Vanier Cup champion Fordham-Miller takes new track
Austin Fordham-Miller is going out on top.
Article content
Austin Fordham-Miller is going out on top.
The defensive lineman from Morpeth is hanging up his helmet after winning a second national championship in four seasons with the Western Mustangs.
“That’s very exciting,” he said. “Not a lot of people can say that they even have one Vanier Cup ring and here I am with two of them.”
The 24-year-old is ready to take his career on a new track, literally. He’s scheduled to start a six-month training program Monday to become a conductor for Canadian Pacific Railway.
“Football’s really prepared me for this because it’s given me the discipline, the drive and the work effort that I have to put in for any job,” he said. “It’s really paved the way for my future.”
Saying goodbye has been tough. Football’s been a big part of Fordham-Miller’s life for years.
He’s been reflecting on his glory days since the Mustangs beat the Saskatchewan Huskies 27-21 in the Vanier Cup last December.
“I can’t tell you how many times I’ve looked back and I’ve watched old film of mine,” Fordham-Miller said. “I have a one-terabyte drive at home with all my football games from Western that my coach downloaded for me. I miss it. Like, every day I miss it.
“It’s going to be hard to really skip out on the training camp this upcoming season for the Western Mustangs. Even though I have another year to go back, I can’t pass the opportunity that I have right now.
“I’ve been known as Mr. Football Guy with my friends and family. It’s going to be difficult to move on, but it’s going to be exciting and it’s going to be refreshing.”
Fordham-Miller had a taste of the CFL last summer after signing with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats as a free agent.
“That was a surreal feeling,” he said. “You have to sober up real quick and realize you’re in the real world because they come off that ball hard and they hit hard.”
Camp was already underway when he signed. Then came a mandatory week-long quarantine, followed by a hip flexor injury. He faced an uphill battle against players who’d been in camp and knew the playbook, so he was often up until midnight studying.
“It was a job, for sure,” he said. “It’s not a game at that point. It’s a job and a career. They make sure you remember that it’s a job. It’s not a game anymore.”
Fordham-Miller was released after two weeks in camp and rejoined the Mustangs.
Western won three Yates Cups as Ontario champions and played for a fourth during his four seasons there from 2017 to 2021. (The 2020 season was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.)
Their 2021 championship roster included OUA all-star linebacker Zach Lindley and punter Cameron Creechan. Like Fordham-Miller, they’re former Chatham-Kent Cougars.
“It was such a special moment to share with the Chatham-Kent guys knowing that we came from the same program and we’re representing, we’re showing pride in our program,” Fordham-Miller said. “I’ve got a picture of the three of us with the Vanier Cup. It’s exciting to see.”
He wants more local players on university teams. That’s one reason he worked at Cougars clinics earlier this month and plans to keep helping the program.
“With all my knowledge, it gives me a way to still be active in football but teaching the younger generations,” he said. “Hopefully they become better than what I am. …
“I’m going to be here as much as my job allows me to be because I really want to see football come back to Chatham. I really want to see kids really excel at it, I want to see kids from a young age start and then hopefully we can get a good Chatham-Kent Cougars team together.”
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.