Brandon Calver
| No. 44 Toronto Argonauts | |
 Calver with the Toronto Argonauts in 2024 | |
| Born: | April 17, 1993 London, Ontario, Canada |
|---|---|
| Career information | |
| Status | Active |
| CFL status | National |
| Position(s) | fullback |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) |
| Weight | 220 lb (100 kg) |
| University | Wilfrid Laurier |
| High school | A. B. Lucas Secondary |
| CFL draft | 2017, undrafted |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 2018–2019 | Montreal Alouettes |
| 2019 | Ottawa Redblacks |
| 2019–2020 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers |
| 2021–present | Toronto Argonauts |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Career stats | |
| |
Brandon Calver (born April 17, 1993) is a Canadian professional football fullback for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
University career
[edit]Calver played U Sports football for the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks from 2013 to 2017.[1][2] He played in 36 regular season games where he had 210.5 tackles, 11.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries, and one interception.[2] He won a Yates Cup championship with the Golden Hawks in 2016.[1]
Professional career
[edit]Montreal Alouettes
[edit]While eligible for the 2017 CFL Draft, Calver was not drafted and finished his university eligibility with the Golden Hawks in 2017.[3] On January 22, 2018, it was announced that he had signed with the Montreal Alouettes as an undrafted free agent.[4] Calver made the team's active roster following training camp and played in his first professional game on June 16, 2018, against the BC Lions, where he recorded one special teams tackle.[2] He played in 17 regular season games that year where he had nine special teams tackles and one forced fumble.[2]
In 2019, he played in five of the team's first six games of the season and recorded four special teams tackles.[2] However, after the team signed fellow linebacker, Frédéric Plesius, Calver was released on August 5, 2019.[5][6]
Ottawa Redblacks
[edit]_(cropped).jpg)
On August 20, 2019, Calver signed with the Ottawa Redblacks to a practice roster agreement.[7] He played in one game for the Redblacks, on August 24, 2019, against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, but was then released on August 31, 2019.[6]
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
[edit]Soon after his release from Ottawa, Calver signed a practice roster agreement with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on September 6, 2019.[6][8] He played in the team's last five regular season games, but did not record a statistic.[2] He did, however, record one special teams tackle in his playoff debut in the team's West Semi-Final win over the Calgary Stampeders.[2] He was on the injured list for the West Final and Grey Cup games, but was still a member of the 107th Grey Cup championship team.[9][10]
Calver remained under contract with the Blue Bombers in 2020, but did not play that year due to the cancellation of the 2020 CFL season. He became a free agent upon the expiration of his contract on February 9, 2021.[11]
Toronto Argonauts
[edit]Calver remained unsigned to start the 2021 CFL season, but was signed in week 2 by the Toronto Argonauts on August 10, 2021.[12] He played in six regular season games in 2021, but did not record any statistics.[13]
In 2022, Calver played in 17 regular season games where he had six special teams tackles.[13] Midway through the year, he changed positions from linebacker to fullback.[14] He also played in both post-season games that year, including the 109th Grey Cup game where he won his second championship after the Argonauts defeated his former team, the Blue Bombers.[13] He signed a contract extension on December 28, 2022.[14]
Calver recorded a career-high 10 special teams tackles in 2023 while playing in 16 regular season games.[13] He played in the East Final, but the 16–2 Argonauts were upset by the Montreal Alouettes.[13]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Brandon Calver". Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Brandon Calver". Toronto Argonauts. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
- ^ "2017 CFL Draft Guide" (PDF). Canadian Football League. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
- ^ "Alouettes add four players to the roster". Montreal Alouettes. January 22, 2018.
- ^ "Alouettes sign Canadian LB Frederic Plesius". 3DownNation. August 5, 2019.
- ^ a b c "Transactions – Football player trades and signings". Canadian Football League. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
- ^ "Transactions: August 20, 2019". Ottawa Redblacks. August 20, 2019.
- ^ "'I shed a few tears': Rasheed Bailey to get first career start for Winnipeg Blue Bombers". Global News. September 6, 2019.
- ^ "107th Grey Cup". Canadian Football League. November 24, 2019. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
- ^ "Grey Cup Depth Chart" (PDF). Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
- ^ "Transactions – Football player trades and signings". Canadian Football League. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
- ^ "Argos add American RB Trey Williams and Canadian LB Brandon Calver". Toronto Argonauts. August 10, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e "2024 CFL Guide" (PDF). Canadian Football League. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
- ^ a b "Argos LB/FB Brandon Calver Signs Extension". Toronto Argonauts. December 28, 2022.
External links
[edit]- Toronto Argonauts bio
Media related to Brandon Calver at Wikimedia Commons
