A former LCI Rams football player has been drafted by the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals. Wednesday night, LCI celebrates Tanner McLachlan’s accomplishments with a meet and greet at the school.
“It’s really exciting for us,” says LCI coach Darren Majeran. “It’s rare. There was one other kid in the late 1980s who played some exhibition games with the Buffalo Bills. But as far as I can tell, he was never drafted.”
“Tanner is the first player ever drafted into the NFL. To see that coming through LCI and the fact he still represents LCI and is still proud of being around means a lot to our kids, to our community and to our entire program,” adds Majeran.
One thing the LCI football program tries to instill in students is working towards their goals, notes Majeran. “A sense of being a good teammate. We want our kids to believe it’s not just about the statistics they can put up. Doing little things, actually matters.”
“Tanner is an incredible talent. He’s always been able to catch a football. But one of the things we instill most is when you’re not catching the football, what are you doing? Tanner was always a willing blocker. To me, it’s doing those little things. That’s what we preach and I definitely think Tanner embodies those things. He definitely does his best to be a good teammate,” says Majeran.
The whole process McLachlan has been through, Majeran says, is a testament to the southern Alberta athlete’s work ethic and resolve. “I couldn’t be more proud of that.”
Recently, Majeran caught members of this year’s football team watching McLachlan’s highlight fillers in the school library. “They said, ‘Coach, come check this out. Check out how hard receivers used to block back in the day.’ I had a good chuckle over that because it was Tanner blocking. I said, ‘Yes, that’s how you win football games.’”
There’s definitely a buzz around the school these days with McLachlan being drafted to an NFL team.
“People are excited for Tanner. Kids are looking at his films saying, ‘Wow, that’s how you play high school football. It’s very meaningful for us for that,” says Majeran.
Wednesday night’s celebration starts at 6 p.m. “We are going to celebrate Tanner in our gym. We’re going to let him talk, let him answer questions and do a little meet and greet and take some pictures with him,” says Majeran.
“The big thing is, I want him to know, we are proud of you.”