Dan Federkeil
Dan Federkeil's football career as an offensive lineman may be over but the former Indianapolis Colt is still opening holes and leading the way for others.
The 28-year-old Federkeil will be in Medicine Hat on Monday to announce an endowed award in his mother's honour. The Judith Louise Federkeil memorial football award will be presented annually to the Medicine Hat High School football graduate who attends the University of Calgary.
Federkeil played at Medicine Hat High then joined the U of C Dinos at 17. In 2005, he was named the Dinos' male athlete of the year. In 2006, he was drafted fifth overall by the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL only to be signed as a free agent by the Colts, who switched him defensive end to offensive lineman.
With the Colts, Federkeil earned a Super Bowl ring and was on the roster the entire 2007 season including the postseason. He was forced to retire after suffering a pair of concussions.
"This idea was originally suggested by Jack Neumann (U of C's former sports information director) after I graduated last year," said Federkeil, who holds a Bachelor's degree in economics. "He threw the idea at me to create a Dan Federkeil football award to draw more interest to the school and keep some of that Alberta talent closer to home.
"I've never been a 'hey, look at me' type of guy. But I wanted to give more credit to the people who helped me."
Federkeil personally funded the award and chose to name it after his mother, who died of cancer in 2009. "She was always someone who was giving of her time and abilities," said Federkeil, who has given of his by guest coaching at Medicine Hat football training camps.
The award also has an academic component, with the successful candidate having a grade point average of 2.7 or better.