Roman Grozman is likely the first Israeli-born player in the Canadian Football League (CFL). The 6-foot-4, 319-pound offensive lineman signed a three-year contract with the Calgary Stampeders in May, after four outstanding seasons with the Concordia Stingers.

The 23-year-old, born in Tel Aviv, might very well be playing basketball – his first favourite sport – in Israel today had it not been for tragedy.

A suicide bombing in the heart of Netanya in March 2001, which killed three people and injured 60 convinced Grozman’s Russian-born parents that it was not a safe place to raise a family.

It was the latest attack on the coastal city and, sadly, not its last.

At the end of that year, the Grozmans, including 10-year-old Roman and his younger sister, settled in Toronto.

“I remember [growing up] at a very cautious time; our parents were always warning us to watch out,” recalled Grozman in a telephone interview after a practice in Calgary.

The family slept in a concrete-reinforced bedroom.  After the 2001 bombing, “We didn’t go out, we always stayed in. Then they started giving out gas masks…

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“That’s when my mom started to apply to leave. She didn’t want us growing up in a war.”

Netanya would be the target of more murderous attacks, including the Passover massacre carried out by Hamas at the Park Hotel the following year that killed 30 and wounded over 140.

Grozman has been back to Israel occasionally. He still has many relatives there, including grandparents, aunts and uncles, and cousins.

He began playing football in Grade 9, almost on a whim.

“I had never played the game, and never even watched it or knew the rules, but a friend said come try out,” said Grozman.

“I had nothing to do that day, so I said all right, I’ll see what it’s about.”

Soccer and especially basketball had been his main sports until then.

But once he tried running the gridiron, he was hooked. He liked the physicality of the game.

By then he was growing rapidly into his current size and non-contact sports really weren’t using that to the best advantage. “I was getting a lot of fouls in basketball. They said I was too aggressive,” he said

Grozman played in a high school varsity league, initially on defence, but later moving to offence, making a name for himself with the Newmarket Storm.

After Grade 12, he went to a prep school in upstate New York, Milford Academy, which is famous for its athletics, especially the Falcons football team. He was picked for the World Team at the under-20 championship in 2011 held in Austin, Texas.

Grozman admits his grades were not that good and he was unable to accept scholarships offered by U.S. colleges. But Concordia University did enrol him, and he played for the Stingers from 2012 to this year, attracting the attention of CFL scouts who were struck by his powerful, aggressive play and ability to finish every block.

He earned a spot on the 13th annual CIS East-West Bowl last year, and was invited to the CFL Combine where prospective draftees are evaluated.

He was drafted by the Stampeders in the fourth round, 33rd overall, and wears No. 68.

The team liked his toughness and work ethic – and his smarts on the field.

The Stampeders are top contenders, having won seven Grey Cups, most recently in 2014. Last year, they finished second in the Western division.

Grozman said he has the full support of his parents in going pro. His father Vladimir was a professional handball player, playing in Europe.

He was studying economics at Concordia, and hopes to finish his degree in the off-season as soon as he can.

Grozman’s first regular season game with the Stampeders was slated to be the opener on June 25 against the B.C. Lions in Vancouver.

Playing in the big leagues is different from college, he admits. “It’s definitely a big jump. The players are bigger and stronger; the game is faster. You can tell right away this is real football.”

Head coach Dave Dickenson commented to the Calgary Herald during training camp: “He’s better, I think, than we imagined.”

The team’s sole matchup with the Alouettes is not until Oct. 30 in Montreal.

Grozman is looking forward to being back in the place where his career took off.