Jabari Arthur (born August 28, 1982) is a
Canadian football coach who serves as the
offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of an American football or Canadian football team who is in charge of the team's offense. Generally, along with the defensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator, this coach re ...
for the
Calgary Dinos of
U Sports football. He is a former professional
wide receiver who played for eight years in the
Canadian Football League (CFL). He is a two-time
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 ...
champion after winning with the
Calgary Stampeders 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; ...
and
2014
File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...
. He is also a
Vanier Cup champion with the Dinos following the team's victory in the
2019 game.
Arthur prepped at
Vanier College in Montreal, winning Offensive Player-of-the-Year and Player-of-the-Year during the 2001 season. Arthur's play earned him a scholarship offer from the
University of Akron, where Arthur would redshirt in 2003. After his redshirt year, new head coach
J. D. Brookhart
Joseph Daniel Brookhart (born October 17, 1964) is an American football coach and former player. He was most recently an assistant coach at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he was hired as passing game coordinator, tight ends coach, a ...
converted Arthur to a wide receiver.
He signed with the
Kansas City Chiefs of the
NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
as a
rookie free agent. Arthur was released by the Chiefs on August 30, 2008.
Early life
Arthur attended
Vanier College in
Montreal, Quebec. Arthur's play as a
quarterback earned him the Offensive Player-of-the-Year, as well as the Player-of-the-Year for his play during the 2001 season Arthur also participated in
Track and Field.
Arthur committed to the
University of Akron on July 8, 2003. Arthur was not heavily recruited, as he only received one scholarship offer.
College career
Jabari Authur played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
for the
Zips. During his senior year, his
Canadian Football League rights were held by the
Calgary Stampeders, who drafted him in the
2007 CFL Draft
The 2007 CFL Draft took place on Wednesday, May 2, 2007. 47 players were chosen from among 911 eligible players from Canadian Universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA. Of the 47 draft selections, 31 players ...
even though he was returning to Akron for his senior year.
Statistics
Source:
*Numbers in Bold are Akron school records
Professional career
Kansas City Chiefs
Although eligible for the
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft was the 73rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 26 and April 27, ...
, Arthur was not selected. He signed with the Chiefs on April 27 at the conclusion of the draft.
Calgary Stampeders
Arthur signed with the
Calgary Stampeders on September 22, 2008. He won 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 ...
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; ...
.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
On September 20, 2009 Arthur was traded along with fellow receiver
Titus Ryan, and defensive lineman
Odell Willis
Odell Willis (born December 28, 1984), nicknamed "the Mayor of Swaggerville", is a professional Canadian football defensive end who is a free agent. He was most recently a member of the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He w ...
to the
Winnipeg Blue Bombers in exchange for receivers
Arjei Franklin
Arjei Franklin (born April 25, 1982) is a former Canadian professional football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means th ...
, and
Romby Bryant.
Calgary Stampeders (II)
On July 19, 2010, Arthur signed with the
Calgary Stampeders. Over the span of 4 seasons, 2010 through 2013, Arthur averaged 21.5 receptions, for 261 yards, and a total of 4 pass receptions. The
2013 CFL season
The 2013 CFL season was the 60th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 56th season of the Canadian Football League.
The pre-season began on June 12, 2013 and the regular season began on June 27, 2013. Regina, Saskatchewa ...
being by far the best of the four years; netting 41 pass receptions for 510 yards with 3 touchdowns. Following the 2013 CFL season the Stamps resigned Arthur to a new contract; he was set to become a free-agent that off-season. Arthur only caught 9 passes in the 2014 season (77 yards, 2 touchdowns). Despite the disappointing season the Stampeders extended his contract on March 11, 2015. He played in two games in 2015 where he had one catch for 14 yards. He became a free agent upon the expiry of his contract on February 9, 2016.
Coaching career
After sitting out the 2016 season, Arthur was announced as the
wide receivers coach for the
Calgary Dinos on April 28, 2017. He won the
2019 Vanier Cup with the Dinos in his third year with the program. He was promoted to
offensive coordinator
An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of an American football or Canadian football team who is in charge of the team's offense. Generally, along with the defensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator, this coach re ...
on January 24, 2022.
References
External links
ESPN profileCalgary Stampeders bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arthur, Jabari
1982 births
Living people
Akron Zips football players
American football wide receivers
Anglophone Quebec people
Calgary Dinos football players
Calgary Stampeders players
Canadian players of American football
Kansas City Chiefs players
Players of Canadian football from Quebec
Sportspeople from Montreal
Winnipeg Blue Bombers players