Photo courtesy of Boris Terzic

Over the last few seasons the London Beefeaters have been in the mix fighting for an Ontario Conference title, last winning it in 2021 also winning the right to host the Canadian Bowl. 

One of the major pieces in their offensive attack in the last three years has been the play of running back LJ Dyer. Now entering his fourth season, Dyer will no doubt carry an even larger load on the ground. 

The strength of his game is his patience.  He has the ability to take a handoff and take that extra second to scan his running route before hitting a hole.  He has shown that throughout his career including last year as the only running back in the Ontario Conference to reach the 1000-yard plateau, rushing for 1158 yards on 136 carries and scored nine touchdowns. 

He wants to do even more this year setting some personal goals of more explosive runs.  

Dyer not only can carry the rock to over 1000 yards, but he is also a very potent kick returner. As a matter of fact, his most memorable play of his CJFL career to date is a 105-yard kick return for a touchdown against the Ottawa Sooners in the season opener of his sophomore campaign.

As he reflects on the first three years of his career, the game that really stands out is the Conference final in 2021 when the Beefeaters were losing at St. Clair by 14 with time winding down.  The Beefs pulled off 15 points in the final two minutes to shock everyone to win the championship and move on to host the national title game.  It was one of the most incredible comebacks in CJFL history and one Dyer will never forget. 

Now entering his fourth year the Canadian Bowl is back in Ontario and Dyer is hoping to get another crack at it come this November.  The Beefeaters open their season on August 17th when they host the Saints in a rematch of last year’s Conference championship game. 

LJ Dyer is a CJFL Player to Watch in 2024!