A starter on both sides of the ball as well as a two-time (1991 and 1992) All-Conference selection, former Jimmie lineman Cory Mantyka ('93) played 13 seasons (1993-2005) in the Canadian Football League with the BC Lions. He was a part of two Grey Cup championship teams (1994 and 2000) and is just one of six Lions to play 200 or more games with the club. In 2003 Mantyka was chosen as a West Division All-Star. He was inducted into the Jimmie Athletic Hall of Fame in 2011, and in 2016, Mantyka was honored with a spot on the BC Lions Football Club Wall of Fame.
In an interview with JimmieAthletics.com, Mantyka reflected on his time at (then) Jamestown College and his CFL career.
JimmieAthletics.com: From the mid-to-late 80s through the mid-90s, there was a strong pipeline of Canadian players that came to Jamestown College. How did you first hear about Jamestown and what was the recruiting process like?
Cory Mantyka: I was introduced to Jamestown College (now U) by a good friend of mine that I was playing football with. He was actively looking to go to the US. The recruiter at the time, Jerry Areshenko, asked him if there was anyone else he thought would be interested and passed along my name. Me and another football friend went down for a visit in the spring and that's when I made my decision to attend JC.
JimmieAthletics.com: How important was Rollie Greeno to you as not only a coach, but as a role model? What were some of the important lessons he taught you on the field as well as in life?
CM: Rollie Greeno... I'm not sure there is enough ink to say what needs to [be said] about Rollie. From the start we were like-minded, he was a no-nonsense, get-it-done kind of guy, no fluff, no guff; you don't like what he had to say, get used to it. I was very similar in attitude. That endured me to him. He had a simple philosophy for life: "be a good citizen." That stuck with me and has guided [me] to this day. His tough love approach had just enough softness to help you understand that, yes, he was right when he was preaching life lessons. He helped me understand that football and life lessons are much more closely related then any of us realized. I always loved his awkward, crappy jokes. They were always just what we needed as a pick-up or to show us that life is better when you're laughing.
JimmieAthletics.com: Do you have any particular memories that stand out from your time at JC?
CM: There are way too many to list. I will say that from the moment I arrived at Jamestown, I knew I was getting the fresh start I needed. I remember meeting my roommates Grant Wilz and Dale Sundermann, we hit it off immediately. I remember the campus and the history behind places like Sorkness Center and Voorhees Chapel. It was such a great place and had that small college feel. I remember my first semester, and having to do my first (and only) Jimmie Mile. I remember my last game against Dickinson State University, thinking that was the last game of football I would ever play. I also remember my pinning ceremony for Nursing and graduation. That was a highlight for me in that it was the culmination of a lot of hard work. Having my family and friends around for that was awesome. In between that there are a massive amount of great times and memories from JC.
JimmieAthletics.com: When did playing professionally start becoming a reality? Did you have any looks from the NFL or were you strictly focused on playing in the CFL?
CM: In the spring of my senior year (1993) my coach Joel Swisher had asked me if I had heard anything coming out of the CFL draft in the spring. I was busy preparing for finals/graduation, and had not heard anything. When we looked into it, I was not entered in the '93 draft, but was for the 1994 draft. My coach made some calls and found out there was a supplemental draft that year. I was picked up in that draft by the BC Lions. I got a call from Brendan Tamin, the general manager at the time, and he offered me a contract.
Even though I had signed, I really had not given professional football much thought. My plan was to move to Texas where they had jobs and bonuses for nursing. We were the last class to write the NCLEX with pencil and paper, so it took a few months to get our results. I figured I could go to training camp and see how things went as I would not be getting my exam results until September. All the while, I knew in my heart that if football interfered with me nursing, I would have chosen nursing. Once I got to camp, I knew right away that I was not going to make the team. The defensive line was stacked full of vets, and good solid players. That's when Dave Ritchie came to me and asked me to become an offensive lineman. It blew me away, but I gave it shot. A shot that lasted for 13 years.
As for the NFL, when I played, there was no free agency agreements between leagues. If you were signed in the CFL, you played there. There was no shopping around allowed. The CFL was trying to retain the talent it had and it was very closed back then.
JimmieAthletics.com: Was it hard to transition back to Canadian rules (i.e., playing field size, three downs instead of four, defense lining up one yard off the ball, etc.) after playing four years in the US?
CM: The harder transition for me was moving from the defensive line to the offensive line. Because I had played enough CFL style rules as a kid, that part was easy. The other transition took a bit longer.
JimmieAthletics.com: I've only become a diehard CFL fan within the last couple of seasons, so I've been trying to go back and learn more about the Grey Cup winning teams and the standout players. The two championship teams you were on--were BC the favorites heading into the season or was it a case of playing great football at the right time?
CM: We were definitely NOT the favorites either time. The 1994 team was the most dysfunctional team I ever played on in my 13 years. We had fights in the locker room every day, and other things I can't put down on paper. To compare that team to the Bad News Bears would be a disservice to the Bad News Bears. Both seasons we were mid-pack and came in as the third place team. In 1994, (the best three- game series if you haven't watched) we clawed and scratched and never gave up. Once we got to the Grey Cup there was no way we were going to lose the first ever North American Grey cup. (Editor's note: The CFL played with eight Canadian teams in 1992, then added the Sacramento Gold Miners in 1993. Three more US-based teams—the Las Vegas Posse, Shreveport Pirates, and Baltimore CFLers—joined in 1994. The BC Lions and Baltimore met in the 1994 Grey Cup, the first time that two Canadian teams did not play in the Grey Cup).
In 2000, our motivation came from the 1999 Western final. We were at home playing Calgary and kicked the crap out them physically and mentally. We lost that game and the chance to play in the Grey Cup at home in BC. In 2000 we went to Calgary for the Western final, not forgetting what happened the previous year.
Cory Mantyka's 1994 (left) and 2000 Grey Cup championship rings
JimmieAthletics.com: You started your career as a special teams player, then played both offense and defense before becoming a mainstay on the offensive line. How did that change happen-- was it due to an injury and you were the next man up, or did the coaching staff see something in you that made them find a spot for you on the line?
CM: Yes, yes, and yes. My CFL start was not your prototypical one. I came in as a D-lineman, was asked to start practicing as an O-lineman, and by chance became a special teams player. My first year in training camp, rookies did not leave the field. If they needed a body it was "rookie get in there!" so I did a lot of practice squad reps, giving looks to our first team. As a D-lineman I was actually pretty fast, and got noticed by our special teams coach. That's how my special teams career started.
In my second season, due to injuries on both the O and D lines, I was asked week-to-week to go back and forth and learn the game plan depending on where they needed a body. I started quite a few games on both sides of the ball that year, and was always a backup for both sides of the ball. I was also doing all the special teams. By my third year, I was starting to understand the nuances of O line play, and had gotten to the point where I was getting good at it. As for my special teams days, I had put on enough pounds to slow me down and get me off special teams.
JimmieAthletics.com: Besides winning two Grey Cups, what other moments stood out for you in your CFL career?
CM: Much like my college days, there are too many to list. Going up on the Wall of Fame at BC Place was a great honor. I think for me the biggest thing I can appreciate looking back is having the good fortune to have the longevity I had in the game and being able to do it with one team.
A collection of Cory Mantyka's CFL Trading cards (photo by Ryan Mikkelson)
