TDs overseas: Sawyer Buettner playing football in France

Like a number of university graduates, Sawyer Buettner wasn’t sure where his next steps would take him.

All he knew was he wanted to find a way to continue playing football.

“I couldn’t really get a job with that history degree, so I was doing some horizontal drilling work,” the 25-year-old Moose Jaw product said.

“This exact time last year, I was in Fort McMurray. I was making good money, but I felt like I wanted to keep playing the game and I knew some guys that went and played in Germany and Sweden.

“It really wasn’t a question of why, it was more of a question of why wouldn’t I do it? I was working in the woods of Fort McMurray making good money but at the same time, it wasn’t what I wanted to do. I always wanted to go see the world and I feel like everyone after they finish college always says that but they never go do it.”

Buettner had bounced around a bit in his quarterbacking career throughout college and junior. He started out with the Regina Thunder and played three seasons in the Prairie Football Conference.

He then made the move to U Sports and spent two seasons with the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees and then a pair of seasons with the University of Regina Rams.

Buettner had done some research and found out the different options available for him.

“I was shocked by how many teams and leagues there were out here in Europe,” Buettner said.

He eventually got in contact with the Cannes Iron Mask of the French Federation of American Football and wound up on a plane to take him overseas.

“It was kind of a crazy story. Right now I am in the French Riviera on the southern coast of France in Cannes. I can see the Mediterranean Sea from my balcony and I live about five minutes away from the beach,” Buettner said. “So I’m living the dream.

“Italy is an hour drive away and Spain is close by as well. Getting to play football in France is just a great experience and something I would never thought I would do.”

First TD pass in France, the entire experience has been wild so far. Only been here three weeks and feel like I could already write a whole novel on the experience. I’m 90% sure I was getting chirped in French on the field which was incredible. pic.twitter.com/gb7qLqtR2s

— Sawyer Buettner (@SawyerBuett) January 26, 2023

“It speaks to the type of guy Sawyer is,” said Stefan Endsin, Buettner’s offensive co-ordinator for three seasons with the Thunder. “Football has always meant a lot to him and for him to get over to France, it’s involved a lot of work for him.

“It’s a dream and he doesn’t want to see it end too quickly. As we get older, especially in the football community, you kind of wish you could have one more season or one more of this or one more of that. Sawyer is living that dream, which is really cool.”

It has also been a learning experience for Buettner.

“(It has been) everything from the size of the cars to the different outlets. I’ve never been to Europe before so it has been pretty crazy, but it has been pretty amazing,” Buettner said.

“The people have been great and I’ve had to speak a lot more French than I’m used to. I do speak a little bit of French but not nearly good enough, so I have some work to do in that area.

“Everything is super-different. One of the most proud moments I’ve had was I went to a McDonald’s drive-thru and I ordered completely in French, so I was feeling pretty good about that.”

He also found out the trash talk can be a little bit different out on the field.

“Out here, one of the linebackers was looking at me and saying some stuff and it was really quickly in French. My French is decent enough but not that great. When we got to the second quarter, I knew he was talking some not great things to me,” Buettner said.

“Just before halftime, he said something in English to me – I can’t repeat it – but I got the gist that he was talking trash the whole time. I’m not sure if I should improve my French so I know what they are saying to me or keep it ‘Ignorance is bliss’ and just try to guess what they say next time.”

Buettner is to return to the Iron Mask’s lineup this week after missing two games with a hip injury.

While he does miss things about home, especially his family, he said he’s just taking things one day at a time,

“I have no clue what I’m going to do when I get back or if I want to continue playing or if I want to come back here and play somewhere new,” he said. “I will tackle that when I get there.”