"The city just made us better": Bo Levi Mitchell reflects on his time in Calgary
Bo Levi Mitchell is leaving the Calgary Stampeders, but both the club and city will remain near and dear to the long-time franchise quarterback.
The two-time Grey Cup champion, speaking on the Barnburner podcast, made it clear that his departure is made much harder by his affinity for the city he’s spent a decade in.
“That’s probably one of the hardest parts,” Mitchell said in an in-studio interview Tuesday.
“I think the city means more to me than I even know right now because both my daughters were born here, my wife and I built a legacy here, we built a marriage here, we’ve been here for a long time.
“I think it’s always going to be a special place in my heart and a place that maybe I move back to and live full-time after football is over because Madison loves it here, our girls love it here, we’ve got a lot of amazing friends.”
Mitchell’s rights were traded to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Monday in exchange for a third-round pick in 2023, fifth-round pick in 2024, and future considerations.
He is eligible to become a free agent in February and expressed to the Stampeders his desire to explore other opportunities to be a starting quarterback with another club after losing his starting gig to Jake Maier earlier this season.
But Calgary, and those he’s met along the way, remains significant to he and wife Madison.
“I knew that with Calgary, I want to be here and I want to win that championship here because I know what it can do for my family, this city, to come together,” Mitchell said. “You’re new, you’re young, but if you can come in and make something happen you can be a part of something and I think that’s was something Madison and I have always wanted to do.”
Mitchell won the Grey Cup with the Stampeders in 2014 and 2018 and was named Grey Cup MVP in each of those victories. He’s also a two-time CFL Most Outstanding Player (2016, 2018), a two-time CFL All-Star (2016, 2018), and a three-time CFL West All-Star (2015, 2016, 2018).
The 32-year-old from Katy, Texas, is the league’s active passing leader with 32,541 yards, ranking him 15th all-time in league history.
"Iāll definitely hear Hamilton out, I want to hear their pitch and whatās going on there but I want to go into Free Agency and find out what the offers are."
Former Stampeders QB, Bo Levi Mitchell live on @Barnburnerfn today!
WATCH/LISTEN: https://t.co/qnVIq9L9FO pic.twitter.com/eUcXUes9F9
— FlamesNation (@FlamesNation) November 15, 2022
Off the field, Mitchell was involved in plenty of charity events, including his own “Mitchell’s Miracle Day,” an annual initiative that collected donations throughout the city to help give children and families an extra special Christmas.
It’s one of the many reasons he’s become a beloved Calgary sports fixture.
“I try to say to myself, for the most part during the season and during the offseason, that’s when we do the charity work,” Mitchell said. “It became this full year-round, hey, we’re going to do everything we can to make the team better during the year, do everything we can to make the city better.
“But really, honestly, the city just made us better. We love the people here. We’re from the States, obviously. I’m from Texas, she’s from Washington. When we go back now we feel foreign. It feels weird to be in Texas. It feels weird to be in Washington sometimes, and realize how people talk to each other, realize how people talk to you. People are so much nicer in Canada, people are so much more respectful.
“I think we always just felt the longer we were here the more this was home and it always will be.”
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