By Mary Owen
A former Regis quarterback has taken the Canadian Football League by storm.
Travis Lulay, 28, a second-year starter for the B.C. Lions, is hot on the heels of Montreal Alouettes quarterback Anthony Calvillo, 39, for the CFL’s outstanding player award.
Both players claimed division titles: Calvillo, east and Lulay, west. Sports speculators believe Lulay has a good chance at taking the all-league title since he was named quarterback on the CFL all-star team.
Leading his team to play for the league’s prestigious Grey Cup against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers only added to his growing list of accolades. But the hometown boy remains humble, telling reporters Calvillo had “set the bar for quarterback play” and crediting his teammates for the Lions’ success.
Regis High Athletic Director Don Heuberger said Lulay is a great person on and off the field. Lulay was the quarterback for Regis for three varsity seasons.
“Travis was a tremendous asset in that not only was he able to throw the ball with strength and accuracy, but he was also able to use his legs to create plays even when no play was there,” Heuberger recalled.
Heuberger knew Lulay because of family ties, but first “got the pleasure” of coaching him in football when he came to Regis in the fall of 1998. He worked with Lulay on both offense and defense drills.
Lulay was twice named the state’s 2A offensive player of the year before he graduated in 2002. He also led Regis to two state championship games in 2000 and 2001.
“Even though we lost those games, it certainly was not a poor reflection on him or Regis High School,” Heuberger said. “Travis was also a defensive safety and played both ways. He was a first-team, all-state football player.”
After graduating, Lulay played for Division 1-AA Montana State and was named Big Sky Conference Newcomer that year. Lulay signed with the Seattle Seahawks in May 2006 but was released in September. The Seahawks re-signed him in January 2007 and assigned him to the Berlin Thunder of NFL Europa, playing until April 2008. Lulay then signed with the New Orleans Saints in May 2008 and was waived in July. In the summer of 2009, he was nabbed by the B.C. Lions after attending the team’s tryout camp in Portland.
Two weeks ago, a Canadian camera crew visited Stayton to interview the Lulay family, Heuberger and others who knew the Aumsville phenom. A pep rally was held for the current Regis Rams, in the Oregon Schools Activities Association Division 2A Tri-River Conference playoffs, and to acknowledge their former player.
“Students have reacted with pride and support for Travis Lulay,” Heuberger said. “Obviously, not all students know Travis, but they are learning about him and the impact he is having and are pulling for his continued success.”
Simply put, Heuberger said, his “fan club” is growing. Lulay has gone further than any other Regis athlete, he added.
“We do have a graduate that was promoted to general and is serving in the White House now,” Heuberger said. “And Doug Lulay played professional baseball for the San Diego Padre organization and did very well.”
Heuberger said everyone at Regis is proud of Lulay’s success and, he added, “as a wonderful human being!”
In 2001, Lulay wrote on a player photo that he signed for Heuberger’s son: “Always give your best and anything can happen.”
With his best on the line for top CFL honors, Lulay might just become the superstar his coach Wally Buono believes he is capable of becoming.
Lulay told the Canadian press recently that his up-and-coming quarterback was “making believers out of anybody who wasn’t a believer!”
