Football is often referred to as a “beautiful game” when the subject matter relates to soccer.
But Larry Dean used that terminology to describe the sport he loves, and one at which he has excelled, while announcing an end and a beginning on Thursday morning at Mosaic Stadium.
Dean, who was named a divisional All-Star linebacker in four of the six Canadian Football League seasons in which he played, has retired as a player but will remain with the Saskatchewan Roughriders while working on the Football Operations side as the Player Personnel Co-ordinator.
“Ultimately, there comes a time when even I realized that I couldn’t play this beautiful game forever,” he said. “I can, however, contribute in other facets.”
As a follow-up, Dean was asked: “What makes football a ‘beautiful game’ to you?
“I’ve been afforded so many different opportunities, even from when I was young,” replied Dean, 35, who is from Tifton, Ga. “Growing up in impoverished neighbourhoods or environments, this game affords you the opportunity to get out of those situations, to travel the world, to go against different competition.
“There’s just everything that comes with it, from picking out your equipment to lacing up your cleats to playing against someone to the chemistry you build with teammates.
“There are memories that last forever. I can go back to revisit the first team that I ever played with and still remember those feelings. They’ll come back to you.
“You can also have a conversation with someone, just because of that. It’s a conversation-starter. Age, colour, shape … it doesn’t matter. If you love football, we can have a conversation, and I think that’s beautiful.”
Dean has also experienced the ugly side of the game, most notably in 2021 when he suffered a torn Achilles tendon during a pre-training-camp workout.
“You have to start over,” he said. “You basically have to learn how to walk again and how to fire those muscles up again.
“You have some guys who tear their Achilles and it’s over. They’re never going to play again — never walk the same … run … anything.”
In Dean’s case, he responded with back-to-back seasons of 100-plus defensive tackles. In 2023, he was named the Roughriders’ Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Defensive Player.
“To be able to bounce back and not miss a beat, you kind of start puffing out your chest a little bit more because you know you put the work in and you came back from it,” he said.
“I came out of the Achilles injury better than when I went in, whether it was mentally or physically. I just grew closer to myself.
“It’s just a journey and I appreciate it.”
A full appreciation of Dean doesn’t concentrate solely on football-related accomplishments, as impressive as they are.
With 570 defensive tackles, he is 25th on the CFL’s all-time list. That feat is especially noteworthy when you consider that he didn’t play his first game of Canadian football until he was nearly 28, after spending time in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings (2011 to 2013), Buffalo Bills (2014) and Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2015).
As a CFLer, Dean also played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2016 to 2018) and Edmonton Elks (2019). He was named a divisional All-Star with Hamilton (2017 and 2018) and Edmonton (2019).
In 2018, Dean was also recognized as the East Division’s top defensive player.
Dean brought those credentials, and others, to the Roughriders when he signed with them as a free agent on Feb. 9, 2021.
By the time Dean made his on-field debut with the Roughriders, he had already sat out two full seasons. COVID-19 led to the cancellation of the 2020 CFL season. Then came the Achilles injury.
Undaunted, he went on to record two of his three 100-plus-tackles seasons. Only six other players in league history have hit triple digits at least three times.
What isn’t quantifiable also contributes to the measure of the man.
A universally respected leader on every team for which he has played, Dean has also stepped up in the community.
His efforts back in Georgia are such that a “Home of Larry Dean” sign is conspicuous on roads that enter Tifton from all directions.
As O’Day noted during his introductory remarks about the Roughriders’ latest appointment to the Football Operations team: “The Larry Dean Foundation is committed to giving back to his hometown and to investing in and empowering young people who live there.”
For example, the Foundation helps to ensure that students have school supplies and, overall, a path to a brighter future.
Dean’s generosity and guidance have also helped younger teammates over the course of a career that ended on a high note.
Rare is the athlete who is named an All-Star in his final season and can leave the game in a competitive context on his or her own terms.
“I wanted to play until I was 40,” he said. “You see the LeBrons of the world and the Tom Bradys of the world. Ultimately, though, you want to think, ‘Six feet or six inches?’
“The opportunity presented itself. This is a role that I saw myself in and always wanted to work towards as an end goal.
“I’m getting a little long in the tooth and there’s a little less tread on the tires, so I ultimately had to make the decision.”
It was a decision based on logic, but emotion could not be excluded from the equation.
“To say that this was a tough decision would be an understatement,” Dean said.
Those words were uttered by someone who is often understated.
Dean is typically someone who leads by actions instead of words. The words are often dispended economically, especially in interview situations, by someone who is generally hesitant to talk about himself.
He didn’t have a choice on Thursday, though, because the media conference was entirely, unavoidably about Larry Dean — what he has done and what is to come.
“They say that if you’re doing what you love, you’ll never work a day in your life,” he said.
“Time flies when you’re having fun, and I’ve had a bunch of fun.”
