John Bender was an outstanding high school athlete. His ability and passion led him to excel well beyond high school into the ranks of university and the pros.
In his grade 10 year at Three Hills School, 2002/03 John won gold in the Junior Boys Shot put at ASAA Provincials. In grade 11, he moved to Cochrane and there he won an additional three throws medals (2 Shot Put, 1 Discus) at ASAA provincials by the end of Grade 12 as a, member of the Cochrane High School Track and Field team, which won the 3A Championship banner in both his Grade 11 & 12 years.
But it did not stop there. Whilst at Cochrane High School, John also won gold with the Cochrane Cobra’s Tier III Football team in 2003 and 2004, and Basketball Gold with their 3A Boys basketball team in 2004. Collecting 7 Provincial Gold Medals in his ASAA career. John was also part of the Junior National Track team in 2004, and attended the Royal Canadian Legion Youth Track & Field Championships in Kitchener in 2003 and Sudbury in 2004. He placed 3rd in shot put in 2003 (15.15m, becoming an Athletics Alberta Record), John, then had a Shot Put toss of 16.71M in 2004 - winning national Gold at the U17 Track & Field Championships.
John signed a full scholarship to the University of Nevada, Reno. There he played NCAA Division 1 Football (FBS). The Nevada Wolf Pack would play in 5 bowl games during his college career. In his Senior season (2010) Nevada finished the season 13-1, ranked 15th in the Associated Press polls, out of 120 Division 1 NCAA teams
John was a 4 year starter and graduated with a dual major in Marketing and Management.
In the spring of 2010, John was drafted into the CFL by the Calgary Stampeders. After John completed his degree and played his Senior season in the fall of 2010 at Nevada, he moved on to the CFL. John signed a contract with the Calgary Stampeders on May 10, 2011.
Currently, John lives in Calgary and works as a CFP Professional with IG Wealth Management.
https://youtu.be/86OJ3AqbMUk