Chris Merchant
{{Short description|Canadian gridiron football player (born 1995)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox Canadian Football League biography
| name = Chris Merchant
| team = Fehérvár Enthroners
| image =
| caption =
| status = Active
| import =
| position1 = Quarterback
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1995|10|10}}
| birth_place = Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| number =
| CIS = Western
| college = Buffalo Bulls
| high_school = St. Andrew's College
| Height_ft = 6
| Height_in = 2
| Weight_lbs = 210
| CFLDraftedYear = 2019
| CFLDraftedRound = Undrafted
| playing_years1 = {{CFL Year|2019}}*
| playing_team1 = Montreal Alouettes
| playing_years2 = 2020*
| playing_team2 = Vasa Royals
| playing_years3 = 2021
| playing_team3 = Las Rozas Black Demons
| playing_years4 = 2022–present
| playing_team4 = Fehérvár Enthroners
| career_footnotes =
| career_highlights = * Hungarian Bowl champion (XVI)
- Hungarian Bowl MVP (XVI)
- Hec Crighton Trophy (2019)
- First Team All-Canadian (2019)
- Vanier Cup champion (2017)
- Vanier Cup MVP (2017)
| CFL = chris-merchant/164936/
}}
Chris Merchant (born October 10, 1995) is a gridiron football quarterback for the Fehérvár Enthroners of the Hungarian American Football League (HAFL). He is a Vanier Cup champion after leading the Western Mustangs to a win in 2017 and a Hec Crighton Trophy winner after he earned the award in the final year of his university playing eligibility in 2019.
University career
=Buffalo Bulls=
Merchant joined the Buffalo Bulls on a full-ride scholarship in 2014 where he had a redshirt season in his first year.{{cite web|url=https://3downnation.com/2019/04/22/chris-merchant-can-ball-as-a-quarterback-in-the-cfl/ |title=Chris Merchant can ball as a quarterback in the CFL |publisher=3DownNation |date=April 22, 2019}} He had been recruited to the University of Buffalo by Jeff Quinn, but Quinn was fired midway through 2014. He played in one game in 2015 and competed for the starter role in the 2016 spring scrimmage game.{{cite web|url=https://buffalonews.com/sports/college/merchant-nudges-into-ub-qb-picture-at-blue-white-scrimmage/article_112e40cf-c577-5502-9c59-bede7cb1c6e2.html |title=Merchant nudges into UB QB picture at Blue & White Scrimmage |publisher=The Buffalo News |date=April 24, 2016}} However, new head coach Lance Leipold and his coaching staff had recruited Tyree Jackson in 2015 and indicated that Jackson would be the starter for the 2016 season. Consequently, Merchant announced in May 2016 that he would be transferring to U Sports to attend the University of Western Ontario.{{cite web|url=https://buffalonews.com/news/local/education/ubs-starting-qb-race-down-from-3-to-2-as-chris-merchant-confirms-he-will/article_6c535a56-9eaa-5633-b58d-ed081683a1cb.html |title=UB's starting QB race down from 3 to 2 as Chris Merchant confirms he will transfer |publisher=The Buffalo News |date=May 9, 2016}}
=Western Mustangs=
Merchant became the starting quarterback for the Western Mustangs and played in all eight regular season games in 2016. That year, he completed 107 passes out of 161 attempts for 1,720 yards with 14 passing touchdowns and five interceptions.{{cite web|url=https://westernmustangs.ca/sports/football/roster/chris--merchant/27606 |title=Chris Merchant |publisher=Western Mustangs |access-date=January 17, 2021}} He led the team to a first-place finish in the OUA and narrowly lost the Yates Cup to the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks by a score of 43–40.{{cite web |url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/usports/golden-hawks-rally-stunning-yates-cup-win-mustangs/ |title=Golden Hawks rally for stunning Yates Cup win over Mustangs |publisher=Sportsnet |date=November 12, 2016}}
In 2017, Merchant again played in eight regular season games where he had 127 completions from 207 pass attempts for 1,995 yards, 12 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. In the playoffs, the Mustangs avenged their previous year's loss by defeating the Golden Hawks and winning the Yates Cup. After winning the Uteck Bowl over the Acadia Axemen, Merchant qualified for his first Vanier Cup championship game. In the 53rd Vanier Cup, he threw for 276 yards and two touchdowns, completing 13 of 20 pass attempts in the victory over the Laval Rouge et Or.{{cite web|url=https://usports.ca/en/championships/vanier-cup/m/news/2017/11/637973358/vanier-cup |title=Vanier Cup: Western Mustangs gallop to championship victory |publisher=U Sports |date=November 25, 2017}} He was also successful with running the ball as he had 13 carries for 89 yards and two touchdowns en route to being awarded the Ted Morris Memorial Trophy as the game's MVP. Overall in the four playoff games he played, Merchant completed 49 passes out of 69 attempts for 964 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions to go along with his 34 rush attempts for 228 yards and six touchdowns. The Mustangs also finished undefeated for the season as Merchant led them to a 12–0 record overall.
