Neumann’s Notes: Four Dinos headed to 2024 Grey Cup – University of Calgary Athletics

Football
11/14/2024 8:00:00 AM

Jack Neumann

CALGARY – The University of Calgary Dinos football program will have four former players as part of the roster for the Toronto Argos in the 111th Grey Cup game in Vancouver, B.C. on Sunday afternoon. All four have different roles as of the writing of this article. One is key starter, another would be except he has been injured the entire 2024 season, one is rookie on the practice roster while another is a Canadian Football League veteran who will be a game time decision. 

Let’s start with centre Peter Nicastro. The 25-year-old Nicastro has been a mainstay on the Argos offensive line since joining the team as a 22-year-old in 2021. The 6-foot-2, 305-pound Nicastro was a starter on the 2019 Dinos national championship team and – following the 2020 COVID year – joined the Argos, earning the team’s nominee for the Rookie of the Year and Lineman of the Year, as well as being named a CFL East Division All-Star in 2021. Nicastro missed the 2022 season due to injury. The 2023 campaign saw him start all 17 games at guard before becoming the starting centre this year. Nicastro joined the Dinos after outstanding career at St. Francis High School in Calgary, but was a red shirt in 2016 due to injury. 

The 2024 season for offensive lineman Darius Ciraco has not been a good one. Ciraco joined the Argos as a free agent in 2023 and promptly became the team’s starting center, earning CFL East Division All-Star status and CFL All-Canadian honors. Sadly, he has been injured the entire 2024 season. The 28-year-old Ciraco played for the Dinos from 2014 to 2017 and was a four-year starter along the offensive line. He was originally drafted sixth overall by Hamilton in the 2018 CFL Draft. Ciraco started for Hamilton in the 2019 and 2021 Grey Cup losses to Winnipeg at right guard and center, respectively. He joined the Dinos from Assumption High School in Burlington, Ont., and was a member of Canada’s U-19 team in 2013 and 2014.

The youngest of the quartet, offensive lineman John Bosse was selected in third round (25th overall) in this past spring’s most recent CFL Draft. The 6-foot-4, 335-pound 24-year-old Bosse has primarily been on the practice roster this season and has seen the field in two games this season for the Argos. He was a member of the 2019 national championship team, dressing as a backup offensive lineman after joining the team from Lester Pearson High School in Calgary in 2018, red-shirting as a defensive lineman before moving to the other side of the line of scrimmage. 

Receiver Richard Sindani started his U SPORTS career with the University of Regina Rams before joining the Dinos for the 2017 season. He was selected in 8th round (70th overall) in the 2017 CFL Draft by the Calgary Stampeders, where he played for four seasons to begin his CFL career. The Regina native joined the Argos late in 2023. This past year, he dressed for 14 games and caught 26 passes for 279 yards and one touchdown for the Argos. 

Current Dinos head coach Ryan Sheahan coached each of these individuals during his tenure as offensive coordinator with the Scarlet & Gold.

“I am really proud to see they (Nicastro, Ciraco, Bosse and Sindani) are going to play for Canada’s biggest trophy in the sport,” Sheahan stated. “I am proud to have coached them in their amateur career. It is great to see another group of Dinos who have gone on to have success at the professional level.”

The 2024 Grey Cup is scheduled to kick off Sunday at 4 p.m. MT from the BC Place in Vancouver.

-UC-