SIMMONS: The Metchie family is living Canadian sports dream

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Every day growing up seemed like holiday season for the Metchie family of Marshmarigold Drive in Brampton.

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There was more than enough food to take care of everyone — kids mostly — who were hanging around the house, playing football, talking football.

Every day, most nights, most weekends, it was a short walk from St. Edmund Campion Secondary School if you didn’t know where to go, or who to call, or what was up on a Saturday night, you could always start at the Metchie home.

It was a designation of dreams and talk of the future and of being friends forever.

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“Not everybody had cell phones in those days,” said Royce Metchie, the Toronto Argos defensive back and three-time Grey Cup champion. “You either knew me or my three brothers, or somebody, and it just became our gathering place.

“When we were in high school, people just knew. If you forgot your lunch, you could come here and there’d be food. If you needed help with your homework, you could come here and get help. There were times after practice, you’d come home and the house was filled with people.

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“We never locked the door in those days. And even if was locked, people knew where the spare key was. It was our community of friends and football kept us all together.”

Royce is a staple member of the Toronto Argos secondary, a throwback safety more in the style of Marv Luster than say Carl Brazley. His younger brother John is a wide receiver with the Houston Texans, trying to battle his way back in the NFL after battling through his fight with Leukemia.

The family has players in the NFL and CFL now and before that in NCAA and U Sports. And the unofficial family — those who hung around the house — sent dozens of players from Brampton to college programs on both sides of the border.

All starting with this one unlikely family that immigrated from Ghana in West Africa when the kids were younger — and somehow, the football lives started when oldest brother Miles began playing and, by extension, everyone around him became obsessed with the game.

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Miles began playing, then Leon, then Royce, then baby brother, John III.

“We used to go the park and play football, every kind of football,” Royce said. “We’d play catch, we’d play 7-on-7. We see how far somebody could punt the ball or how far we could kick field goals. We’d invent some kind of game. It was always football. We were always together.”

The family remains close to this day — but just as close, the extended football family. The house was filled on so many days with kids and football dreams, so many of whom would go on to play in college or professionally.

One time, years back, the coach of the University of Guelph came on a recruiting visit to the Metchie home.

“When the coach pulled into the driveway to come and see one of us, half of the kids from our recruiting class were either sitting on the porch or in the living room. Not to see him, it was just where they were. I don’t think the coach had seen anything like this before.”

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As life turned out, it was the younger brother, John, who had the most natural talent. He was going into Grade 2 when the family came to Canada. But John was so skilled as an athlete, a natural, that he went to a prep school in the U.S. to finish his high school and football education and then went on to the University of Alabama — where few Canadians ever have played — and wound up starring for Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide.

He played or practised with Tua Tagovailoa and Bryce Young at Alabama, caught footballs around Jaylen Waddle and Jerry Jeudy, and watched Najee Harris run the ball: It was an elite program and Metchie had elite numbers, catching 96 passes for 1,142 yards in 2021.

Then Metchie was felled by a knee injury, the leukemia diagnosis, and other injuries that have followed him to the Houston Texans.

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“I’m his biggest fan,” Royce said proudly. “I’m proud beyond expression. It’s fun to be able to see him play. I remember when he started and we’d have a game the same day, I made sure I missed none of it. I’d download the game or do whatever I can to see it.

“Now it doesn’t matter what I’m doing — travelling, working out, whatever — my phone is set up to watch all his games. I don’t miss anything.”

Metchie III had his best game recently against the Detroit Lions, catching five passes for 74 yards and a touchdown. At just 24, there is a long runway for Metchie to get this NFL thing right.

He won’t be home for Christmas this year: John’s Texans will be hosting the Baltimore Ravens in a crucial matchup on Wednesday afternoon.

But there is no today without a yesterday. Metchie’s parents — an African father, a Taiwanese mother — made sure the house was a gathering place for kids who became family.

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“My mom would make giant pots of food and just leave them there so was always something for everyone eat,” Royce said.

“A lot of days we’d have 12-15 kids over. I don’t know many people who had what we had. We didn’t have a lot to do in our area. You could go to the library, you could go to school, you could go to McDonald’s — that was about it. Football became our thing.

“So at our house we’d talk about looking out for each other, about our goals in life and about football. I remember going to a Christmas party years ago and a teacher mentioned to us, ‘you guys act like you’re going to be friends for the rest of your life. I can tell you, most people grow apart, that just happens.’ That was like a challenge to us. We’re thinking: We’re going to prove you wrong — and we have.”

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At this year’s holiday party, there were all kinds of trinkets and friends abound, but not the Grey Cup. The Cup was busy that day.

“We’ll have to win it next year so I can get this right,” said Royce, forever proud of his upbringing and his accomplishments.

“I’m really grateful for the relationships I have with our friends and family. It’s the biggest blessing. When we first moved here it was kind of rough. We didn’t know a lot of people. We didn’t have a lot.

“All these years later, I have a great sense of what Canada really is, a diverse multi-cultural place, what Canada can be. I think that’s our story. We gained such a big beautiful family here. They made it so comfortable for us.

“Now I get to live out a dream that all those kids in the living room had. I get to continue that. My brother gets that. We’re holding onto a dream that all of us had.”

ssimmons@postmedia.com

twitter.com/simmonssteve

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