Andrew Fantuz (born December 18, 1983) is a former professional
Canadian football
Canadian football () is a team sport, sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's sco ...
wide receiver. Fantuz spent the majority of his professional career with the
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division.
The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...
and the
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...
of the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
(CFL). He played for the Riders for six seasons after he was drafted by them in the first round of the
2006 CFL Draft
The 2006 CFL Draft took place on Thursday, April 20, 2006. 50 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian Universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic A ...
. He then played six seasons for the Tiger-Cats. Fantuz was also signed by the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
in 2011. He played
CIS football
U Sports football is the highest level of amateur play of Canadian football and operates under the auspices of U Sports (formerly Canadian Interuniversity Sport). Twenty-seven teams from Canadian universities are divided into four athletic confer ...
for the
Western Ontario Mustangs
The Western Mustangs are the athletic teams that represent Western University in London, Ontario, Canada. The school's athletic program supports 46 varsity teams. Their mascot is a Mustang named J.W. and the school colours are purple and white. ...
.
Early years
Fantuz attended
John McGregor Secondary School from 1997 to 2002, where he played football and basketball. He also played for the Essex County Ravens of the Ontario Varsity Football League.
University career
Andy Fantuz attended the
University of Western Ontario
The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by resident ...
from 2002 to 2005, where he established himself as one of the best receivers in
Canadian Interuniversity Sport
U Sports (stylized as U SPORTS) is the national sport governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree-granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is the Can ...
history. Fantuz was awarded the CIS Rookie of the year award in 2002 with 1300 receiving yards (a single season record) and nine touchdowns. Fantuz won the
Hec Crighton Trophy
The Hec Crighton Trophy (sometimes referred to as the Hec Crighton Award) is awarded annually to the most outstanding Canadian football player in U Sports. The trophy is named after the late Hec Crighton - teacher, coach, referee, and author of th ...
as the top player in the CIS in 2005, finishing with 44 catches for 825 yards to become only the fifth receiver to win the award and first since
Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
's
Don Blair in 1995. He finished his university career as the
OUA
Oua is an islet on the north-east of Nukufetau atoll, Tuvalu, next to Lafanga atoll.
References
Islands of Tuvalu
Pacific islands claimed under the Guano Islands Act
Nukufetau
{{tuvalu-geo-stub ...
and CIS leader with 189 receptions for 4,123 yards and 41 touchdown receptions. He was a four-time CIS all-Canadian and four-time OUA all-star while being named to the first-team all-Canadian in 2002, 2004, and 2005. On January 21, 2006, Fantuz represented Eastern Canada in the
East-West Shrine Game
East West (or East and West) may refer to:
*East–West dichotomy, the contrast between Eastern and Western society or culture
Arts and entertainment
Books, journals and magazines
*'' East, West'', an anthology of short stories written by Salm ...
which showcases the best college talent in the United States and with invitees from Canada.
Professional career
Saskatchewan Roughriders
While many thought that he could go first overall in the
2006 CFL Draft
The 2006 CFL Draft took place on Thursday, April 20, 2006. 50 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian Universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA
The National Collegiate Athletic A ...
, Andy Fantuz was chosen in the first round and third overall by the
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division.
The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...
. After the draft, Fantuz tried out for the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
in May 2006, but was not offered a contract and, as such, signed a one-year plus an option contract with Saskatchewan on May 20, 2006. Because he had signed the contract late, he missed a beginning portion of the 2006 training camp.
Fantuz was integrated slowly into the Roughriders offence in
2006
File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...
, and caught his first pass against
Toronto
Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
on July 22, 2006. He made his first start against the
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...
in week 10 and started the last nine games of the season as well as two playoff games. He scored his first touchdown in a bizarre play against the
BC Lions
The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place.
The Lions played their first season ...
on September 24, 2006.
Quarterback
The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...
Kerry Joseph
Kerry Tremaine Joseph (born October 4, 1973) is an American former gridiron football quarterback and current coach. He is the assistant quarterbacks coach for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was born in New Iberia, ...
was rushing towards the endzone deep in BC territory when he was tackled from behind and fumbled the ball forward. Fantuz promptly jumped on the ball in the endzone, culminating in his first
CFL
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...
touchdown, which counted as a rushing touchdown by CFL rules. Incidentally, the same game would go into overtime, with Fantuz catching his first touchdown reception and winning the game for the Roughriders, meaning that he got his first rushing and receiving touchdown in the same game. He had his first 100-yard receiving game in week 20 against the
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...
