Before every university football game with the Waterloo Warriors, Tre Ford and Tyrell Ford will wear each other’s jersey, a beautiful expression of the bond between twin brothers who would not have made it this far without the other.
Alas, this tradition is no more.
It’s not that the Ford brothers have had a falling out. Far from it. It’s just that it would be a bit awkward for Tre to don Blue and Gold and Tyrell to sport Green and Gold before Tre’s Edmonton Elks take on the Tyrell and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at IG Field in CFL preseason action on Friday night.
Not only will this be the 24-year-old twins’ first game not playing on the same team since they were around 10 years old, it will also be their debut as pro football players.
“It’s definitely cool that is against him,” says Tre, who will be playing quarterback for the Elks.
The siblings from Niagara Falls, Ont., haven’t seen each other since before the CFL Draft on May 3, when Tre was selected eighth by Edmonton, and Winnipeg grabbed defensive back Tyrell five picks later. It’s been a whirlwind since then, with both joining their respective teams for training camp leading up to Friday’s preseason kickoff.
“We’re just both trying to do our jobs for our teams,” Tre says. “Whatever the team needs, whatever we’re best suited for.”
Last season, Tre won the Hec Creighton Award as the Most Outstanding Player in U Sports football, while also being named OUA MVP, and was a First Team All-Canadian and First Team OUA All-Star. Tyrell was selected as a First Team OUA All-Star and Second Team All-Canadian.
In his first taste of CFL action, Tre will look to make an impression against a Bombers defense that at times may feature Tyrell in the secondary.
“I’m just going to be focused on looking at the defence and getting to the correct reads versus certain defences … and just showing I can do all the stuff every other pocket passing quarterback can do,” Tre says.