DAN RALPH
The Canadian Press
There simply aren’t enough hours in a day for Sandy Annunziata.
Since retiring from the CFL following the 2005 season, the six-foot-one, 288-pound former offensive lineman has founded a diagnostic testing centre in Niagara Falls, Ont., been elected as a city councillor in his native Fort Erie, Ont., become a CFL player agent and co-host of weekly radio show centred around the Toronto Argonauts.
Annunziata also has his sights set on seeking the Progressive Conservative nomination for the electoral district of Niagara Falls in the next provincial election.
If that wasn’t enough, the articulate Annunziata and his wife, Elissa, manage a household that includes four children ranging from 15 to three-year-old twins, with an 18-year-old daughter attending university.
“It’s funny because people ask me what I want for Christmas or a birthday present and I tell them I could really use having two more hours added to each day because I’m busier now than I’ve ever been,” he said with a chuckle. “But I think it’s part of the evolution.
“You can’t stay static and unfortunately the day you sign your first pro contract that’s also the first day you should start looking for other employment because it’s a very volatile business. They’re always looking for someone who’s faster and cheaper so you’re always looking over your shoulder and preparing for the day when the lights will be turned off.
“Those athletes who are proactive and recognize that the window of opportunity is only so big to play pro sports are the ones who are going to be successful,” he added. “The skills they learn as athletes and the hard work they put into it are certainly transferable into any endeavour they pursue.”
Annunziata isn’t the first athlete to land in the political arena after his playing days were over. But he admits real football was a much easier game to play than the political version.
“Both have their inherent dangers but at least in football you saw the enemy coming at you,” Annunziata said. “In politics, they tend to sneak up on you from behind.
“They’re both exciting and I think the skill sets lend to one another. When you talk about the leadership qualities you need and the hard work, convictions and ethics you subscribe to in order to achieve goals in professional athletics I think are very transferable to politics. I saw it as a natural extension of servicing my community and giving something back.”
Life, though, seemed a lot less hectic when Annunziata was just a football player.
After winning a Vanier Cup during his collegiate career at the University of Western Ontario, Annunziata went on to spend 11 seasons in the CFL with Edmonton (1995-’96, 2005), Winnipeg (1997-’99), Hamilton (2000) and Toronto (2001-’04). He played on two Grey Cup-winning squads (’04 with Toronto and ’05 with Edmonton) before retiring.
But Annunziata, 40, didn’t let the grass grow under his feet.
In 2006 he founded Body Science Ltd., a health and diagnostic facility catering to high-end athletes’ fitness and nutritional needs, and was also elected to the Fort Erie town council. The following year Annunziata’s company expanded its health and fitness division to include compression and dri-fit athletic wear before adding a sports management division in 2008.
Body Science Ltd. represents eight athletes – current CFL players and others who are looking to re-enter the league – with plans to boost that number to as many as 11. Annunziata wouldn’t divulge his list of clients but says his experience as a pro player is a definite asset as an agent.
“I think it provides credibility, first and foremost, especially to young Canadian kids,” Annunziata said. “We’d like to think that (with) me coming from that background, who better to represent their interests?”
Ironically, when Annunziata entered the CFL he handled his own contract negotiations before signing on with highly respected veteran agent Gil Scott later on in his career.
“I did my own in the beginning then I got tired of listening to GMs and directors of player personnel tell me I just wasn’t worth the money I was asking for,” he said. “You never want to make it personal so I think it’s important that you separate the player from the agent-management.
“That’s why I went ahead and got an agent because I didn’t want to have to have the animosity or ill feelings towards people I respected like Paul Masotti and Mike (Pinball) Clemons (former Argos players who became the club’s GM and head coach, respectively, upon retirement). It’s a tough role to represent yourself in that environment and setting.”
Annunziata says he learned plenty about the agent business from Scott.
“Gil is one of the best and is definitely one of those guys who looks at the character of the player,” Annunziata said. “He has forged a number of really good relationships throughout the league and I think people in management know when Gil Scott goes to you with a player it’s one who’s very credible and adds value to the roster.”
Annunziata’s interests outside of football and his ability to speak clearly and eloquently help him successfully shed the longstanding stereotype that hulking offensive linemen are jocks who only know how to play football.
“I’ll tell you this much, in my experience as a pro athlete the smartest people I ever associated with on a roster were offensive linemen,” he said. “There’s so much going on in that two or three seconds when the ball is snapped that you have to be able to think quick on your feet and make critical decisions because you know the life and career of a quarterback definitely rely on your quick thinking.
“I have a lot of respect for offensive linemen. Maybe their body types and builds don’t project that intellect but I’m telling you there are some pretty smart guys on that side of the ball.”