Detroit Lions offensive lineman Giovanni Manu (59) before an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins on Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025 in Detroit. (Photo by Jeff Nguyen property of Detroit Lions via AP 2025. All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Football

Veteran mentorship helps ex-‘Birds O-lineman Giovanni Manu tackle the challenges of climbing the depth chart with Detroit! New NFL season opens Sunday as Manu and the Lions face Green Bay!

By Howard Tsumura(VarsityLetters.com)VANCOUVER — Giovanni Manu came to the Detroit Lions draped in a blank canvas. Now, two NFL training camps later, the 6-foot-7, 350-pound former UBC Thunderbirds standout from Pitt Meadows has put himself in the big picture.“Short story is, if they told me I had to play left tackle against the Green Bay Packers […]

UBC Thunderbirds' Blake Griffin has become a mainstay along the offensive line at left guard. (Photo by Rich Lam property of UBC Athletics 2023 All Rights Reserved)
Feature University Football

UBC Football ’24: An offensive line’s journey through NFL joy, the loss of a mentor and the rebirth of youth! On eve of opener, a look inside the Thunderbird trenches reveals the meaning of the game!

VANCOUVER — Football is a game of constant renewal, reinvention and rebirth, and perhaps nowhere is that more palpable than along its offensive line where its tackles, its guards and its centre can be looked upon as a union not unlike a musical quintet.Within its ‘lean-on-me’ kind of environment, offensive lines not only learn to […]