He has earned awards, been named an all-star, and won a Grey Cup — but Gene Makowsky's legendary football career is incomplete.
Through more than 20 seasons, he has been shut out. And people have noticed.
"When I speak at schools, the kids will always ask, 'How many touchdowns did you get last year?' 'Well, I didn't get any.' So they think, 'Oh great, they send out this guy for us. They couldn't get anybody good,' " Makowsky says, laughing as he puts words in the kids' minds.
"It's true: No touchdowns in any grade. I've never recovered a fumble in the end zone or anything.''
The Saskatchewan Roughriders could help Makowsky's cause. Maybe they could line up the big offensive tackle in the backfield on a short-yardage call from the one and give him the ball. Maybe they could come up with a tackle-eligible play that ends with him catching a pass in the end zone.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders could help Makowsky's cause. Maybe they could line up the big offensive tackle in the backfield on a short-yardage call from the one and give him the ball. Maybe they could come up with a tackle-eligible play that ends with him catching a pass in the end zone.
Don't the Roughriders' coaches know that he used to be Joey Walters when he and his friends played football as kids?
"I know!" Makowsky, 36, says with another laugh. "Like, c'mon!''
The guy is definitely due.
The guy is definitely due.
———
Makowsky was born in New Westminster, B.C., the second child of Boris and Mae Makowsky. Gene wasn't yet two years of age when the couple moved the family to Saskatoon.
As Gene got older, he got involved in sports. He played minor hockey ("I wasn't very good," he says) and Little League baseball ("I really liked baseball, but I was bad at that, too," he says) while developing a love for everything.
"I had all the playing cards, all the stats books and that kind of thing," says Makowsky, who has an older sister (Janette) and a younger brother (Jonathon). "I was a sports nerd for sure."
Mae also suggests Gene wasn't as bad at those sports as he lets on. She proudly points out he was part of a baseball team that went to a Western Canadian championship. He counters by noting it's a good thing baseball is a team sport.
Mae also suggests Gene wasn't as bad at those sports as he lets on. She proudly points out he was part of a baseball team that went to a Western Canadian championship. He counters by noting it's a good thing baseball is a team sport.
"I was right field — and left out most of the year," says a chuckling Makowsky who, his mom also notes, showed great promise as an umpire. "I was definitely overmatched in baseball. There were some good pitchers. It was a struggle for me to get my bat off my shoulders."
Mae also says that Gene had the hockey skills to earn invitations to camps held by the WHL's Saskatoon Blades and SJHL's Nipawin Hawks when he was in his mid-teens.
"That was mostly because of my size, not my skill," he replies.
Mae remembers Gene exhibiting another skill that involved hand-eye co-ordination — drawing.
If he wasn't sketching football and baseball stadia ("If they need me for plans for the new dome, tell them to just give me a call," he says with the usual accompanying laugh), he was using X's and O's to diagram football plays that he saw while watching games on television.
If he wasn't sketching football and baseball stadia ("If they need me for plans for the new dome, tell them to just give me a call," he says with the usual accompanying laugh), he was using X's and O's to diagram football plays that he saw while watching games on television.
"The only problem I couldn't figure out was, when I was watching TV, I could never see the safety so I always had fewer players on defence," Gene recalls. "When I looked back later, I didn't have enough guys on defence, so my offence would have done really well."
Ah yes, football. The seeds for a future Hall of Fame career were sewn on a schoolyard in Saskatoon — sort of.
"We played every recess," Makowsky says. "We were football-mad. All fall, even into the winter, we'd be out there throwing it around. I don't know if I was any good at it, either."
"We played every recess," Makowsky says. "We were football-mad. All fall, even into the winter, we'd be out there throwing it around. I don't know if I was any good at it, either."
He laughs again.
"We played touch and we'd certainly be Joey Walters or Mervyn Fernandez or the other CFL guys," he continues.
And he was Clyde Brock, right?
"We just played touch," Makowsky replies. "There was no blocking. I really didn't appreciate the offensive linemen enough — just like everybody else."
That would change soon enough.
———
While Makowsky matured as a youngster, a potential football career didn't.
"I was always if not the biggest kid in the class, one of the biggest kids," he says. "I didn't play minor ball until later on because they had weight limits and I was over the weight limit. I was late starting in football."
In fact, he didn't play tackle football until his Grade 9 year at Walter Murray Collegiate.
In fact, he didn't play tackle football until his Grade 9 year at Walter Murray Collegiate.
When her son told her he wanted to take up a contact sport he had never played before, did Mae — who hadn't watched much football — consider telling Gene he couldn't play?
"No," she replies. "I was ignorant enough that I didn't know the pitfalls."
"No," she replies. "I was ignorant enough that I didn't know the pitfalls."
Gene guesses he was 6-foot-0 and 180 pounds in Grade 9 — but that was a start for a two-way lineman.
