Gene Makowsky (born April 17, 1973) is a Canadian politician and former

Canadian football Canadian football () is a team sport, sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's sco ...

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

who has been a member of the

Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly The Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan is the legislative chamber of the Saskatchewan Legislature in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Bills passed by the assembly are given royal assent by the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, in the na ...

representing the riding of

Regina Gardiner Park Regina Gardiner Park is a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacifi ...

since 2016 and prior to that representing the riding of

Regina Dewdney Regina Dewdney was a provincial electoral district for the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan, Canada. This district included the neighbourhoods of Dewdney, Crescent Park, Glenelm Park, Glenelm Park South, Gardiner Park, Arcola East-North Sid ...

. Prior to his service in the

Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan The Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan is the legislative chamber of the Saskatchewan Legislature in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. Bills passed by the assembly are given royal assent by the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, in the na ...

Makowsky played 17 seasons for the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

Early life

Born in

Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

, Makowsky graduated from high school at

Walter Murray Collegiate Walter Murray Collegiate, also known as WMCI, is a high school serving grades 9 to 12, located in south-eastern Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. This public secondary school was established in 1961 and is supported by the infrastructure of the Nutana Su ...

in 1991.

University of Saskatchewan

During his 4 years at the

University of Saskatchewan A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

, Makowsky helped the U of S Huskies to two Hardy Cup Championships, as well as being named to the

Canada West The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report on the ...

All Star team in 1994. He was selected 23rd overall by the

in the 1995 CFL Draft.

CFL career

Makowsky played 17 seasons in the CFL—all with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He earned the

CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award The Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman Award is annually awarded to the best offensive lineman in the Canadian Football League. The two nominees for the award are the Leo Dandurand Trophy winner from the East Division, and the DeMarco-Becket Memor ...

in 2004 and 2005 and was a finalist for the award in 2008. He was a 5 time CFL All Star and a West Division All Star for seven consecutive years (2004 through 2010). On August 5, 2011, Makowsky made history, playing in his 272nd game, surpassing Roger Aldag for most games played by a Saskatchewan Roughrider. After Saskatchewan defeated the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West division. They play their home games at IG Fiel ...

in the

2007 Grey Cup The 95th Grey Cup was held in Toronto at the Rogers Centre on November 25, 2007. The Grey Cup, first awarded in 1909, is the championship game of the Canadian Football League. It was played between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Winnip ...

game, Makowsky was presented the Grey Cup by Commissioner

Mark Cohon Mark Steven Cohon, (born March 16, 1966) is the chairman of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). He was also the 12th commissioner of the Canadian Football League. The son of McDonald's Canada founder George Cohon, he was a ...

. Makowsky retired from the CFL on February 17, 2012, after playing in 16 playoff games, 4 Grey Cup games, and a Saskatchewan Roughrider record 284 regular season games. In 2015, he was inducted into the

Canadian Football Hall of Fame The Canadian Football Hall of Fame (CFHOF) is a not-for-profit corporation, located in Hamilton, Ontario, that celebrates great achievements in Canadian football. It is maintained by the Canadian Football League (CFL). It includes displays about t ...

Political career

Makowsky was elected as a member of the

in the 2011 provincial election, representing the constituency of

. He was re-elected in the 2016 provincial election in the newly created electoral district of

. Makowsky is a member of the Saskatchewan Party.

Popular culture

Makowsky, along with his then teammate Matt Dominguez, made a cameo appearance in the

Corner Gas ''Corner Gas'' is a Canadian television sitcom created by Brent Butt. The series ran for six seasons from 2004 to 2009. Re-runs still air on CTV, CTV2, CTV Comedy Channel, Much, MTV, E! and are streaming on Crave and Amazon Prime. The seri ...

episode " Reader Pride".

Cabinet positions

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Makowsky, Gene 1973 births Living people 21st-century Canadian politicians Canadian Football Hall of Fame inductees Canadian football offensive linemen Canadian sportsperson-politicians Members of the Executive Council of Saskatchewan Players of Canadian football from Saskatchewan Politicians from Regina, Saskatchewan Politicians from Saskatoon Saskatchewan Huskies football players Saskatchewan Party MLAs Saskatchewan Roughriders players Sportspeople from Regina, Saskatchewan Sportspeople from Saskatoon