Chris Walby came to Dickinson State University as a skinny 6-foot-6 hockey player from Winnipeg, Manitoba, and left as one of the greatest football players to ever don a Blue Hawks uniform.
The transition charted a course that led Walby to a teaching degree, a 16-year Hall-of-Fame career for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Canadian Football League and went on to build a successful career in pharmaceutical sales and broadcasting after playing football.
It goes without saying that Walby looks fondly back on his days at Dickinson State. “Being voted all-conference a few times (and) being second-team All-American was very special,” said Walby, who was among the first of many standout Canadian players that suited up for DSU. “The biggest, however, was being inducted into the Dickinson State University Hall of Fame.”
It was an honor he earned based on his career achievements: The offensive tackle was a nine-time CFL all-star, a 10-time divisional all-star and was voted the league’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman twice in a career that spanned from 1981 to 1996. During his tenure, the Bombers won three Grey Cup (Canadian Super Bowl) championships and 12 division finals between 1982 and 1994.
Walby taught high school for one year after retiring from football then began a 15-year career in pharmaceutical sales, beginning as a medical representative for products like Advil, Robitussin, Dimetapp, Centrum and other products. He later was promoted to district manager covering Manitoba and northwest Ontario and was responsible for Edmonton and Saskatchewan. During that time, he also worked as a CFL analyst for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Walby’s pharmaceutical role changed when his company was bought by Wyeth Pharmaceuticals, which promoted him to national nutritional manager, a job he kept until retiring in 2012. At the same time, Walby continued to work for CBC until 2007, covering 10 Grey Cups before TSN bought the rights to the game in 2012. He joined TSN radio to cover the Blue Bombers and CFL.
Walby ran for political office once but vowed not to again. “You can’t make 100 percent of the people happy, and I wasn’t used to the criticism or the mudslinging. It was ugly,” he said.
TSN lost the rights to the CFL and Walby was without a sports gig again. He recently started working with a podcast called Bonfire Sports that is focused on the CFL, specifically the Blue Bombers.
“Other than that, I’m living at the lake with my wife and kids and having a great time,” Walby said and still gets back to Dickinson when he can.
“I am so proud to have played under Coach Hank (don't call me Henry) Biesiot,” Walby said. “He was one of the biggest influencers in my life. I loved the campus, the people, and the friendships that I still have today. It is so much fun to go back to the homecoming celebrations and reconnect with everyone. It led to my 16-year career in the Canadian Football League. That would never have happened if not for Blue Hawk football!”
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