“I just didn’t know anything about football,” said Bodanis, 21. “All the images that I had of NCAA football, and NFL football, were of American guys. I had this image in my head of American football players just being far superior. I thought being from Canada I wouldn’t make it.”
As a Chaminade freshman standing six-foot-three and weighing about 240 pounds though, Diodati instantly thought Bodanis “has a body built for football.”
That’ physique, along with a demo reel Bodanis made from footage of his second season with the University of Toronto, caught the interest of the Michigan State University Spartans.
On Feb. 6 the now 6-foot-6, 310 pound defensive tackle signed a full scholarship with Michigan State at his former high school. Next season he will face off against fellow Chaminade alumni Tevaun Smith, a wide receiver for the Iowa State Hawkeyes, in the Big 10 Conference.
Although football is now offering Bodanis greener fields, he didn’t seem to think it had much to offer after his first high school season — his only season before playing in the Ontario University Athletics league with U of T.
“He did play football in Grade 9, although at that time we had a varsity team so it was Grades 9 through 12, so I mean he got a little bit of playing time but not a lot,” said Diodati.
“I remember it was our final game of the season and I spoke to his dad and I said, ‘You know, I really think your son should stick it out with football because I think he’s got a lot of potential.’ But he was just starting to get involved in hockey and I think they were more interested in him playing hockey, so his Grade 10 year he didn’t play football any more.”
But in the spring of 2008 Diodati convinced the then Grade 11 student to take part in a spring football camp and game.
“He did great,” remembers Diodati. “We could all see that this kid should be playing football. We were really excited because we thought that in September, which would have seen him going from Grade 11 to 12, this kid is ready to play football now.”
But it wasn’t to be.
When Diodati made his annual summer phone call reminding the returning football players about the August training camp, Bodanis dropped the bomb that he’d again would be lacing up skates in September, not cleats.
“Whenever I do something I try to focus on only that,” said Bodanis, admitting that he just didn’t have time for football as he pursued his hockey dream. “All I did was skate every day.”
That June, Bodanis earned his high school diploma leaving Diodati with a mix of emotions. On one hand Diodati was frustrated with Bodanis for not recognizing the opportunities football could afford him, on the other the coach was proud of the Bodanis for pursuing his dream.
Wishing him all the best Diodati said good-bye to Bodanis.
“But then he came back for a year to upgrade his marks because he was considering NCAA possibilities for hockey,” said Diodati. “When I heard he was coming back for that year, and we had a pretty good team that year, I told him, ‘James, please just play football because I think if you play football you’re definitely going to get some interest from Canadian schools just for your size alone.’ ”
With a spot on the Ajax Attack junior A hockey team, Bodanis politely declined.
Diodati requested Bodanis’ hockey schedule so he could pass it along to an acquaintance who coaches hockey in the NCAA. The schedule, however, never came. After several months of waiting Diodati learned the hockey dream was over.
“I was playing on a juvenile team and I just didn’t have the passion,” Bodanis remembers telling Diodati, which hit the coach hard.
With football season over it seemed all hope of exposing post-secondary schools to Bodanis on the football field had disappeared until the Grassroots Combine that spring.
“He went, he did well and immediately there was Queen’s and U of T that were interested in him,” said Diodati.