As the defending Vanier Cup champions in 2018, Merchant again led the Mustangs to an undefeated regular season as he completed 127 passes out of 173 attempts for 2,104 yards with 17 touchdowns and five interceptions. He had an outstanding game in the Yates Cup against the Guelph Gryphons as he completed 86.4% of his passes for 324 yards and one touchdown to go along with seven carries for 66 yards and three touchdowns.{{cite web|url=https://www.thestar.com/sports/football/2018/11/10/western-mustangs-rout-guelph-gryphons-to-capture-yates-cup.html |title=Western Mustangs rout Guelph Gryphons to capture Yates Cup |publisher=Toronto Star |date=November 10, 2018}} The Mustangs defeated the Saskatchewan Huskies in the Mitchell Bowl with Merchant throwing for 251 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 82 yards and one touchdown. Merchant started in the 54th Vanier Cup in a rematch against the Rouge et Or and while he passed for 358 yards with one touchdown and rushed for 81 yards, his three interceptions proved costly as Western fell to Laval.{{cite web|url=https://usports.ca/en/sports/football/m/events/3967858 |title=54th Vanier Cup boxscore |publisher=U Sports |date=January 17, 2021}}
After attending training camp with the Canadian Football League's Montreal Alouettes, Merchant returned to the Mustangs to complete his U Sports eligibility.{{cite web|url=https://lfpress.com/sports/football/mustangs-quarterback-chris-merchant-wins-hec-crighton-as-canadian-university-footballs-best-player |title='Amazing': Chris Merchant reflects after being named Canada's top university football player |publisher=London Free Press |date=November 22, 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://en.montrealalouettes.com/2019/05/19/may-19-transactions/ |title=May 19 transactions |publisher=Montreal Alouettes |date=May 19, 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://montrealgazette.com/sports/football/cfl/montreal-alouettes/alouettes-trim-roster-to-46-players-ahead-of-season-opener-friday |title=Alouettes trim roster to 46 players ahead of season opener Friday |publisher=Montreal Gazette |date=June 9, 2019}} He again led the team to an 8–0 regular season record as he had 2,378 passing yards and a 68.5% completion rate with 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions to go along with 438 rushing yards and six touchdowns. He took the Mustangs to the Yates Cup game for the fourth time, but he left the game with the team up 10–0 in the first quarter after he suffered a severe ankle injury.{{cite web|url=https://lfpress.com/sports/football/column-a-remarkable-winning-streak-a-painful-end-for-western-mustangs-qb-chris-merchant |title=A remarkable winning streak, a painful end for Western Mustangs QB Chris Merchant |publisher=London Free Press |date=November 11, 2019}} Western could not recover and lost the game to the McMaster Marauders 29–15. For his outstanding final season, Merchant was awarded the Hec Crighton Trophy as the best U Sports football player that year and became the sixth Mustang player to win the award.{{cite web|url=https://www.sportsnet.ca/usports/western-mustangs-quarterback-merchant-captures-hec-crighton-trophy/ |title=Western Mustangs quarterback Merchant captures Hec Crighton Trophy |publisher=Sportsnet |date=November 21, 2019}} He finished his collegiate career having played in 32 regular season games, completing 521 out of 775 pass attempts for 8,202 yards with 57 touchdowns and 26 interceptions.{{cite web|url=https://usports.ca/en/sports/football/m/records|title=Men's football records|publisher=U Sports|access-date=January 16, 2021}}