"I played a little bit of both (offence and defence) through high school, but I concentrated on the O-line because you got more playing time," Makowsky says. "We were at a big school, so we had a lot of numbers, especially on the D-line. Everybody wanted to get sacks.
"I played a little bit of both (offence and defence) through high school, but I concentrated on the O-line because you got more playing time," Makowsky says. "We were at a big school, so we had a lot of numbers, especially on the D-line. Everybody wanted to get sacks.
"They were looking for volunteers, a few good men, so I said, 'Hey, I'll do the O-line thing,' so I could get on the field and play more."
Makowsky figures he was, at most, 220 pounds when he was in Grade 12. His size didn't keep him from winning the award as Walter Murray's top lineman, which in turn helped him realize he had a future in football.
"In your Grade 12 year, you start getting feelers to start playing past high school," recalls Makowsky, who dropped all the other sports and started concentrating on lifting weights to gain strength and bulk. "That's when you really start to pay closer attention to that."
He already had caught the attention of others.
"He was a good, solid high school lineman," says Brian Towriss, the head coach of the University of
Saskatchewan Huskies. "He was a good player — a really good player who was really skilled technically."
Makowsky was contacted by, among others, the Huskies and PFC's Saskatoon Hilltops. He says now his decision to join the Huskies was a no-brainer.
Makowsky was contacted by, among others, the Huskies and PFC's Saskatoon Hilltops. He says now his decision to join the Huskies was a no-brainer.
"I was going to school and I had a chance to start right away," he says. "That's the team I really wanted to play for. Looking back on it, that was a pretty easy choice."
"We didn't know if he'd be big enough," Towriss notes. "He worked hard, but he may have been 230 by the fall of his first year. The thing is, he got to play. He was good and we weren't."
———
As good as Makowsky was, he was up against it early in his U of S career.
"It was tough," he admits. "There were a few games where you're physically overmatched, so you just try to do what you can. It was a little intimidating at times. Going against 23-, 24-year-olds who have strength and maturity and who are physically bigger, you just go in there and battle. But it was kind of an uphill battle at times."
"It was tough," he admits. "There were a few games where you're physically overmatched, so you just try to do what you can. It was a little intimidating at times. Going against 23-, 24-year-olds who have strength and maturity and who are physically bigger, you just go in there and battle. But it was kind of an uphill battle at times."
He fought the battle for four seasons at the U of S without missing a game. By the end of his fourth year, he was up to around 275 pounds — but he still wasn't convinced he'd have a CFL career.
"Guys from the program had gone on to the pros, so it wasn't out of the realm of possibility," says Makowsky, who was named a Canada West all-star as a senior. "Just before I got there, Dan Farthing was a high draft pick (second overall in 1991 to the Roughriders), so you know there's a chance.
"I was kind of undersized. I wasn't highly sought-after. I was hoping for it and it was one of my goals, but I wasn't a can't-miss prospect by any means. I knew I had to get bigger and gain weight, so I worked to do that."
Big surprise there.
Big surprise there.
"Guys came out (of university) who had more physical tools than him, but they didn't make it because they didn't work as hard or didn't have the passion he has for the game," Towriss says. "They go hand in hand. If you don't have the passion for the game, you're not going to work as hard."
Once again, Makowsky's work paid off. In 1995, he was selected by the Roughriders in the second round (23rd overall) of the Canadian college draft.
"The draft's a bit of a crapshoot, so I was pleasantly surprised," he recalls. "I had absolutely no idea if anybody would take me. I wasn't a first-rounder by any means, but I was fortunate that I was picked. The fact it was by the Roughriders was for sure a great bonus for me."
The pick ended up working out pretty well for the team, too.
———
Makowsky went to his first training camp with the Roughriders in '95, when the team held camp in Saskatoon.
Despite the benefits for a young Saskatoon resident — "I was right there at home, so there was no chance to get homesick or anything like that," Makowsky says — the camp was tough.
Despite the benefits for a young Saskatoon resident — "I was right there at home, so there was no chance to get homesick or anything like that," Makowsky says — the camp was tough.
"I thought about quitting so many times," he says. "I was probably last on the depth chart and we went hard back then. We didn't have 12 guys in camp like we do now. We had eight or nine and the vets got days off.
"It was hot and it was two-a-days and we were in pads and Glenn Kulka was hitting me in the head and Lybrant Robinson was — it was definitely a step up.
"It was hot and it was two-a-days and we were in pads and Glenn Kulka was hitting me in the head and Lybrant Robinson was — it was definitely a step up.
"I thought, 'Oh man, what am I doing here?' The plan was to have me at camp one year, I'd go back for my fifth year, and they'd have me back the next year. But I stuck it out and I'm glad I did; I made the team."
So, at the age of 22, Makowsky became the Roughriders' sixth lineman — and their long-snapper.
"I wasn't that great at it," he says, continuing his self-deprecating trend. "I still can't believe they had me doing it. But I managed to get them back there once in a while."
So, at the age of 22, Makowsky became the Roughriders' sixth lineman — and their long-snapper.
