By Canadian Press

Football preparation for Vanier Cup a labour of love for Queen’s equipment manager

Nov 23, 2024 | 5:10 AM

KINGSTON, Ont. — Framed pictures, posters, plaques and vintage helmets adorn the walls of equipment manager Jeff Mellor’s office at Queen’s University.

His work space is just as crammed. A dozen Vanier Cup footballs, a dirty towel and small brush are on his desk, the meticulous ball preparation process now complete.

It was at the top of Mellor’s to-do list for Saturday’s university football championship between the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks and Laval Rouge et Or at Richardson Stadium.

“I kind of hope that we don’t lose too many (footballs) and at the end of the game I can take one for myself,” he said. “I’m a great hoarder of history.”

Mellor’s father used to play for Queen’s and his mother was a diehard fan. He was 12 when he first started helping the team equipment manager at practice.

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“My first year with the team, we won a Vanier Cup,” he said. “So I was hooked.”

Mellor was a waterboy in his teenage years and he eventually took on team manager duties. A retired teacher, he also served as assistant equipment manager before taking on the head equipment manager role at his alma mater about 12 years ago.

“It’s sort of been a lifelong thing with me,” he said with a smile.

With Queen’s serving as Vanier Cup host for a second straight year, Mellor is a liaison for both teams’ equipment managers and athletic therapists.

His responsibilities run the gamut. Mellor has provided glue so cleats could be fixed, grabbed a few practice jerseys when one team was short, and handles laundry and hydration service.

“I’m pretty busy but it’s a lot of fun,” he said Friday. “I’d rather be in the game. But for a second choice, this isn’t too bad. I get to meet equipment managers from other teams and bounce ideas off of them and learn some things from them too.”

The footballs are clearly a labour of love.

Once they’re out of their boxes and plastic wrap, Mellor uses a towel to rub the panels on the ball’s surface so it’s less slippery. Each pigskin also gets the brush treatment.

“We brush them hard all the way around and that brings up the pebbles in the football,” he said.

The balls are usually under-pumped when they come in from the factory, Mellor said, so he’ll blow them up to the standard pressure of 13 pounds per square inch.

Mellor usually uses six balls for a regular-season game and a dozen for the national championship. Each ball has seen about four hours of field time so it’s worked in and ready for the game, he said.

“It’s been hours of work. People in the crowd may not think anything of it but it’s a pretty integral part for the quarterbacks, receivers and ball carriers,” he said. “You want everything just perfect.

“This is the showcase for Canada.”

Mellor said both starting quarterbacks were pleased with the balls after handling them earlier in the week. The field judge will also test each ball before the game, he added.

“It’s a much better game for the quarterbacks when they have balls that are broken in, with a good grip, and they’re comfortable with them,” he said.

Game balls were kept inside during rainy weather on Thursday and Friday. Cool, dry, overcast conditions were expected Saturday afternoon.

“I love my job,” said Mellor. “The best thing about it is coming to work every day and getting to be with 110 student-athletes that you can have a lot of fun with. You see them grow from deer in the headlights their first year into grown men.

“You’ve got a relationship over those four or five years that they’ve been with you. I wouldn’t give this job up for anything.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 23, 2024.

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Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press