Courtesy Edmonton Journal:

Andrew King spent his childhood in the stands of Commonwealth Stadium, cheering on the Edmonton Eskimos, hoping to one day make the leap from spectator to participant. Dan Bass Jr. spent his childhood in the Esks’ locker-room, hoping to one day follow in his father’s successful footsteps.

At a press conference on Friday afternoon, both young men took a big step towards realizing their goals.

The Eskimos unveiled their two most recent acquisitions on Friday, in King and Bass, a pair of non-import linebackers that the team signed as free agents after neither were selected in the CFL draft on Wednesday.

“Ever since I was a child, I’ve had the dream of playing professional football someday,” said Bass, 23, who was a first team all-Canadian selection in 2007 playing for the University of Alberta. “Now that I’ve got the opportunity I’m going to make the most of it.”

“As a kid, our whole family had season tickets,” said King, a 24-year-old Sherwood Park native who went all the way to the Vanier Cup final last fall with the Saint Mary’s Huskies. “To get signed to this team is a dream come true to me. I can’t wait to get out there to prove myself.”

Eskimos coach Danny Maciocia said that both players should be looked at as more than local products. While they’ve both excelled in their young careers as linebackers, Maciocia has plans for them on his special teams.

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