Professional career
=Montreal Alouettes=
Merchant was eligible for the 2019 CFL Draft, but was not selected and signed as an undrafted free agent on May 19, 2019, with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played briefly in one preseason game on May 30, 2019, against the Toronto Argonauts where both of his pass attempts fell incomplete.{{cite web|url=https://www.cfl.ca/games/2553/montreal-alouettes-vs-toronto-argonauts/#/boxscore |title=Montreal Alouettes vs Toronto Argonauts boxscore |publisher=Canadian Football League |date=May 30, 2019}} He was then released on June 8, 2019, as the Alouettes kept former Laval quarterback, Hugo Richard, who Merchant had faced twice in Vanier Cup games.{{cite web|url=https://en.montrealalouettes.com/2019/06/08/alouettes-transactions-8/ |title=Alouettes' transactions |publisher=Montreal Alouettes |date=June 8, 2019}}
=Wasa Royals=
Merchant signed with the Wasa Royals of the Vaahteraliiga on February 17, 2020.{{cite web|url=http://vaahteraliiga.fi/kanadalainen-chris-merchant-royalsin-pelinrakentajaksi/ |title=Kanadalainen Chris Merchant Royalsin pelinrakentajaksi |publisher=Vaahteraliiga |date=February 17, 2020 |language=Finnish}}{{cite web|url=https://www.cfl.ca/2020/03/06/merchant-excited-opportunity-play-finland/ |title=Merchant excited for chance to play in Finland |publisher=Canadian Football League |date=March 6, 2020}} However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he was unable to play with the team for the 2020 season.{{cite web|url=https://westerngazette.ca/sports/former-mustangs-quarterback-signs-pro-football-contract-in-spain/article_635609a6-dda9-11ea-bb6d-db7582215075.html |title=Former Mustangs quarterback signs pro football contract in Spain |publisher=Western Gazette |date=September 23, 2020}}
=Las Rozas Black Demons=
On August 10, 2020, it was announced that Merchant had signed with the Las Rozas Black Demons of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Americano to play in their 2021 season.{{cite web|url=http://www.blackdemons.com/chris-merchant-nuevo-quarterback-de-lg-oled-las-rozas-black-demons/ |title=Chris Merchant nuevo quarterback de LG OLED Las Rozas Black Demons |publisher=Las Rozas Black Demons |date=September 3, 2020 |language=es}} He led the team to an appearance in the championship game, but suffered a serious knee injury as he watched his team lose to the Badalona Dracs 31–21.{{cite news|url=https://www.americanfootballinternational.com/hungary-fehervar-enthroners-sign-canadian-qb-chris-merchant/|title=Hungary: Fehervar Enthroners sign Canadian QB Chris Merchant|work=American Football International|date=December 24, 2021|access-date=January 3, 2023}}
=Fehérvár Enthroners=
Merchant signed with the Fehérvár Enthroners of the Hungarian American Football League ahead of the 2022 season.
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- [https://westernmustangs.ca/sports/football/roster/chris--merchant/27606 Western Mustangs bio]
{{Hec Crighton Trophy}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Merchant, Chris}}
Category:Canadian football quarterbacks
Category:Buffalo Bulls football players
Category:Western Mustangs football players
Category:Montreal Alouettes players
Category:Players of Canadian football from Alberta
Category:Sportspeople from Calgary
Category:Canadian football people from Calgary
Category:Canadian expatriate sportspeople in Spain