To many, football is widely recognized just for the physical contact, padding, and touchdowns, but for college players it’s a lifestyle that requires commitment, organization, and great mental awareness. From winning on the field to winning in the classroom, senior running back Alex Iezzi has brought his best effort with him through his journey as a part of the Clan over the past five years, from 2011–2015.
Alex’s story starts in London Ontario, where he played 12-man football as a running back on offense all throughout high school. However, his passion for athletics began at an early age when playing soccer.
“I played soccer for seven years when I was younger and that was my first sport. [. . .] I still really love watching and playing,” said Alex.
Schools such as Queens, McMasters, St. Francis Xavier, and SFU all expressed interest in Alex’s athletic ability during his final year of high school. Alex’s father’s advice to explore opportunities outside of Ontario helped him make the choice to move out west to play in the NCAA.
“My dad was born in Montreal and now works in Ontario, but he was moving around everywhere when he was younger and wanted me to experience the same thing [. . .] he was just telling me to get out and explore what’s out there.”
SFU provided Alex with the opportunity to explore western Canada, but it also gave him the chance to see different regions of the United States when traveling to football games.
[My dad] was just telling to get out and explore what’s out there.
“It was great to travel around and go to places like Los Angeles, Northern California, Las Vegas, and even Utah. I think that place is pretty cool.”
As is common for many freshman, Alex redshirted his first year at SFU, which gave him a chance to adjust to a new life in a new place. “Like many first-year students, I was a bit nervous for school because I didn’t know anyone, especially because I was from out of province,” said Alex.
The following year Alex made the decision to change positions and play defense after asking his coaches what the fastest way to travel with the team and earn playtime on Saturdays would be.
“Coach Johnson [former SFU head football coach] sat me down in one of the tutorial rooms in west mall after our running back meetings during camp in August and told me that he could really use me on defense, since they were lacking some personnel at the slot corner position.”
Such a transition can prove challenging for any athlete, but going from a running back to a defensive back position requires a player to learn a completely different running technique and overall strategy for the game.
“I didn’t even [play] defensive at all in high school [. . .] defensive concepts, playing inside or outside the hash marks, covering receivers; these were things that were super foreign to me at the start,” he said.
Alex was up for the task, and his decision to move on from the running back position proved successful: he made an immediate impact on the team, earning extended playtime and helping the 2012 team establish its most successful season since entering the NCAA.
One of his most notable performance with SFU came during the penultimate game of his second year, when injuries forced him into the starting position against Humboldt State University. After starting the game trailing 24–0, Alex helped dig his team out of a deficit by recovering not one, but two separate fumbles from the Humboldt offense, and taking them both to the house for touchdowns.
“I was thrown into the Humboldt game which was extremely foggy and I was a bit nervous because of the atmosphere and the speed of the game [. . .] the first one came pretty easy since the ball right in front of me after the running back had fumbled it, but the second one took a bit more effort since I had to get off a blocker, grab the ball, and weave around the quarter to walk in for the touchdown.”
The following three years proved to be a bit of a challenge for Alex and many other football players as they experience playing for three different head coaches within that same period.
“There were a lot of coaching changes over the next few years and that forced me to change to the safety position since we were running different defensive schemes [. . .] at that point I wasn’t enjoying myself as much. It wasn’t the same feeling I had during the second year since we constantly had new coaches and new things to learn.”
Entering the 2015 season with a new head coach, Alex made the decision to go back to running back position where he would be able to close out his collegiate career on his own terms. Lingering injuries kept him out of a few games this season, but Alex’s motivation and commitment helped him to finish what he started at SFU.
