Photo courtesy of Gord Mellor

One of the most dangerous and important weapons for the past five seasons for the Edmonton Huskies has been running back Jimmie Airey.

In his final season he collected 346 yards on 54 carries and scored three touchdowns in 2017.

Why play for the Huskies in the first place? – “I decided to play for the Huskies as it gave me a chance to come out of high school and play right away and with the all new coaching staff at the time I felt like we had a good shot at turning the team around from the past few seasons.”

Why stay with the Huskies for all five years? – “I stayed my whole five years because we were starting to win again and I felt that I was having good enough seasons to get a shot at the professional level and I wasn't overly interested in going to university as I had already started a trades program.”

Now that you’ve graduated from the CJFL, what’s the biggest lesson you take away? – “Some of the biggest lessons I learned was not underestimating opponents and how to appreciate the players around you and how everyone plays a key role in winning games.”

Each player goes through a lot during his CJFL career, how did you grow as a person? – “One way I feel I've grown as I went further in football is respecting teammates and coaches more because without them you don't get a chance to play anymore.”

Upon reflecting on the season, what is your most memorable moment? – “The most memorable moment was when we won our first meaningful game since 2006 setting us up to also make the playoffs for the first time since then as well.”

Knowing what you know now, would you change anything? – “The only I would have done differently or changed would have been my cardio levels so I wasn't so tired all the time.”

What will you miss most about playing in the CJFL? – “I'll miss the friendships and meeting new people the most. It's a situation you don't really get anywhere else where you meet about 30 new people every season.”

What is next for Jimmie Airey? – “I'm not really sure what's next for me; I'll probably find a sport of some sort to pursue.”

Edmonton Huskies running back Jimmie Airey is part of the CJFL Class of 2017.  WATCH HIS HIGHLIGHT VIDEO