Marc Liegghio
{{short description|Canadian gridiron football player (born 1997)}}
{{Infobox CFL biography
| name = Marc Liegghio
| number = 33
| team = Hamilton Tiger-Cats
| image = 2023, 33, Marc Liegghio.jpg
| image_upright = 1
| caption = Liegghio with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2023
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1997|2|13}}
| birth_place = Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada
| death_date =
| death_place =
| status = Active
| import = no
| position1 = Placekicker/Punter
| height_ft = 5
| height_in = 8
| weight_lb = 195
| CIS = Western
| high_school = Bill Crothers Secondary
| CFLDraftedYear = 2020
| CFLDraftedRound = 5
| CFLDraftedPick = 39
| CFLDraftedTeam = Winnipeg Blue Bombers
| playing_years1 = {{CFL Year|2021}}–{{CFL Year|2022}}
| playing_team1 = Winnipeg Blue Bombers
| playing_years2 = {{CFL Year|2023}}–present
| playing_team2 = Hamilton Tiger-Cats
| career_footnotes =
| career_highlights =
- Grey Cup champion (2021)
- Vanier Cup champion (2017)
| CFL = marc-liegghio/165764/
}}
Marc Liegghio (born February 13, 1997) is a Canadian professional football placekicker and punter for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
University career
Liegghio played U Sports football for the Western Mustangs from 2015 to 2019.{{cite web|url=https://westernmustangs.ca/sports/football/roster/marc--liegghio/27607 |title=Marc Liegghio |publisher=Western Mustangs |access-date=August 28, 2021}} He sat out the 2015 season due to injury, but became the team's placekicker and punter in 2016 where he was named an OUA Second Team All-Star.
In 2017, Liegghio was named a U Sports Second-team All-Canadian as a placekicker after connecting on 29 of 33 field goal attempts and all but one of his point-after-touchdown converts.{{cite web|url=https://usports.ca/en/awards/news/2017/11/2395235925/football-all-canadian-teams-announced |title=Football All-Canadian teams announced |publisher=U Sports |date=November 23, 2017}} He finished that season as a Vanier Cup champion when the Mustangs completed an undefeated season and defeated the Laval Rouge et Or in the 53rd Vanier Cup game.{{cite web |url=https://www.cbc.ca/sports/football/cfl/western-laval-vanier-cup-1.4419716 |title=Western's Vanier Cup victory over Laval caps off punishing playoff run |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |last=Strong |first=Gregory |date=November 25, 2017}} In that game, Liegghio missed his only field goal attempt, but was perfect on five point-after-touchdown converts and had eight punts with a 41.8-yard average.{{cite web|url=https://presto-en.usports.ca/sports/fball/championship/2017/champ-boxscores/20171125_8pmq.xml |title=2017 Vanier Cup Boxscore |publisher=U Sports |date=November 25, 2017}} In 2018, he was named a U Sports Second-team All-Canadian, but this time as a punter.{{cite web|url=https://usports.ca/en/sports/football/m/news/2018/11/400722509/calgary-qb-sinagra-highlights-2018-award-winners-and-all-canadians |title=Calgary QB Sinagra highlights 2018 football award winners and All-Canadians |publisher=U Sports |date=November 22, 2018}} His best season came in 2019 when he became the first player to be named a U Sports First-team All-Canadian at both the placekicker and punter positions as he set a U Sports single-season record with a 47.5-yard punt average and connected on 22 out of 24 field goal attempts.{{cite web|url=https://westernmustangs.ca/news/2020/5/14/communications-and-media-relations-major-awards-in-may-marc-liegghio.aspx |title=Major Awards in May: Marc Liegghio |publisher=Western Mustangs |date=May 14, 2020}} In four seasons with the Mustangs, he became the all-time leading scorer in OUA history with 442 points and set the U Sports record with 92 successfully made field goals (from 105 attempts).
Professional career
Liegghio was drafted in the fifth round, 39th overall, in the 2020 CFL Draft, by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.{{cite web |url=https://www.bluebombers.com/2020/05/04/almost-surreal-liegghio-excited-learn-medlock/ |title=Liegghio excited to learn from Medlock |publisher=Winnipeg Blue Bombers |date=May 4, 2020}} However, he did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of both the 2020 CFL season and the 2020 U Sports football season. Instead, he signed with the Blue Bombers on January 7, 2021 to a rookie contract.{{cite web |url=https://3downnation.com/2021/01/07/bombers-sign-2020-cfl-draft-selections-db-noah-hallett-k-p-marc-liegghio/ |title=Bombers sign 2020 CFL Draft selections DB Noah Hallett, K/P Marc Liegghio |publisher=3DownNation |date=January 7, 2021}} He was named the team's punter following training camp with Tyler Crapigna handling the placekicking duties. Liegghio played in his first professional game on August 5, 2021 against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats where he had 10 punts for a 41.4-yard average (36.2-yards net average).{{cite web |url=https://www.cfl.ca/games/6134/hamilton-tiger-cats-vs-winnipeg-blue-bombers/#boxscore |title=Hamilton Tiger-Cats vs Winnipeg Blue Bombers boxscore |publisher=Canadian Football League |access-date=August 28, 2021}} With Crapigna out with injury in the week 4 game against the Calgary Stampeders, Liegghio was also named the team's placekicker for the August 29, 2021 game.{{cite web |url=https://d3ham790trbkqy.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Calgary-Stamepders-vs-Winnipeg-Blue-Bombers_Aug-29.pdf |title=Calgary Stampeders at Winnipeg Blue Bombers |publisher=Canadian Football League |access-date=August 28, 2021}} On June 3, 2023, Liegghio was released by the Blue Bombers.{{cite web|url=https://3downnation.com/2023/06/03/bombers-release-25-in-final-roster-cuts-including-canadian-kicker-marc-liegghio/ |title=Bombers release 25 in final roster cuts, including Canadian kicker Marc Liegghio |publisher=3DownNation |access-date=June 3, 2023}}
On June 17, 2023, it was announced that Liegghio had signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats,{{cite web |url=https://ticats.ca/article/tiger-cats-transactions-june-17-2 |title=Tiger-Cats transactions June 17 |publisher=Hamilton Tiger-Cats |date=June 17, 2023}} with incumbent kicker Seth Small being placed on the suspended list.{{Cite web|title=Ticats sign Canadian kicker Marc Liegghio, suspend Seth Small|url=https://3downnation.com/2023/06/17/ticats-sign-canadian-kicker-marc-liegghio-suspend-seth-small/|access-date=December 27, 2023|website=3downnation.com|language=en}}
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- [https://ticats.ca/players/165764/ Hamilton Tiger-Cats bio]
- {{commonscatinline}}
{{Hamilton Tiger-Cats roster navbox}}
{{108th Grey Cup}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Liegghio, Marc}}
Category:Canadian football placekickers
Category:Canadian football punters
Category:Hamilton Tiger-Cats players
Category:Sportspeople from Vaughan
Category:Players of Canadian football from Ontario