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PAUL ZUCCATO watched
Sunday’s Grey Cup game at |
his parents’ West Vancouver
home and was suitably happy
when the team he had once
hoped to be part of came
through with that last second
field goal by Lui Passaglia.

The thrill was, as they say, vicar-
ious. Undoubtedly, it would have
been much bigger had he been part
of the team, even as a bench-warmer
getting part-time duty on special
teams.

But when coach Dave Ritchie
decided the key to turning the Lions
around this year was to field a veter-
an team, especially on defence, the
Canadian Football League dreams
of half a dozen 1994 draft choices
ended last April.

First among them was Zuccato,
the team’s number one choice in the
annual draft of graduating Canadian
college players. A stocky and quick
220-pound linebacker at Simon
Fraser, he was named an NAIA
(National Association of
Intercollegiate Athletics) All-
American following the 1993 sea-
son.

in normal circumstances, this
single honor would have made him
a lock to be signed and gradually
groomed as a future CFL starter. But
these are not normal times.

There’s the matter of the uncer-
tain future for Canadian players in
the CFL, shortly to be known as the
Can-Am League as more American
cities get into the three-down game.
Commissioner Larry Smith has
made it official: the next big step
will be to change the Canadiar con-
tent rule for Canadian-based teams
from the current 20 players to about
10.

The American teams aren't
required to carry any Canadians.
Indeed, U.S. immigration rules
wouldn't permit them to bring in
platoons of Canadian talent. There is
an over-supply of qualified
American players. The necessary
green cards would never be issued.

So, at 22, there's no CFL future
for Zuccato, whose dreams date
back to four years on the West Van
High team and another four at SFU.
And it does seem ironic, inasmuch
as a couple of Canadians were the
keys to that 26-23 win over the
Baltimore CF Lers. Passaglia’s four
field goals — and especially the 38-
yard clutch winner on the last play
of the fourth quarter — eared him
Canadian player-of-the-game hon-
ors.

Then there was fullback Sean
Millington, another SFU grad who
learned about football as a high
school student at Carson Graham.
He was the Lions’ most effective
tusher in the big game. Mind you. it
has taken him five years to blossom
as one of the CFL's best players at
his position. Obviously, five-year
development pkins for Canadian tal-
ent are not part of the league's
future,

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But Zuceato did get to play some
pro football this year, An emergency
replacement tate i the season, he
played the final three games and the
playotts for the Hamburg Blue
Devils in the European League of
American Foothall.

“Each team is allowed three
American imports,” he says, “and |
was brought in as an American, The
league stretches from Moscow into
France. {was well paid and provid-
ed with an apartment and a car”

‘The league operates during soc-
cer’s summer recess and uses the
soveer stadiums fora tO-game
schedule. “The fans seers to love if.
They just go wild in the stands. At
Hamburg we drew about 20,000 a
game.”

That's more than a few af the
CFL teams were drawing this past
season, And Zaccute had the plea-
sure of helping Hamburg inte the
league final, where the Blue Devils
went to Sweden and were beaten by

Stockhotm. The team nanie? The
Vikings. What else’?

Meanwhile, he has options. He
san go back to Hamburg next year
and putin a fall season. Or he can
forget football and play that most
amateur of tean: sports, rugby, The
Capilanos want him and at feast
one member of the club executive.
Craig Shay, is convinced Paul has
the potential to become a Canadian
imernational player, probably ut
centre on the three-quitrter line,

NEWS photo Grad Ledwidge

LYNN VALLEY Blackbirds’ Brett Logan (second from left) and Brendon Lee (second from right)
challenge a Lions Gate Cheetah during their recent North Shore youth soccer match. The

Blackbirds won the game 1-nil.

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He plans to give ita serious shot
once he graduates, And if he does
reach the potential Slay and others
see in him, there's one thing he
won't have to worry about, There
will be no Americans to beat out for
his position.

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