"I wasn't that great at it," he says, continuing his self-deprecating trend. "I still can't believe they had me doing it. But I managed to get them back there once in a while."
Makowsky started the first game of his career in Week 4 against the Birmingham Barracudas, filling in for an injured Scott Hendrickson at left guard. The rookie started the season's final four games, too, and finished the campaign with four special-teams tackles.
"Last man off the pile," Makowsky says with another laugh.
Little did he know he was headed to the top of the heap.
———
The accolades started pouring in as Makowsky's career took off.
He earned the first of five nods as Saskatchewan's top offensive lineman in 2002. He was named a West Division all-star in 2004, starting a run of six straight appearances on that team. He was named a CFL all-star in 2004, '05, '06, '08 and '09. In '04 and '05, he was named the CFL's outstanding offensive lineman and was the West's nominee for that award in '08.
He earned the first of five nods as Saskatchewan's top offensive lineman in 2002. He was named a West Division all-star in 2004, starting a run of six straight appearances on that team. He was named a CFL all-star in 2004, '05, '06, '08 and '09. In '04 and '05, he was named the CFL's outstanding offensive lineman and was the West's nominee for that award in '08.
"You never know with those things," Makowsky says of the awards he has won. "It was just really out of my hands.
"It's not something you spend a lot of time thinking about because you can't really control it. Was I surprised? Yeah. I consider myself very lucky and it's an honour to get individual awards, but this game's really about team and you share those things with your teammates."
Makowsky has been lucky in terms of his health — he missed just two games from 1997 through '08 — but he also credits his linemates and his coaches for helping him have success.
Makowsky has been lucky in terms of his health — he missed just two games from 1997 through '08 — but he also credits his linemates and his coaches for helping him have success.
"It's really all about the group," he says. "Without those guys, you're just another guy. The guys I've played with have been very good players.
"The biggest thing is staying in the lineup and trying to get better. It's tough to get better when you're in and out of the lineup and there's a lot of flux around you. I've been able to play relatively well, stay in the lineup and have those good players along with me."
Bob Wylie became the eighth position coach with whom Makowsky has worked during his career when he was introduced as the Roughriders' offensive line coach on March 16. The veteran coach previously had worked with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, so he knew before arriving in Regina who Makowsky was.
It didn't take long for Wylie to realize what he had.
"I saw a true ultimate professional when it comes to work habits, when it comes to practice habits, when it comes to studying, when it comes to film study," says Wylie, who coached in the NFL before joining the Bombers.
"All the great players I've been around in my career — Anthony Munoz is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, I had seven All-Pro guys, four Pro Bowl alternates, three all-stars in Winnipeg — and he has all of the same traits that those guys had."
Wylie says Makowsky bought into the system his new coach implemented and adopted it flawlessly. He also took the lead for a Wylie initiative.
"I have a film study thing at the end of the week where the whole offensive line stays for another two, 21⁄2 hours by themselves," Wylie says. "Geno runs that meeting. He's the ultimate professional. That's the reason he's played so long."
———
Because she only started learning the game when Gene was at Walter Murray, Mae says she "didn't know enough about the game to judge how good he was." As a result, she didn't know he had a long career ahead in the CFL.
"I don't remember if it was a year or so after he was drafted he said if he got to play for a few years, he'd really be happy," she says. "That would kind of fulfil a young boy's wish to play in the CFL. But I don't think he thought he'd be in football this long."
Gene, who suggests he likely would have become a teacher in Saskatoon if his football career hadn't taken flight, isn't sure how he should react to a career that has reached 15 years.
"I've never really had a game plan of how things would work out," he says. "I love playing football and my attitude was, 'As long as they want me, that's how long I'll stay unless something changes.' I've always been treated very well by the Roughriders and I enjoy playing the game, so it's just kept going like that.
"I've been very fortunate to play as long as I have. There was no set timeline — and there still isn't, really. And in a game where it could end at any time, I think that's the way to go."
"I've never really had a game plan of how things would work out," he says. "I love playing football and my attitude was, 'As long as they want me, that's how long I'll stay unless something changes.' I've always been treated very well by the Roughriders and I enjoy playing the game, so it's just kept going like that.
"I've been very fortunate to play as long as I have. There was no set timeline — and there still isn't, really. And in a game where it could end at any time, I think that's the way to go."
Makowsky's name has been mentioned in political circles — rumour has it he could be recruited to run in a future provincial election — but for now he'll stick with his current gig.
"I know how lucky I am to be able to play in the best place by far in the CFL with the best fans in Canada," says Makowsky who, with his wife of 10 years, Tami, has three sons — Nicholas (8), Ryan (5) and Blake (2). "It means a lot to be able to strap up the pads every week and play the game you love. I'd like to think I don't take that lightly.
"I try to prepare and give my best every week for my teammates, the coaches, the fans and the team. What can I say? I'm the luckiest guy I know."
Now, if only he could score a touchdown . . .
Now, if only he could score a touchdown . . .
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