Former Irish Student, Sandor Mod named to East/West squad

By Bernie Puchalski - May 19, 2021

May 12 turned out to be anything but just another work day for Sandor Mod.

The soon-to-be 22-year-old Welland native was working in Welland with a landscaping crew redoing a backyard when he was interrupted by his phone.

“It just started blowing up with everyone congratulating me and my dad called me and stuff,” he said. “Thank God, it was on lunch but it was great. Everyone around me was saying that it was exciting news.

“I was pretty calm because it was halfway through the day and we were kind of getting tired from moving bricks and cutting sod; all that good stuff.”

The news was that the 6-foot-4, 285-pound defensive lineman at Carleton had been selected for the 2021 East-West Bowl roster by U SPORTS and the Canadian Football League. No game will be played due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The rosters include the next generation of top Canadian football prospects and identifies 110 U SPORTS-eligible standouts for the 2022 CFL Draft.

It is fantastic news because I have been working towards this for almost 15 years and it’s good to get a little recognition here and there.”

The news could have been even better but 2020 and 2021 have put a damper on a lot of good news.

“It is kind of bittersweet being selected for the game and there is no game because of COVID,” the former Niagara Spear said.

Like all his peers, Mod also saw his 2020 Ontario University Athletics season cancelled by the pandemic.

“Man. There are so many words I could say but it hurt a lot. I lost my second year of playing university sports at Carleton and, on top of that, seeing so many of the guys on my team and the guys I know at Guelph losing their senior year that they worked so hard for. For a lot of guys, it was a year to show what they have for the CFL.

“I know I still have years left to play with and prepare but for a lot of guys, this is it. It is heart-breaking.”

This past school year, all of Carleton’s classes were on-line, but Mod was at the school training outdoors in small groups in September and October.

“I was trying to stay around the team as much as possible but then Ottawa went back into lockdown again so I decided to move home and save some money.”

Mod participated in Zoom workouts and trained on his own through the winter.

“Right now, I have a home gym and I am using some of the workouts from the athletic strength and conditioning trainer at Carleton, incorporating them with my own as well as having sports specific training on the side with a personal trainer based out of Grimsby.”

In the 2019 season, Mod had 11 tackles, including 10 solos, and three sacks in five games for Carleton. He is hoping his third season of eligibility will begin on schedule this fall.

“Our whole team has been champing at the bit since we had that little taste back in September,” Mod said. “Just being able to see each other again and have that kind of connection rekindled the fire inside of us. We all needed that because everyone was kind of getting down on themselves about not being able to see each other.”

Training sessions are expected to start in August and Mod can’t wait for them to begin.

“I have a team-oriented goal to win a championship and a Vanier Cup,” he said. “It is something I haven’t done yet and it is something we all want to do. I know a lot us are so determined and we have been putting in so much work because that is all we want.”

Personally, he wants to get better in every facet of the game.

“I have only had two years under my belt and I haven’t played enough yet to leave a legacy,” he said. “I want to work on being more powerful, being able to hold a double team, react quicker, read O linemen better and be able to read the offence as a whole so I know everything that is going on all the time.

“I want to have that edge against anyone that I am playing against.”

His ultimate goal is to play in the CFL.

“Any kind of opportunity to play pro, I am there for it. My goal since I started football has been to say I’ve played pro.”

He is studying law at Carleton and when his football career is over he is hoping for a career as a psychological profiler for a police force.

Mod started playing football in Welland when he was six in the Niagara Regional Minor Football Association

“I wasn’t into any sports when I was young but my dad (Zoli) suggested football.”

He suited up for one year of travel ball with the Hamilton Junior Ti-Cats and then spend seven seasons with the Niagara Spears from bantam through to the varsity level. He ended up playing for both Team Ontario and Team Canada, winning an under-19 world championship in Mexico in 2018.

Mod originally signed with the Guelph Gryphons but stayed for only one year because he didn’t like his academic program and it didn’t feel like the right fit for him.