Brandon Calver
{{short description|Canadian gridiron football player (born 1993)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2024}}
{{Infobox CFL biography
|name=Brandon Calver
|image=2024, 44, Brandon Calver.jpg
|image_upright=1
|caption=Calver with the Toronto Argonauts in 2024
|team=
|number=
|position1=fullback
|birth_date={{birth date and age|1993|4|17}}
|birth_place=London, Ontario, Canada
|Height_ft=6
|Height_in=3
|Weight_lbs=220
|CIS=Wilfrid Laurier
|high_school=A. B. Lucas Secondary
|CFLDraftedYear=2017
|CFLDraftedRound=Undrafted
|playing_years1={{CFL Year|2018|2019}}
|playing_team1=Montreal Alouettes
|playing_years2={{CFL Year|2019}}
|playing_team2=Ottawa Redblacks
|playing_years3={{CFL Year|2019|2020}}
|playing_team3=Winnipeg Blue Bombers
|playing_years4={{CFL Year|2021|2024}}
|playing_team4=Toronto Argonauts
|status=Active
|import=no
|career_highlights=
|CFL=brandon-calver/163696/
}}
Brandon Calver (born April 17, 1993) is a Canadian professional football fullback who is a free agent. He most recently played for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is a three-time Grey Cup champion after winning with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2019 and with the Argonauts in 2022 and 2024.
University career
Calver played U Sports football for the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks from 2013 to 2017.{{cite web|url=https://www.laurierathletics.com/peopleprofile.php?PeopleID=8866&PCID=21457 |title=Brandon Calver |publisher=Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks |access-date=November 13, 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://www.argonauts.ca/players/brandon-calver/163696/ |title=Brandon Calver |publisher=Toronto Argonauts |access-date=November 13, 2021}} 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. He won a Yates Cup championship with the Golden Hawks in 2016.
Professional career
=Montreal Alouettes=
While eligible for the 2017 CFL Draft, Calver was not drafted and finished his university eligibility with the Golden Hawks in 2017.{{cite web|url=https://cdn.uc.assets.prezly.com/c5eec9e1-eab8-4dab-8b27-06ec0f0f8365/-/inline/no/2017-cfl-draft-guide-v9.pdf |title=2017 CFL Draft Guide |publisher=Canadian Football League |access-date=November 13, 2021}} On January 22, 2018, it was announced that he had signed with the Montreal Alouettes as an undrafted free agent.{{cite web|url=https://en.montrealalouettes.com/2018/01/22/alouettes-add-four-players-roster/ |title=Alouettes add four players to the roster |publisher=Montreal Alouettes |date=January 22, 2018}} 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. He played in 17 regular season games that year where he had nine special teams tackles and one forced fumble.
In 2019, he played in five of the team's first six games of the season and recorded four special teams tackles. However, after the team signed fellow linebacker, Frédéric Plesius, Calver was released on August 5, 2019.{{cite web|url=https://3downnation.com/2019/08/05/alouettes-sign-canadian-lb-frederic-plesius/ |title=Alouettes sign Canadian LB Frederic Plesius |publisher=3DownNation |date=August 5, 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cfl.ca/transactions/2019/ |title=Transactions – Football player trades and signings |publisher=Canadian Football League |access-date=November 13, 2021}}
=Ottawa Redblacks=
On August 20, 2019, Calver signed with the Ottawa Redblacks to a practice roster agreement.{{cite web|url=https://www.ottawaredblacks.com/2019/08/20/transactions-august-20-2019/ |title=Transactions: August 20, 2019 |publisher=Ottawa Redblacks |date=August 20, 2019}} He played in one game for the Redblacks, on August 24, 2019, against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, but was then released on August 31, 2019.
