LAST SPRING, after Jeff Johnson hung up the phone, he knew he'd have to give up his well-paying summer job at Hydro. But the York kinesiology student wasn't too worried, after all, he was going to be making $250 a day with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for the next six weeks.

Johnson, who's something of a multi-sport wunderkind (he regularly plays hockey and is no slouch at soccer either) never really dreamed he'd get drafted by the Hamilton club. "It's really a case of don't call us, we'll call you. I was invited to try out but never heard a peep from them until the day before training camp started! So I'd all but given up. Then I got the call."

During try-outs, Johnson did exceedingly well, finishing in the top three in every performance category. "When you first go in it's kind of like a fitness test. They measure how high you can jump, how far you can jump, how much you can bench press. It's about speed and strength."

Johnson was expecting to come back to York this fall but had to delay his plans for the football season. He'll complete his degree part-time, he says.

So what was the move like from amateur to professional sports? "My first game, when I saw the huge crowd of fans, it was overwhelming," says Johnson. "It actually brought tears to my eyes." But pro ball in Canada isn't like it's US counterpart. Salaries are far lower. "Everyone has an off-season job. We even have a couple of stockbrokers and a lawyer on the team," he says.

"I've been invited to play again this season, but I'll also be back at York. I was on the Honour Roll last year so I know I can perform on and off the field. I've got no illusions about the professional sport life. It's great, but you're always only as good as your last game. The pressure is unbelievable. So I'm planning for the future -- I'm thinking about a degree in sports medicine or physiotherapy."