At the ripe age of 30, Langley resident Neil McKinlay had settled into life after professional football.

A full-time firefighter with North Vancouver, McKinlay is a married dad of two girls, five-year-old Paige and three-year-old Ryan.

But a few months ago, the Langley resident was given an opportunity he couldn't pass up.

He signed with the BC Lions as a special teams player and backup linebacker, and was placed on the team's practice roster before suiting up for games for the first time in a little more than two years.

"In 2009, when I retired, I had no plans on playing again," said McKinlay, who on Jan 11 brought the Grey Cup to Fort Langley Elementary, where his mom Janet teaches Grade 4. "I was all right with the way everything finished out. I didn't have a problem with being done."

However, the former Winnipeg Blue Bomber and SFU Clansmen had a football itch that still needed to be scratched. McKinlay put some feelers out to CFL teams back in September, 2010, because he wanted to play again.

"Work was fortunate enough to let me take advantage of the opportunity," McKinlay said.

He actually moonlighted as a Lion. McKinlay played the role of firefighter/football player through the final six weeks of the CFL season.

"It's a great job - I love it. It's my number one priority," McKinlay said, about his day job. "Football is a nice option now, whereas firefighting pays the bills and it allows me to have the family life I wanted."

It turned out to be a great move - McKinlay and the Lions won the Grey Cup on Nov. 27, beating the Blue Bombers 34-23 in front of 54,313 fans inside the newly renovated BC Place.

"It was nice to play in front of everybody at home," McKinlay said. "It was just one of those dream situations that kind of happened for me."

Ironically, McKinlay played for the Blue Bombers from 2004 to 2009 after being selected by the club with the 33rd overall pick in the 2004 CFL Draft.

But his greatest football achievement was as a Lion.

"You grow up watching the team locally and it's every kid's dream to play for the team you grew up watching," said McKinlay, taking a break from wrapping Christmas presents as part of a recent celebrity fundraiser at Willowbrook Shopping Centre. "It was a nice thing, for sure, to happen."

McKinlay said he played a "decent amount," all on special teams, during the Lions' 40-23 win over Edmonton in the Western Final and victory over Winnipeg in the Grey Cup game.

When they signed the 6' tall, 220 pound linebacker, Lions were in need of some Canadian talent.

"They had guys, Canadian talent, who were dinged up and that kind of opened the door for me," McKinlay said.

"It helps having a Canadian passport in my situation that late in the year, for sure."

McKinlay was a good fit. He isn't sure what the future holds, football-wise for him, when the Lions defend their Grey Cup title next season.

"Once those [Canadian] guys are healthy, and they stay healthy, I wouldn't be part of that team because those guys are younger, faster, stronger than me," McKinlay said.

He admitted returning to the CFL wars was a little bit tougher than he thought it would be.

"Being away for two years it wasn't too bad, but it was a lot faster than I remembered and it took a little bit to get situated again," McKinlay said.

Looking back at his time with the Blue Bombers, McKinlay considers Winnipeg as a second home.

"I stayed there for six years and it was home for me," he said. "I grew to love it. It's very different from here, a smaller town kind of feel, less hustle-and-bustle, but whether I'm here or there, home is B.C. and it will always be B.C. because I grew up here."

Football has always been a big part of McKinlay's life, ever since he started playing with Langley Minor Football at the age of nine.

He moved through the LMF age divisions and enjoyed huge success as a member of the Langley Stampeders, helping the Stamps to a pair of B.C. titles in the late '90s. When his minor football days were done, McKinlay played five years of college football for the Simon Fraser University Clansmen.

In his final season McKinlay was a CIS First-Team AllCanadian and a Canada West First-Team All-Star. He won the President's Trophy as the nation's Most Outstanding Defensive Player. In 2002, McKinlay set the CIS record for defensive tackles in a season with 77.

McKinlay never forgot where he came from. He credits Langley Minor Football for molding him.

"After we won the Grey Cup, a lot of those guys who I played with growing up and I haven't seen for 10, 12, 14 years - congratulations all over the map," McKinlay said. "It was a great experience for me. I wouldn't been able to be in this situations without those guys. I owe a lot to Langley Minor Football."

sports@langleyadvance.com