=Winnipeg Blue Bombers=
Soon after his release from Ottawa, Calver signed a practice roster agreement with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on September 6, 2019.{{cite web|url=https://globalnews.ca/news/5867917/first-career-start-winnipeg-blue-bombers/ |title=‘I shed a few tears’: Rasheed Bailey to get first career start for Winnipeg Blue Bombers |publisher=Global News |date=September 6, 2019}} He played in the team's last five regular season games, but did not record a statistic. He did, however, record one special teams tackle in his playoff debut in the team's West Semi-Final win over the Calgary Stampeders. 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.cfl.ca/games/2646/hamilton-tiger-cats-vs-winnipeg-blue-bombers/ |title=107th Grey Cup |publisher=Canadian Football League |date=November 24, 2019 |access-date=November 13, 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://d3ham790trbkqy.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2019/06/GREY-CUP-rosters.pdf |title=Grey Cup Depth Chart |publisher=Winnipeg Blue Bombers |access-date=November 13, 2021}}
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.{{cite web|url=https://www.cfl.ca/transactions/2021/ |title=Transactions – Football player trades and signings |publisher=Canadian Football League |access-date=November 13, 2021}}
=Toronto Argonauts=
Calver remained unsigned to start the 2021 CFL season, but was signed in week 2 by the Toronto Argonauts on August 10, 2021.{{cite web|url=https://www.argonauts.ca/2021/08/10/argos-add-american-rb-trey-williams-canadian-lb-brandon-calver/ |title=Argos add American RB Trey Williams and Canadian LB Brandon Calver |publisher=Toronto Argonauts |date=August 10, 2021}} He played in six regular season games in 2021, but did not record any statistics.{{cite web|url=https://static.cfl.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2024-CFL-Guide-Book.pdf |title=2024 CFL Guide |publisher=Canadian Football League |access-date=August 12, 2024}}
In 2022, Calver played in 17 regular season games where he had six special teams tackles. Midway through the year, he changed positions from linebacker to fullback.{{cite web|url=https://www.argonauts.ca/2022/12/28/argos-lb-fb-brandon-calver-signs-extension/ |title=Argos LB/FB Brandon Calver Signs Extension |publisher=Toronto Argonauts |date=December 28, 2022}} 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. He signed a contract extension on December 28, 2022.
Calver recorded a career-high 10 special teams tackles in 2023 while playing in 16 regular season games. He played in the East Final, but the 16–2 Argonauts were upset by the Montreal Alouettes. In the 2024 season, Calver spent the first two games on the practice roster, but dressed for the following nine, before being placed on the injured list.{{cite web|url=https://static.cfl.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024-GN-Gm-95-Wpg-vs-Tor-GC111-1.pdf |title=111th Grey Cup notes |publisher=Canadian Football League |access-date=November 25, 2024}} He recorded four special teams tackles during the regular season and was on the six-game injured list when the Argonauts defeated the Blue Bombers in the 111th Grey Cup championship.{{Cite news |url=https://www.cfl.ca/2024/11/13/cfl-injury-reports-111th-grey-cup/ |title=CFL Injury Reports, 111th Grey Cup: Final reports in |publisher=Canadian Football League |date=November 13, 2024}} As an impending free agent, Calver was granted an early release on February 10, 2025.{{Cite news |url=https://www.cfl.ca/transactions/2025/ |title=Transactions – Football Player Trades and Signings |publisher=Canadian Football League |access-date=February 10, 2025}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.cfl.ca/fa25/#ARGOS |title=Official 2025 Free Agent Tracker |publisher=Canadian Football League |access-date=February 10, 2025}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://www.argonauts.ca/players/brandon-calver/163696/ Toronto Argonauts bio]
- {{commonscatinline}}
{{107th Grey Cup}}
{{109th Grey Cup}}
{{111th Grey Cup}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Calver, Brandon}}
Category:Canadian football linebackers
Category:Montreal Alouettes players
Category:Ottawa Redblacks players
Category:Players of Canadian football from Ontario
Category:Canadian football people from London, Ontario
Category:Toronto Argonauts players