. Fantuz finished the season with 30 catches for 408 yards, 3 receiving touchdowns, and 1 rushing touchdown. On November 30, 2006, Fantuz agreed to a two-year plus an option contract.
The
2007 season was presumably a promising one for Fantuz as the media and coaching staff alike were expecting big things from the sophomore receiver. However, the
sophomore slump
A sophomore slump or sophomore jinx or sophomore jitters refers to an instance in which a second, or sophomore, effort fails to live up to the relatively high standards of the first effort.
It is commonly used to refer to the apathy of student ...
took its toll on Fantuz as numerous dropped balls at critical junctures led to his demotion from the starting line-up in week 5 by head coach
Kent Austin
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
. After catching just 17 balls for 201 yards through the first eight games, Fantuz had a turnaround game against
Winnipeg
Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...
with four reception for 96 yards. He continued his strong play with a 7 catch – 142 yard performance against the
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the Canadian F ...
, filling in for
Matt Dominguez
Matt Pilar Dominguez (born June 27, 1978) is a former gridiron football wide receiver. He was originally signed by the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He played college football at Sam Houston State.
Dominguez was also a me ...
who was injured in the
Banjo Bowl
The Banjo Bowl is the annual rematch game between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) after the Labour Day Classic. While the traditional Labour Day Classic game is always played on the ...
. On October 14, 2007, he had a blowout game with seven catches for 240 receiving yards and three touchdowns against the
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...
. It was the third best receiving yardage game in team history and tied for the best touchdown performance by a Roughrider in a single game. As a result, he was named the Canadian Player of the Month for September. Fantuz finished the season just short of 1,000 yards with 978 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. He was the Roughriders' nomination for
Most Outstanding Canadian. In three playoff games, Fantuz had 16 catches for 263 yards and two touchdowns, including four catches for 70 yards and one touchdown in the
95th Grey Cup
The 95th Grey Cup was held in Toronto at the Rogers Centre on November 25, 2007. The Grey Cup, first awarded in 1909, is the championship game of the Canadian Football League. It was played between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Winnipeg ...
. Because of his performance in the
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...
game, he was named the
Grey Cup's Most Valuable Canadian
The Dick Suderman Trophy (french: Trophée Dick Suderman) for the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Canadian (''Le Canadien le plus précieux de la Coupe Grey'') is awarded annually to the Canadian player deemed to have the best performance in the Grey Cup ...
after the Roughriders won their third championship.
In
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
, Andy Fantuz had an excellent start to the season with 24 catches for 328 yards and was on pace for his first 1000-yard season. However, in a game against Toronto, Fantuz suffered a broken fibula, the smaller, non-weight bearing bone in his left leg while being tackled in the fourth quarter of the July 27, 2008, 28–22 victory. He was placed on the nine-game injured list and did not return until week 18 versus the Edmonton Eskimos. In total, he played seven games and finished the regular season with 36 catches for 488 yards and three touchdowns. He also attempted one deep pass to
Weston Dressler
Weston Dressler (born June 14, 1985) is an American former Canadian football slotback. Dressler last played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Prior to his being signed by the Blue Bombers organization in 2016, h ...
but was intercepted in a game versus Hamilton. Despite playing in only seven games, he led the offence with six defensive tackles. He had two catches for 39 yards in the Roughriders' West-Semi Final loss to the BC Lions.
Once again, Fantuz had a good start to the season, on pace for just under 1000 receiving yards, with 219 yards and one touchdown, but was injured in the week four match-up with the Edmonton Eskimos. He returned for the
Banjo Bowl
The Banjo Bowl is the annual rematch game between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) after the Labour Day Classic. While the traditional Labour Day Classic game is always played on the ...
against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and caught two passes for 64 yards and a touchdown, which was thrown by fellow receiver,
Jason Armstead
Jason Armstead (born September 18, 1979) is a former professional Canadian football and American football kick returner and wide receiver. Armstead is currently a free-agent. He was most recently a member of the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian ...
, on a
gadget play. He had an outstanding outing in the
overtime
Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways:
*by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society), ...
game against the
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-old ...
