Former CFL defensive back turned Mountie recruits athletic trainer to RCMP
By Rheanna Philipp
Careers
Pictured in memorable highlights of their RCMP careers: Staff Sergeant Ken Walcott carries the CFL Grey Cup Cup along with Chief Superintendent Lesley Ahara, while Constable Kent Wagner poses beside his Police Service Dog.
Image by Jason Ransom (left), RCMP (right)
November 7, 2024
Content
Before becoming RCMP officers, Staff Sergeant Ken Walcott and Constable Kent Wagner both worked for the Canadian Football League (CFL). While Walcott spent part of the 1990s as a defensive back for the Ottawa and Toronto teams, Wagner was the assistant athletic trainer for the Edmonton team, then known as the Eskimos.
Gazette writer Rheanna Philipp sat down with the two Mounties to discuss their football connection, how Walcott inspired Wagner to don the Red Serge, and their work with the RCMP.
Listen to our feature audio story now, below.
Transcript - Audio story: Walcott & Wagner
Ken Walcott: Being a police officer was something I'd always wanted to do. That was my lifelong dream, being able to serve my community. It just so happened, I got detoured from that dream to pursue another dream in the in the CFL.
Narrator: Staff Sergeant Ken Walcott, otherwise known as Kenny, loved playing football in high school but he never thought of it as a career option until he met former CFL player Larry Uteck. Uteck was the football coach for St Mary's University in Halifax when Walcott attended. Uteck took him under his wing and showed Walcott how to be a great defensive back.
Ken Walcott: He told me he said one day, you know, you'll play in the CFL, and so that was, you know was special to have someone like that, you know looking out for you in that way.
Narrator: Walcott was the first defensive back taken in the 1992 draft.
Ken Walcott: I played in Ottawa in 1992 and 93. And then I signed in Toronto in 94 and 95. During my 4th year I'd suffered some injuries with my foot that I knew I wasn't going to be able to play much longer.
Narrator: As his CFL career reached its final chapter, a new book was already being written. Walcott decided to apply to the RCMP while he was in his last year of the CFL and within one month of retiring, he was headed to Depot.
Ken Walcott: It was cold when I was there. It was freezing.
Narrator: It was the turn of the season, and the air was frigid in Saskatchewan. The frost that coated the grass like a thin blanket crunched underneath the boots of the Cadets. It was November 1995 when Walcott arrived at Depot. Nervous, uncertain, and well - cold, Walcott relied on his troopmates to help him get through the next months.
Ken Walcott: I've made some lifelong friendships at Depot and because you're all there for the same purpose. You're all there trying to succeed. You're trying to help each other get through it. So, there is a bond that's formed that never goes away.
Narrator: After graduating and becoming an RCMP officer, Walcott was one of few Black officers assigned to Kamloops, British Columbia.
Ken Walcott: When I arrived in Kamloops, I didn't see a lot of people that look like me, but to be there for as long as I have and to be accepted into that community the way that they, accepted me into it. I'll be forever grateful.
Kent Wagner: So, Kenny was - Kenny was pretty much a legend in Kamloops for a couple of reasons. He is one of the most and he still is one of the most personable gentlemen I've ever met in my life always smiling, always happy. And we connected on a football front on a hockey front, just on a on a good conversation base.
Narrator: Constable Kent Wagner first met Staff Sergeant Ken Walcott when he himself worked for the CFL. In 1994 Wagner was the assistant athletic trainer for the Edmonton Elks, the team, at the time known as the Eskimos. He worked with the team from 94 to 96, assisting in sports therapy and training regiments. Wagner decided to part ways with Edmonton and with football to move to Kamloops in 1997. There he was hired as the lead athletic trainer for the Kamloops CHL hockey team.
Kent Wagner: One day, I think it was a game day and an ex-CFL football player named Ken Walcott, approached me and he said, you know, you don't probably remember me. I used to be with Toronto and I remember you from, from your days with the Eskimos. And he ended up convincing me to go for a ride along with him, and that transitioned into me applying and then that transitioned to me becoming an RCMP dog handler for the last 23 years.
Ken Walcott: From the first time I met Kent, you could tell from the way he interacted with the players, he's caring, he was respectful. He was courteous. He was kind. He's good people man. He's all of the things you want, not just in a person, but you love to see in a police officer. And when I met him, you could see that immediately. If someone had to go knock on the door because a teenage kid was in trouble or because anyone was in trouble, who would you want showing up? And for me, when I met Kent, it was immediate. That's the guy that you want showing up at your door.
Narrator: The day finally arrived for Wagner to join Walcott on a ride along. The two of them clipped on their helmets, hopped on mountain bikes and set out for patrol. They were riding through the neighborhood when Walcott got a call. There was a physical altercation between a group of teenagers, an assault with a possible weapon.
Kent Wagner: And I was like wow, this is pretty exciting and at that time being on mountain bike we were going code, so pedaling as fast as we could through the city and got to the scene.
Narrator: Walcott quickly deescalated the situation, and the two continued their ride along.
Kent Wagner: I was hooked right then and there.
Narrator: It took Wagner a few years to officially make the decision to join the RCMP, but when he did, he knew exactly where he wanted to go. He had grown up quite close to the RCMP Kennels which stirred an interest in the RCMP's Dog Handling Service.
Kent Wagner: Every time we drove to the farm I would drive by the kennels with my folks and I peek out the window and I'd see handlers working with their dogs in the agility fields along the highway.
Narrator: Seven years later, having completed the extensive training, Wagner and his pawed partner were ready for duty.
Staff Sergeant Ken Walcott and Constable Kent Wagner continue to serve and protect communities across Canada. Despite working in different cities, they speak fondly of each other and do their best to remain in contact. From the football field to the RCMP, Wagner continues to hold Walcott in high regard saying:
Kent Wagner: It's super to actually call him a friend and I owe him a lot for where he got me, just by introducing me to the RCMP.
