You cannot tell the story of newly signed Saskatchewan Roughriders receiver Tommy Nield without marvelling at an uncanny assortment of full-circle moments.
Where do we start, honestly?
Beginning this spring, Nield will play his home games at Mosaic Stadium — the very site where he helped the Toronto Argonauts defeat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 24-23 in the 2022 Grey Cup Game.
“That was incredible — to win a Grey Cup in my second season in the CFL,” he reflects. “The fact that it was in Regina and I’ll be back there playing in that stadium for all the home games, that will always be in the back of my mind.
“This is a special stadium for me.”
The Argonauts’ coaching staff in 2022 included defensive co-ordinator Corey Mace, who is entering his second season as the Roughriders’ head coach.
Nield’s teammates in 2022 included current Roughriders players A.J. Ouellette, Benoit Marion, Braydon Noll, Shane Ray and Trevon Tate.
Andrew Harris, the Roughriders’ recently appointed running backs coach, is also a former Argos teammate.
Edwin Harrison (offensive line) and Joshua Bell (pass-game co-ordinator, defensive backs) and, of course, Mace coached with the Argos in 2022 and are now with Saskatchewan.
Phillip Daniels, the Roughriders’ defensive line coach, is the father of another one of Nield’s former teammates — veteran Argonauts receiver DaVaris Daniels.
And there’s more!
As a Roughrider, Nield will be reunited with receivers coach Marquay McDaniel. The former CFL star receiver began his coaching career in 2018 with the McMaster Marauders, for whom Nield played from 2017 to 2019.
“Being familiar with the coaches and some of the guys on the team already, it was a pretty easy decision,” Nield says of signing with Saskatchewan, a team he joined on Feb. 4.
If it seems like landing in Rider Nation is a bit of a homecoming, well, it figures.
We take you back to Sept. 23, 2017, when Nield suited up for the first time against the hometown Guelph Gryphons — for whom his father, Pat, was an all-star linebacker.
Playing in Guelph’s Homecoming Game, Nield caught a 64-yard touchdown pass to help McMaster win 29-9 at the appropriately named Alumni Stadium.
“That might be one of my favourite games that I’ve got to play in in my career,” Nield says from Guelph. “That was just special. It was a packed-out stadium in Guelph. I had a big game and we won, so it was a memorable game.
“After the game, some of us stayed in Guelph and enjoyed the homecoming celebrations. It was just a fun day in general. You can’t make that up — to come back to your hometown and have a game like that and come out with a win.”
Nield’s parents, Pat and Georgia, were in the stands on that fine day.
Pat was selected by the B.C Lions in the fifth round (39th overall) of the 1989 CFL Draft.
It was Tommy’s turn to be drafted in 2021, when he went to Toronto in the fourth round with the 30th pick. (The previous year, Saskatchewan had chosen receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker — from the Guelph Gryphons! — in the fourth round with, yes, the 30th pick.)
“Being drafted was an amazing experience,” Nield recalls. “It was during the COVID year, so it was kind of weird. We were all at home following the draft.
“They did the first round on TV. For the rest, you’re scrolling your phone and refreshing the feed, seeing if you got drafted or waiting for a phone call. My family was there.
“My sister was actually the one who said, ‘You’re going to Toronto!’ I was like, ‘What?’ It hadn’t loaded on my phone yet. She knew before I did. Moments later, I got a phone call.
“That was super-exciting and definitely a proud moment for my family.”
Zoe, like her brother, is a proud graduate of McMaster University in Hamilton. After attending the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster and making the Dean’s List, Zoe was hired by KPMG.
“My parents and my family in general have always been my biggest supporters, in football but also in anything I do,” Nield says. “They’ve really put me in a position to succeed on and off the football field.”
It was fitting, then, that Nield scored his first CFL touchdown against the team that drafted his father.
And what a TD it was. With 2:50 remaining in the fourth quarter, Nield caught a 37-yard TD pass from McLeod Bethel-Thompson against the visiting Lions on Oct. 8, 2022. The go-ahead major proved to be the difference as Toronto won, 23-20.
“I guess that is a full-circle moment,” Nield says with a chuckle. “I’ll never forget that one.”
Nor will he forget playing on two championship teams — those of 2022 and 2024 — with Toronto.
Along the way, he caught 63 passes for 776 yards and two TDs in 26 regular-season games. In nine contests with the 2023 Argonauts, he made 32 receptions for 384 yards.
“I’m grateful for my time in Toronto,” he says, “and I’m very excited for this next chapter in my football journey.”
When Nield became available in early February, one of the first people to reach out to him was Mace.
“He saw me play in Toronto and I always had a lot of respect for him,” the 6-foot-3, 203-pounder says. “A big thing for me is it seems like a big family over there. That’s the vibe I’m getting.
“It’s a new place for me, going out west. I’ve never lived out west before, but the CFL seems very exciting out there.
“Coming there for away games, that was always my favourite place to play. The fans are great. Saskatchewan fans in general are really energetic and very passionate about the CFL, which I love.
“It’s important to have that support behind you and it makes you want to go harder as a player when you know you have so many people supporting you.
“I’m just super excited to get out there.”
