12 Questions with Neil King

Playing history

Bev Facey Falcons ’04-‘06
Edmonton Wildcats ’06-‘10
St. Mary’s Huskies ’10-‘12

You’ve finished your CIS career, so the next step is to take a look at the CFL?

Right now I am training for the CFL draft which is on May 6. I got the invitation to the CFL E-Camp where there are only 60 players in Canada who get an invitation, which will happen on the weekend of March 22.

What types of things do you do for training, both physically and mentally for the CFL Draft?

I’ve been with Playmaker U in Sherwood Park for the last two months with Kamau Peterson. He’s been a huge help mentally just to get involved with what’s going to be coming my way because he is a professional athlete – he played with the Eskimos for a couple of years. Training wise, it’s a pretty intense training regime throughout the week.

Did you send in game reels to teams?

One of the first things that I did was send out my highlight tape from my three years at St. Mary’s. That was one of the biggest things just to get your name known. Now what I have been doing is sending out training videos, so I’ve been filming just little bits and pieces of my training and sending them out to teams as teasers and letting them know I am taking this serious… putting in the effort, putting in the work and likely to make the next step.

You hear often from CFL teams that attitude is a huge part of their success on the field. How would you relate your experience with the Wildcats to prepare you for the CFL?
It’s just the level of competition when I was a Wildcat was huge. You’re always having people pushing you to play better, to perform at a high level and my four years with the Wildcats were definitely a reflection of that for sure.

Do you have any suggestions for the Wildcat players now as they’re entering their career as a Wildcat? What can they be doing to give themselves a shot as a CFL pick?
One of the things that I’ve always focused on is just hard work both on the field and during the off-season. When you step out onto the field and put those cleats on, you have to zone into the mentality that you’re here to do work, to get better and to compete. If everyone has that same mentality, you’re definitely going to be on a winning team.

What are your hobbies outside of football?

Right now, I’ve been focusing mostly on Football and training for the draft, but when I have time I like to head out to the mountains and go snowboarding, in the summer I golf and play squash.

Your brother (Ryan King) was drafted last year into the Eskimo’s. Football must have been a big thing in your upbringing?

My oldest brother Andrew started the trend. Nobody prior had played, but he started playing football in grade 10 and it just went from there.

What is your favourite training song?

It changes all the time! Right now, it would be anything by J Cole

Which CFL team do you cheer for?

Eskimos all the way. Home town, home grown, you gotta go with the green and gold!

How about NFL?

Baltimore Ravens

Do you have a football idol?

Both of my brothers. I’ve always looked up to them. They’ve both succeeded at every level and helped guide me through the whole process.

Best moment as a Wildcat?

The playoff run in 2009. That whole year was one of the best memories I have in Football. We grew up as a team – we all started as first or second year players and developed as a defensive unit. Our first game in the playoff run was against the Calgary Colts and it snowed like crazy. We won that game and went off to Saskatoon, which has become known as the mudbowl. The entire field was just pure mud. That was one of the best games I’ve been a part of it – we weren’t expected to win, Saskatoon had been having a great year, but we came through with a victory. Then we flew out to Ottawa, beat them, and went to BC where we lost. But that whole run was an awesome experience.