Richard Pellissier-Lush

Young PEI Football Player now with the Manitoba Bisons

By Nathan Rochford

Growing up Richard Pellissier-Lush hated football.

At 5'5" and only 150 pounds he wasn't a very intimidating presence on the field and although he did play football
for Colonel Gray High School, for years he felt like he didn't quite measure up.

"I hated the game," Pellissier-Lush said. "I was a really small guy."

A lot has changed since then.

Now. Pellissier-Lush, 20, stands a full 5'11", weighs in around 210 pounds and not only does he no longer hate the
game, he's actually grown to love it.

"Right now I'm pursuing a career in the CFL," the first year kinesiology student said during a phone interview from
Winnipeg where he's the starting linebacker for the University of Manitoba Bisons.

But the journey from hating the sport to dreaming of making a career of it didn't come without its challenges.
While in high school Pellissier-Lush had tried unsuccessfully to make linebacker while attending Colonel Gray in
Charlottetown. The coach at the time told him he was too small and would fit better on the offensive-line. That
didn't sit well with Pellissier-Lush. He figured if he was going to play the sport, he was going to play it to his
full potential.

It was that failure that drove him to build his body up to linebacker standards and for the next four months spent
almost every day in the gym lifting weights and getting in shape.

When he returned for tryouts the following year he made linebacker with the Charlottetown Colonels. From there he decided to take his passion to the next level and tried out for the P.E.I. Privateers in the Maritime Football League where he went on to become the starting linebacker for the team while still playing for his high school. That year he led the high school league in tackles and recieved All-Star Linebacker of the Year.

Success aside, Pellissier-Lush maintains a sincere modesty about his career in football, crediting much of his
success to his mother and his Mi'kmaq heritage.

"She pushed me to play my whole life," he said. "She pursued me each day to go out there. I hated it, but she made me."

He added trips to Lennox Island to visit his aunt were also a major influence on his career as a player. The unwavering support from both family, friends and community helped keep a positive outlook on things.