SASKATOON — Diego Fagot made history the moment he joined the Saskatchewan Roughriders for rookie camp.
For the first time, a former member of the United States Navy Midshipmen football program is auditioning for the Green and White.
“I’m very blessed to have graduated from the Naval Academy and for them to give me the opportunity to delay my service at this point has been more than welcomed,” Fagot, a 26-year-old linebacker, said after Thursday’s rookie camp workout at Griffiths Stadium.
“(Navy football) was awesome. I really enjoyed being with my teammates every day.”
Fagot’s presence was, in turn, greatly appreciated by his coaches, his teammates and the Midshipmen fans, who saluted his All-American Athletic Conference recognition in 2019 (first team) and 2020 (second team).
He was named one of four team captains — “one of the greatest honours a Navy student-athlete can receive,” according to his biography on navysports.com.
As well, Fagot was earned defensive-player-of-the-game honours after registering seven defensive tackles (including two for a loss) and two sacks during a 20-17 victory over the Kansas State Wildcats in the 2019 Liberty Bowl.
“I loved playing at Navy,” he recalled, “and I can’t wait to one day serve again.”
Until Fagot arrived, the Roughriders’ naval associations had been limited to Canada.
When the Roughriders were on hiatus during the Second World War, a Regina Navy team hit the gridiron.
Moe Levesque, who was a lineman with the Roughriders’ 1966 Grey Cup championship team, had played football and boxed while in the Royal Canadian Navy.
Only one graduate of the United States Armed Forces — Herb Johnson — has played for the Roughriders.
Johnson, who was coached by Vince Lombardi at West Point, was a halfback and kick returner with the Roughriders in 1953.
He holds the Roughriders’ record for the longest punt return — a 109-yard touchdown sprint against Edmonton on Aug. 31, 1953 at Taylor Field.
Fagot has family ties to the USAF. His father, Dean, is a former U.S. Army infantry officer.
“I guess I was always militarily inclined,” said Diego Fagot, who had numerous college scholarship offers after starring in high school at Calvary Christian Academy in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
“When I went and visited (the Naval Academy), I really fell in love with the coaching staff. I felt like I could really trust them and I started to create some bonds with the guys.
“It was the people, really, for me. It was what I felt like I wanted to be around.”
The Navy, as it turned out, was everything he could have hoped for in terms of development as a person and an athlete.
“You learn from the people above you,” Fagot said. “They teach you almost everything. It’s very senior-led. The older guys teach the younger guys, and so forth.
“If you’re not soaking up what they’re telling you, you’re not going to last 10 minutes. It’s from 6:30 or 7 o’clock in the morning to 9 or 10 at night.
“You’ve got to take one day at a time, focus on the task at hand, and not get overwhelmed with everything.”
It would have bordered on the overwhelming, though, to meet Roger Staubach — the most renowned Navy football player.
Staubach won the Heisman Trophy in 1963 but did not begin his NFL career until 1969 due to Naval service obligations that included a tour of duty in Vietnam.
Although Staubach was 27 as a rookie with the Cowboys, he was able to enjoy an 11-year NFL career that led to automatic enshrinement in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He led Dallas to Super Bowl victories in 1972 and 1978.
“I got the chance to meet him and he is definitely talked about (at the Naval Academy),” Fagot said. “It’s just awesome to see what he did and how he set the stage.
“The craziest thing is he had that career after serving. In my case, I’m playing right now and then I’m going to serve.”
Fagot’s pursuit of a career in professional football began in 2022 when he signed with the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent. Last year, he spent time with the New England Patriots.
On Feb. 27, it was announced that he had signed with Saskatchewan — with the blessing of the Navy.
“It’s an awesome opportunity and I appreciate them giving it to me,” Fagot said.
“I basically just asked permission to defer my commissioning until I’m done playing football. I selected the Marine Corps out of the Academy, so I’d be kind of a recruiter and a poster boy for the Marine Corps.”
If, in the meantime, he can wave the flag for Saskatchewan and the Roughriders, all the better.
“I’m from Florida, so this is a lot further away than I’m used to,” Fagot said with a smile. “The weather’s really nice and it’s shaping up to be a nice summer. In Florida, it’s hot and hotter, so I’m really enjoying it here.”
