Leo Ezerins
No. 72
Born: (1956-08-10) August 10, 1956
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Career information
Position(s)Linebacker/Tight end
CollegeWhitworth University
Career history
As player
1978–1982Winnipeg Blue Bombers
1983–1987Hamilton Tiger-Cats
CFL East All-Star1986
Career stats
Games played173[1]
Sacks13
Interceptions25

5th All Time Linebackers

1st All Time Canadian
Receptions23

Leo Ezerins (born August 10, 1956) was a linebacker who played ten seasons in the Canadian Football League for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Background

Ezerins is a graduate of Whitworth College in Spokane, Washington graduating with a BA in Economics and Business. He was a conference all-star four times and an NAIA All American. His head coach was CFL legend, Hugh Campbell.

A gifted athlete he was also a three-time Canadian Champion Speed Skating Champion, Provincial High School basketball All-Star twice and played on the Isaac Brock Provincial Little League Championship team and the Winnipeg Hawkeyes Juvenile Little Grey Cup Championship team.

Professional career

Ezerins is currently the all-time interception leader for Canadian linebackers and fifth overall for all CFL linebackers with 25 interceptions. He also has 23 receptions as a tight end. He was an integral member of the Tiger-Cats 1986 Grey Cup winning team. He recovered the first fumble of the game caused by Grover Covington which set the pace for an incredible defensive onslaught of the heavily favored Edmonton Eskimos. That year, he was named a CFL Eastern All-Star.[2]

Awards

  • Named – #46 Globe and Mail Sports Power 50 – 2011 [3]
  • Named – Honorary Member Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry – 2011 [4]
  • Named- Leo Ezerins Award – Isaac Brock Community Center, Winnipeg, MB - 2010 [5]

Life After Retirement

Ezerins is the poster boy for a University Health Network study on the effect of head hits on CFL players to be studied for long term concussion effects.[6] Ezerins helps promote concussion awareness for all sports.[7]

Personal

A Winnipeg native, Ezerins now calls Hamilton Home with his life partner Sandra Shields. He has two adult children, Katie and Dillon. Recently he was named to the Globe and Mail's Power 50, a Member of the 100th Grey Cup Steering Committee, Honorary Member of the PPCLI Foundation, Member of the Canadian Sports Concussion Research Project (Chaired by Dr. Charles Tator), a nominee to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats All Time Team and Manitoba Football Hall of Fame inductee.[8]

References

  1. ↑ "Leo Ezerins".
  2. ↑ "Leo Ezerins athletic career, photos, articles, and videos | Fanbase". Archived from the original on August 20, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  3. ↑ Christie, James (February 8, 2011). "NHLPA's Donald Fehr comes in second on the Power 50". The Globe and Mail.
  4. ↑ "Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry Foundation-958276 Downloa…". Archived from the original on May 30, 2014. Retrieved May 30, 2014.
  5. ↑ Media Guide 2010 ticats.ca
  6. ↑ "Former CFL players to be studied for long term concussion effects". The Hamilton Spectator. May 5, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Hamilton Tiger-Cats".
  8. ↑ "Leo Ezerins". March 22, 2020.
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