Jarrod Livingstone is the Rams' most dedicated fan
Tim Switzer, Leader-Post
Published: Monday, October 29, 2007

There are few football fans with the dedication of Jarrod Livingstone.

The 29-year-old Regina man is at nearly every University of Regina Rams practice, is on the sideline for every home game and makes his way into the locker room after each contest.

Livingstone does it all while confined to a wheelchair.

He was born with spina bifida, caused when the spinal column fails to fully develop and results in varying damage to the spinal cord and nervous system. It meant walking with crutches until 1991, when he had two rods inserted into his back and was forced into the wheelchair.

But through all that, Livingstone has remained true to the Rams. It is in his blood, after all.

His grandfather is the late Scotty Livingstone, who served several years as president of the Rams.

Jarrod has become a fixture with the Rams during their junior football national championships in the 1990s to their move to the CIS in 1999 and their Vanier Cup appearance in 2000.

"It means a lot to me because I basically sit at home all day," said Livingstone. "To go to practice every day is a thrill. I get to hang out with those guys and joke around and stuff. I've met very good friends doing it. The team means a lot to me. It's a family thing.

"Sometimes I get a little worked up on the sideline and start yelling. But when I voice my opinion, the boys understand where I'm coming from because I would love to play football. I would give anything to play."

As far as Rams players are concerned, Livingstone is a member of the team.

"Jarrod is an interesting cat," offensive lineman Ryan Ackerman said with a chuckle. "He shows you have to appreciate the little things in life sometimes. It's amazing to see someone have that much devotion to a team.

"He's just as big a part of this as I am. There's beaking that goes back and forth but, at the end of the day, we're treating him like just another guy on the team."

It's evident how much Livingstone means to every player after wins when he gets them all on their feet as he does laps around the dressing room to celebrate the victory.

"I've never seen a bunch of big, tough football players get excited about a guy in a wheelchair doing figure-eights," Livingstone said, chuckling. "(Rams backup quarterback) Marc Mueller gets so excited. I think he almost pees his pants every time."

Livingstone has provided plenty of other laughs over the years for Rams players and coaches. Head coach Frank McCrystal's favourite story is the one where Livingstone, who was using a motorized scooter at the time, got stuck in the mud on his way home from a Rams practice at the field named for his grandfather.

Livingstone can laugh at that one now too.

"I was driving along and all of a sudden -- BOOM! -- I burnt out my motor and everything," he said.

While Livingstone usually brings smiles to the faces of players and coaches with his wisecracks and good-hearted insults, he can also bring tears to their eyes.

After the Rams' come-from-behind win over the UBC Thunderbirds on Sept. 21, Livingstone addressed the team at the clubhouse.

"I told them how 10 years ago in the Pasqua Hospital I was dying and how I didn't give up," said Livingstone. "They didn't give up that game so I gave them a little speech. It seems ever since then, they understand me a little more."

"I've been around Jarrod for five years and to hear something like that from him, you know it meant a lot to him and it touched a lot of the guys on the team," noted Ackerman.

Livingstone would love to see the Rams stay inspired and keep winning right through to the Vanier Cup in Toronto on Nov. 23. The U of R will first have to get past the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in a Canada West semifinal Friday (7 p.m.) at Mosaic Stadium.

If the Rams move on in the playoffs, it will be an eventful few weeks for Livingstone, whose parents, Val and Dick, are taking him to Green Bay for his 30th birthday to see Packers on Dec. 6.

Ryan might even have Livingstone to thank for where the Regina-born punter is today.

"Against Alberta, he had a really (crappy) kick and he came off the field and I said, 'Jon, what the heck was that? That was the worst punt I've ever seen in my life,' " Livingstone recalled. "The next punt he kicked it 80 yards."

Even if the Rams don't fare well in the postseason, Livingstone's devotion won't diminish.

"He's what our program is about," said McCrystal. "He defines, in terms of character, what we're about. We care about people, we're passionate, we're intense and he's all of those things and as loyal as you could possibly be. He epitomizes very much the soul and character of our team."

tswitzer@leaderpost.canwest.com

© Leader-Post 2007

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