Kade Belyk, Zeph Fraser, current Hamilton Tiger-Cat Kiondre Smith, and CFL star Kian Schaffer-Baker.
The six-foot, 183-pound target moved to the Okanagan Sun of the Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) in 2021 and made an immediate impact out west. He caught 23 passes for 563 yards and 10 touchdowns in seven games along with 37 kick and punt returns for 557 yards and two touchdowns and was named a British Columbia Football Conference (BCFC) all-star at receiver and return specialist as well as a CJFL first-team All-Canadian at receiver.
“He’s tough, he’s physical, good hands, not a burner but he looked good in the combine using the waggle and stemming guys up — he’s a solid receiver,” Walters said.
Michael earned accolades again in 2022 as he caught 28 passes for 483 yards and eight touchdowns along with 58 kick returns for 1,011 yards and three touchdowns. He was named a CJFL first-team All-Canadian as a return specialist, a second-team All-Canadian at receiver, a BCFC all-star at receiver, and the BCFC Outstanding Special Teams Player of the Year. He also scored the game-winning touchdown in the Sun’s victory over the Regina Thunder in the Canadian Bowl.
O'SHEA TAKES THE LEAD 💪@okanagan_sun | #AccessNowSports pic.twitter.com/IJzMH9L2Ei
— AccessNow Sports (@AccessNowSports) November 12, 2022
His son didn’t take a traditional route to the CFL draft but that’s not something Mike has spent much time thinking about, choosing instead to focus on football.
“I don’t know that I necessarily pay attention to the path as much as I just love watching football and the added interest of seeing your son play. I think as parents to kids that were athletic or played a variety of sports, when they stop playing sports, there’s a piece of you that goes away and you want to see them compete again,” O’Shea said.
“I love watching anybody compete but when it’s your own kid and you see them out there working hard, there’s a really different feel to it emotionally. I really haven’t tried to think too much about the path, just tried to watch him play good football and make sure he was enjoying himself.”
Michael recently participated in the CFL Invitational Combine, a new event that has replaced the three regional combines the league has held in previous years. He ran a 4.86-second forty-yard dash, 4.40-second short shuttle, 7.26-second three-cone drill, leapt 34 inches in the vertical jump, and nine feet, nine inches in the broad jump.
It’s unlikely that he’ll be drafted based on those numbers but he could easily sign with a team as an undrafted free agent. O’Shea offered his son some guidance ahead of the process, though the advice doesn’t appear to have been primarily about football.
“Wear a belt, pull your pants up, tie your shoes. The same stuff I was telling him when he was three,” said O’Shea. “As a dad, you definitely have to separate it from the football coach, the football side to the parental side. But as a dad, you couldn’t be more proud. It’s an exciting time for him. We’ll see what happens.”
The six-time Grey Cup champion stepped away from the playing field following the 2008 CFL season. When asked if he can believe he has a son old enough to play in the CFL, the 52-year-old O’Shea answered without hesitation.
“Yeah, because I’m old,” said O’Shea with a chuckle. “As a parent, I’ve really enjoyed watching him play football, so we’ll see if we get to do that a little longer.”
Editor’s note: Michael O’Shea’s statistics from 2022 have been corrected following an initial error.
