‘Doing great’: Huskies quarterback Anton Amundrud looking forward to return after cancer treatment

“How are you doing?”

That’s the question University of Saskatchewan Huskies quarterback Anton Amundrud has been asked the most over the past six months after he was diagnosed with T-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

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Amundrud was all smiles on Thursday at the Huskies’ annual Dogs’ Breakfast fundraiser, as he walked the floor at Prairieland Park next to his teammates.

“I’m doing great,” Amundrud said. “I’ve been working out for the last month and a bit here. Things are starting to get back to normalcy, honestly, but it’s been going great so far.”

After receiving his latest batch of scans and a bone marrow biopsy this spring, Amundrud was given the news that his cancer is in remission. “Remission” is a word which is still surreal to hear for the 23-year-old quarterback.

“It means everything,” Amundrud said.

“It was a long six months of going through chemo. Just seeing what it did, it’s a long six months, but I couldn’t be more happy to be in remission. I had the best support. I had the best doctors.”

Amundrud stepped away from the Huskies in October, the middle of the 2025 season, with the team announcing his diagnosis prior to their Mitchell Bowl contest against the Queen’s Gaels on Nov. 15. The Huskies won that game in a gutsy, 22-11 victory, which they dedicated to their quarterback while he watched from a hospital bed.

Huskies head coach Scott Flory said he found on Amundrud’s cancer was in remission earlier this month.

“When I got to text, call and talk to him it was like ‘Holy moly,’” Flory said.

“Man, the roller coaster the last six months has been unbelievable to see. To get the diagnosis, to be so strong through it, to get ravaged through chemotherapy, to come back and look at him be more like himself.”

Fellow fourth-year defensive lineman Charlie Parks was among the first Huskies to greet Amundrud last fall after his release from hospital. In the months since then, he’s watched his quarterback gaining strength after six rounds of chemotherapy.

“It was just massive, huge seeing him get out of the hospital,” Parks said. “Being in the gym with us, being around the team is just huge.”

Those hospital visits, check-ins and hours spent alongside his Huskies teammates have galvanized Amundrud’s bond with the student-athletes he’s grown up competing with at Griffiths Stadium.

University of Saskatchewan Huskies quarterback Anton Amundrud (left) handing the ball off to running back Ryker Frank in a 22-20 victory over the Regina Rams on Sept. 19, 2025. (Huskie Athletics/Electric Umbrella)

“The Dogs are a family,” Amundrud said.

“It’s a bunch of brothers, a bunch of best friends on this team that have been with me through it all. They visited me in hospital, even after bringing me food and doing all these things for me. It’s a family.”

With Amundrud sidelined, the Huskies turned to backup quarterback Jake Farrell over the back half of the past season. He guided the team to a berth in the 2025 Vanier Cup.

Offensive lineman and team captain Jack Warrack said it was a special run for the group, but it was difficult not having one of their heart-and-soul leaders in the locker room.

“It was pretty hard not having him there at the end of the season and in the playoffs,” Warrack said.

“I think everyone is just happy that he’s healthy and he’s going to get to continue to do the things he loves.”

With a clean bill of health, Amundrud is working towards leading the Huskies onto the field for his fifth and final season in 2026. It’s a goal he’s kept at the front of his mind during his treatment.

“Ever since I first got diagnosed, I’ve been thinking about getting back on that field,” Amundrud said.

“I love football. I love being with the guys. It’s what I’ve loved since I was three years old. I can remember throwing a ball around with my father.”

Prior to his diagnosis, Amundrud had strung together the best season of his U Sports career, with 1,604 passing yards and 14 touchdowns in just five games, throwing no interceptions.

If he’s healthy enough to take the field, Flory said Amundrud will get the chance to turn in what he believes could be an MVP-caliber season.

“He was far and away the best quarterback in the country before he got diagnosed,” Flory said.

“He probably would have won the Hec Crighton (Trophy) as the national player of the year. We want to be able to give him the opportunity to be able to compete and showcase that this year.”

Since last fall, Amundrud said he’s imagined the feeling of running onto the field at Griffiths Stadium and throwing his first pass of the 2026 season. He said that feeling has motivated him through the toughest period of his life, and it’s what he’s building towards this fall.

“I can not wait for that homecoming game, to take the first snap back at Griffiths,” Amundrud said. “It’s going to be a special moment.”

The time away from the sport has also given Amundrud some added perspective about how he’s pushed his own limits, and gratitude for how far he’s come.

“I had to grow up quick, for sure,” Amundrud said. “Taking care of myself and understanding that you got to make some lifestyle changes, and understand that life’s pretty precious, honestly. Things can happen to people randomly, and I think it matured me up a lot.”

Flory said having the team’s starting quarterback around the facilities again has been emotional, and said he’s sure it’ll be another emotional moment when he’s able to make his return to the turf.

“He empowered our team last year, and he wasn’t in the building,” Flory said. “Imagine, when he’s back in the building, what he can do. That’s the kind of stuff that transcends team, and that’s what team is.”

Amundrud’s story was highlighted across Canada during the Huskies’ run to the Vanier Cup last year, including a GoFundMe page which raised over $68,000 for his family to help cover expenses and travel associated with his care.

The Lloydminster player said he’s received notes of support from across the football world, which haven’t gone unnoticed.

“I can’t even say enough thank-yous to all the people that supported and donated,” Amundrud said.

“I didn’t think it would be this big of a thing. To see the support across the country was so heartwarming.”

Amundrud thanked the Huskies football family for how they wrapped their arms around him during his time of need.

“This community is next to none,” Amundrud said.

“It’s the best in the country, and I would never want to play anywhere else but here. This is a great city, a great team, and I’m super excited for the season. We’re going to go get it this year.”

The Huskies kick off their spring camp this weekend, with the annual Green and White scrimmage planned for 11 a.m. on Sunday at Griffiths Stadium.