Calgary Dinos debut the '13th man,' putting student union president in on kickoff coverage (VIDEO)

For many Canadian university football teams, getting students into the stands is a challenge. So Calgary Dinos have gone one step farther, namely by putting a student right on the field.

South of the border, the Texas A & M Aggies have their 12th tradition whereby walk-on non-scholarship players are selected to play on the kickoff team at home football games. Those Aggies are actually on the regular roster. Since there's one more player on the gridiron in Canada, Dinos coach Blake Nill had to go one better, so his 13th man is actually plucked from the general student population.

That led to U of C student union president Jarett Henry, a self-described "Netflix marathon athlete," running down on the first Dinos kickoff vs. the Alberta Golden Bears during the Sept. 6 home opener at McMahon Stadium. .

Makes you wish CIS could waive its age cap just to let certain close to middle-aged alumni have the same experience of running down the field of their alma mater in front of thousands of screaming fans... without being collared by student security guards. (That's another story.)

"The whole play is a bit of a blur," Henry, of White City, Sask., wrote on the Dinos website. "I like to think that I was pretty calm throughout the day, right up until it came time to run out onto the field. From there the combination of the energy of the crowd, singing the national anthem and watching the coin toss all added up to make me a bit of a nervous wreck. Of course, feeling like someone just infused you with electricity has its benefits as well. While I may not have tracked down the ball carrier, I did run into the first opposing player I saw without a second thought."

I did run into the first opposing player I saw without a second thought. Hey, life does begin outside one's comfort zone. And if the prospect of seeing a classmate or friend actually on the field gets a few more U of C undergrads into the stands as the No. 2-ranked Dinos go for their seventh consecutive Canada West title and that Vanier Cup that has so far eluded them since Nill turned his alma mater into a Cadillac program about a half-decade back, so much the better.

Through Instragram and Twitter (using the hastag #putmeincoachnill), Calgary received more than 30 applications to be the 13th man at its three remaining regular-season home fixtures. From that group, 10 students will be chosen for the three spots.

That's one way to perk up interest in the football team. Go through social media and provide some incentive.

Calgary is currently No. 2 in CIS behind Laval, which it acquitted itself well against during a 35-23 preseason game in Ste-Foy, Que., on Aug. 29. The 13th man's next appearance will be on Sept. 26 vs. Manitoba (6 p.m. MDT, Shaw TV in Western Canada). 

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.