At the Laurier Homecoming in 2022, I arranged an event for the 1972 Yates Cup championship football team at Morty's on a Saturday evening after the game. It was the 50^th anniversary of their victory. The night before, I met up with a bunch of players from the 1987 Yates Cup champions at Morty's as well. It was the 35^th anniversary of their victory. One of the guys I spent a great deal of time talking to was Joe Nastasiuk. Joe came to the event the next night for the 1972 team and we also ended up hanging out with Coach Gary Jeffries at Wilf's. Joe was a wide receiver who played starred for the Hawks in the mid to late 1980s. He teamed up with Ken Evraire to form one of the most lethal WR combinations in Laurier history. He was a key member of the 1987 Yates Cup Championship team and he was inducted into the WLU Hall of Fame in 1994.

Dave Morrissey: Where did you play high school football?
Joe Nastasiuk: I played high school football at Innisdale Secondary School in Barrie from 1982 to 1984. It was a brand new program at a new school in Barrie but in my graduating year we won a championship.

DM: Why did you choose to attend Laurier?
JN: I was recruited by Tuffy Knight. As everyone knows, he's a legend in the football world. As well, my brother Paul was already also playing at Laurier. He had a lot of success as a rookie (Editor's Note: Paul later went on to play 7 seasons in the CFL). WLU was known for giving rookies a chance and not just redshirting them so that is a huge reason why I went there. I was also recruited by Western but they had the opposite reputation.

DM: What were your first impressions of training camp?
JN: I remember distinctly that I was overwhelmed by the size of the players. I was intimidated just looking at some of the veterans. Some of them had moustaches and beards, some were married, some had cars, and many were twice as big as me! I remember sitting on the grass on the field with the other rookies waiting for my turn to run the 40 yard dash and wondering what the heck had I gotten myself into, but it all worked out in the end. There was great leadership from many veterans, especially Mike Wilson and Dave Lovegrove. Those guys really made the rookies feel welcome and comfortable.

DM: What was your most memorable game and why?
JN: It's an obvious choice. It was the Churchill Bowl in Vancouver against UBC in 1987. We were winning 31 to 26 with about two minutes remaining. On a 2^nd and 6, we called a pass play intended for me. It was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. We lost 33 to 31. It was a devastating loss. We were missing 3 or 4 key starters, including Ken Evraire, which would have made a huge difference in the game.  I will always treasure that team. It was truly one of the most talented teams that has ever played at WLU.

DM: Did you ever have a huge screw-up on a play?
JN: In my first year, Rod Philp and I were returning punts. It's a daunting and stressful responsibility. It was my job to call out who would receive the punt as it was travelling in the air. One time, I remember yelling "Me, me, me, me" but at the last moment before the ball was about to land I yelled "You" so that made it Rod's responsibility. The ball of course landed between us and the other team recovered it. Rod has never let me forget about that play!

DM: What would you say the biggest differences are between Canadian university football now and when you played the game?
JN: To me the biggest difference is the amount of pre-snap motion and the amount of passing that occurs. When I first arrived at WLU, they were very much a run-oriented team. Passing was definitely secondary. By the time my career was over, I think it was about a 50/50 split. I think we were the 1^st Laurier team to really have a dangerous and effective passing game.

DM: If they were going to make a movie about your football career at WLU, who would star as Joe Nastasiuk?
JN: I would choose Matt LeBlanc (Joey from the tv show Friends). His personality seems similar to mine. I like to keep things loose. I don't know if he can catch a football though.

DM: Who were the funniest guys on the team and why?
JN: Tony Wilson and Norbert Isaac both had a very dry sense of humour that was constant during practices and games. They loosened players up all the time. However, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Ken Evraire. Everyone is aware of his fantastic football skills but he was also a constant joker. (Editor's Note: In an earlier Talks with Hawks with Ken Evraire, I too can attest to how funny Ken is.  As well, Ken was quite modest about his success at Laurier.  In fact, he attributed most of it to Joe).

DM: As a rookie, was there anybody on the team who you actually feared?
JN: My fellow rookies and I were afraid of Alex Troop. He was a stud linebacker for the Hawks. It wasn't just his physical play, it was his look. When he gave you a mean stare, you felt like curling up in a ball and crying. Of course, as I got to know him, I realized he wasn't all that bad!

DM: What happened to you after your university football career ended?
JN: After my 3^rd year, I was invited to the CFL evaluation camp in Vancouver. I performed well there but my lack of height and my 40 time were both only average at best. As such, I was never drafted. I did have a couple of invites to free agent camps but those didn't work out either. In retrospect, it worked out great as I got to play my 4^th and 5^th years at WLU.

DM: What have you done career-wise since leaving Laurier?
JN: After graduating from WLU, I went to teacher's college at Dalhousie University in Halifax. That is where I met my future wife Jane who was finishing her last year in the school of Physiotherapy. We eventually married.  We moved to Barrie and I taught high school and coached football from 1991 to 1998.

DM: How and why did you end up in the Maritimes?
JN: My wife and I decided to move back out east in 1998. Specifically, we moved to Miramichi, New Brunswick and we have lived there ever since. We have a beautiful daughter. Anika is in her last year at Dalhousie and she will pursue a career in teaching. When we moved out east, we decided to open our own business. We opened a physiotherapy clinic. I did the business operations of the clinic and we expanded by opening up two more. We sold the business a few years ago and we are now semi-retired. Since then, we built two cottages on the Miramichi River and we operate them as Airbnb's in the summer.

DM: If you were the CFL Commissioner, what changes would you make to the game?
JN: I would create one permanent roster spot for a Canadian quarterback on every team. There are many great Canadian QBs playing at the university level but few of them get a chance to develop professionally. Nathan Rourke and Tre Ford proved last year that when given a chance to play, Canadian QBs can be successful. I would also give punt returners a 10 yard halo instead of the current 5. This would open up the return game and create more excitement. Finally, I think we need to have a team on the east coast of Canada. This is long overdue.