, contributing 10 catches for a season-high 149 yards and a game-tying touchdown. He had another dominant game against the Stampeders in the final game of the season with 12 catches for 123 yards, which was the highest reception total by a Roughrider since
Curtis Marsh had 13 in
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
. Fantuz finished the season with a career-high 67 receptions for 882 yards and three touchdowns and was tied with
Chris Getzlaf
Chris Getzlaf (born January 9, 1983) is a Canadian former professional football slotback who played in the Canadian Football League (CFL) from 2007 to 2017. He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2007 CFL Draft, 33rd overall, by the Hamilton Ti ...
for the team lead in
two-point conversions
In gridiron football, a two-point conversion or two-point convert is a play a team attempts instead of kicking a conversion (gridiron football), one-point conversion immediately after it scores a touchdown. In a two-point conversion attempt, the ...
with two. In the
2009 West Final, he had a game-high five receptions for 89 yards and one touchdown, which was part of the 27–17 win over the Stampeders that featured all Roughrider scoring by Canadian players. In the
2009 Grey Cup, Fantuz had a team-high five catches for 67 yards and a touchdown, which wound up being a 28–27 loss to the
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the Canadian F ...
.
On October 15, 2009, Fantuz stated that he had verbally agreed to a two-year contract extension with the Roughriders, but would examine his
NFL options before February 15, 2009. If he does not sign with an NFL team by then, he will sign a one-year plus an option contract with the Roughriders. On February 12, 2010, it was officially announced that Fantuz had re-signed with the Roughriders.
Chicago Bears
On February 4, 2011, Fantuz signed a future contract with the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
for the 2011 NFL season. He was waived on September 2. In two preseason games with the Bears, Fantuz recorded two receptions for 19 yards.
Saskatchewan Roughriders (II)
On September 7, 2011 Fantuz rejoined the
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division.
The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...
and played his first game of the
season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...
on September 11 making 2 catches for 47 yards. As a result of his time with the
Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...
(missing half the CFL season) and a lingering ankle injury Fantuz would finish the season with only 175 yards receiving on 13 catches having only played in 4 games.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
On February 17, 2012, Fantuz signed a four-year contract with the
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...
. In his first season in with the Tiger-Cats Fantuz played in 17 of the 18 regular season games and amassed 971 receiving yards and a career-high 8 touchdowns. Fantuz missed a significant portion of the
2015 season with an injury. Fantuz set a personal best for most receptions in a season when he caught 101 in 17 games during the
2016 CFL season
The 2016 CFL season was the 63rd season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 59th Canadian Football League season. Toronto hosted the 104th Grey Cup on November 27. The regular season began on June 23 and ended on November 5.
...
. He would miss the final game of the season after being diagnosed with a torn ACL. After recovering from his injury Fantuz would only play in three games for the Ti-Cats in
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...
, catching six passes for 55 yards. Fantuz announced his retirement from professional football on July 19, 2018.
Administrative career
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
On May 18, 2017, it was announced that Fantuz had re-joined the Tiger-Cats, but in an administrative role as the team's player development coordinator. Fantuz returned to a playing role, re-signing with the team, on September 18, 2017.
Fantuz Flakes
During the Summer of 2010, as part of their "100 years of The
Roughriders" promotional campaign, Federated
Co-op
A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...
Ltd. released a
breakfast cereal
Cereal, formally termed breakfast cereal (and further categorized as cold cereal or warm cereal), is a traditional breakfast food made from processed cereal grains. It is traditionally eaten as part of breakfast, or a snack food, primarily in ...
under the name "Fantuz Flakes". The box featured an image of Fantuz on the front, and the cereal itself is similar to
Oatmeal Crisp
Oatmeal Crisp is a breakfast cereal from General Mills
General Mills, Inc., is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi Riv ...
in texture and colour.
Career statistics
References
External links
*
Hamilton Tiger-Cats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fantuz, Andy
1983 births
Living people
American football wide receivers
Canadian Football League Most Outstanding Canadian Award winners
Canadian football slotbacks
Chicago Bears players
Hamilton Tiger-Cats players
Players of Canadian football from Ontario
Saskatchewan Roughriders players
Sportspeople from Chatham-Kent
Western Mustangs football players