Dino-mite!: New Rider kicker left interesting job to resume football career

Campbell Fair was working hard to prepare for a moment like this, but it still caught him by surprise when he got a call from the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The Riders signed the 23-year-old product of Oakville, Ont., to the practice roster on Monday.

Fair was in Trenton, Ont., working for a company that builds dinosaur exhibits for museums.

Recently, he was helping to build steel armatures that hold up the bones of a whale. Fair said some of the projects he has worked on have appeared on display at the Royal Ontario Museum as well as in the latest Transformers film.

Fair had also been working there before he was drafted by the Calgary Stampeders in the sixth round (51st overall) of the 2023 CFL draft. He got to work alongside his father, Matthew, who has been in the industry for 30 years and helped introduce Campbell to it.

“It’s interesting,” Fair said about the job. “(It was) a lot of fun. (I) got to travel a lot for that job and (it was) good.”

The Roughriders called him when he was on break.

“It came out of the blue, really,” said Fair, a product of the University of Ottawa.

Fair said he wasn’t sure he would get an opportunity like this, but he wants to make the most of it.

“I was really happy,” Fair said. “It was a big shock. I’m still kind of in shock.”

He said he hopped on a flight to Regina the day after getting the call.

“This is such a good organization,” Fair said. “(The Riders) have the best fans, (the) most support (and their) facilities are amazing. All the guys have been good to me, so I’m happy to be here.”

Fair was brought in as insurance for placekicker Brett Lauther, whose status for Saturday’s game against the visiting Stampeders is unknown. Lauther’s workload has been limited, according to head coach Craig Dickenson.

“(Lauther’s) got a little bit of a hamstring (issue). We’re trying to take it easy with him. We think he’s going to be able to play, though,” said Dickenson, who noted the injury has bothered Lauther for a while.

Dickenson and special-teams co-ordinator Kent Maugeri said Fair has looked good since arriving in Regina.

“So far, so good,” Maugeri said.

“He’s a great kid. He’s tall, he’s got long levers, he really has a strong leg. He’s just got to hone in his technique and he’s going to be fine. He’s got a really bright future, I think.”

As of Tuesday, it doesn’t seem likely that Fair will play against his former team on Saturday, but Fair said as a kicker, he has to stay ready.

“Any opportunity is a good opportunity for me at my point in my career,” Fair said.