Former Blue Hose Receiver Takes Changes in Stride

Former Blue Hose Receiver Takes Changes in Stride

There were quite a few differences for Tobi Antigha ’15 when he lined up in his first game as a professional football player two years ago.

For starters, Antigha was in Canada, having been drafted by the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League in 2017.

The CFL has different rules than what Antigha was used to while playing football growing up and later for the Blue Hose. There’s a 55-yard line in Canadian football, 12 players are on the field instead of 11, and the defensive team must stay one full yard away from the offense when lining up.

As far as playing the game goes, the biggest difference for Antigha is that he plays defense now. As a wide receiver for the Blue Hose, Antigha led the team in receiving in eight of 11 games during his senior year in 2015.

He’s played defensive end since joining the CFL in 2017.

“I love playing defense,” Antigha said. “It's a lot different, but I love it.

“I went from trying to make every play with the ball in my hands to trying to make every play that came to me. That was the biggest adjustment — not trying to do too much.”

Antigha made the switch to the defensive side during the Saskatchewan Roughriders free-agent camp. The team didn’t have any defensive linemen to rush the players bidding for spots on the offensive line. The team’s coach and general manager asked Antigha to play defensive end during the camp. Antigha impressed the coach so much he gave him a spot on defense.

Antigha has been playing defensive end ever since. Now in his third season, Antigha plays for the Toronto Argonauts.

Whether he’s playing offense or defense, Antigha always knew he’d play professional football.

“My mom instilled in me at a very young age that I can do anything I put my mind to,” he said. “And I've had my mind set on being a pro athlete since I was a child. I've just focused on that and believed her.”

Antigha says he came to PC with the intention of playing professionally after graduating.

Blue Hose student-athletes, like student-athletes at any college or university, go on to excel in fields other than ones they compete on. But many PC graduates go on to earn a living playing sports too. Most notable is Justin Bethel ’12, who currently plays in the NFL for the Baltimore Ravens. And, at last count, five Blue Hose are playing professional baseball, while another four are professional basketball players.

For Antigha, PC was the perfect place to prepare for professional football.

“PC prepared me by challenging me with a new and unfamiliar environment,” he said. “It forced me to focus on the reason I was there, and that was to become the best student-athlete I could be.”

On the field, Antigha started all games at wide receiver during his junior and senior years. He played in 39 games during his career with the Blue Hose.

He majored in political science because his alternative to playing football was becoming a lawyer. Only 26 years old now, he’s not ruling out practicing law in the future, but he does have some concerns.

“I fear the possibility of being put into a situation where I'd have to compromise myself or the things I believe in to achieve a win,” he said. “The older I get, the more I realize that advancing in your profession may come with a cost. And there are just some costs I am not willing to pay.

“But if I do (become a lawyer), it'd be for the betterment and advancement of people.”

Antigha performed on stage as a member of the theatre department too. He had never acted before coming to PC but says performing is one of his favorite memories from college.

“I like the idea of portraying characters with varying personalities and emotions and putting them onto a stage or screen for everyone to see,” he said. “Acting gives me an opportunity to hang loose and not be myself. I can become someone completely different.”

Antigha wears a blue and white #0 instead of a blue and garnet #84 like he did for PC. He tries sacking quarterbacks instead of catching passes from one. And he plays in stadiums 2,000 miles away from Bailey Memorial.

Still, he takes all transitions in stride and remembers what he learned on campus.

“PC taught me to trust the process. It taught me that my foundation of hard work and perseverance will always find some way of being rewarded,” he said.

“I'm the type of person to keep my head down and keep working, so I never really think about the journey until after the fact. Transitions are easy when they are the only thing keeping your dreams alive.”

Blue Hose student-athletes keep their dreams alive on the field and in the classroom. For more information on Blue Hose athletics, please visit gobluehose.com