James Yurichuk (born November 1, 1986, in

Brampton, Ontario Brampton ( or ) is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Brampton is a city in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and is a lower-tier municipality within Peel Region. The city has a population of 656,480 as of the 2021 Census, making it th ...

) is a former Canadian professional football

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

and businessman. He was drafted by 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 ...

in the 2009 CFL Draft in the first round and played four seasons with the

, winning 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 ...

in 2011 with the Lions. 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

Bishop's Gaiters The Bishop's Gaiters is the men's and women's athletic teams that represent Bishop's University in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. The name Gaiter is a nickname used to refer to garments worn over the shoe and lower pants leg, worn by Anglican bishops ...

. Yurichuk is also the founder and CEO of Wuxly Outerwear.

Professional career

BC Lions

Yurichuk was drafted by the

in the first round of the 2009 CFL Draft. He played primarily on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

in the

2009 BC Lions season The 2009 BC Lions season was the 52nd season for the team in the Canadian Football League and their 56th overall. The Lions finished the season in fourth place in the West Division with a disappointing 8–10 record after losing their last three r ...

and was among the league leaders in special teams tackles. His dribbled ball kick that led to a Lions touchdown in week 6 was considered the turning point of the game and demonstrated his knowledge of

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 ...

rules. Yurichuk played in his first

game in

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

where he recorded two special teams tackles in the

99th Grey Cup The 99th Grey Cup was a Canadian football game between the East Division champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the West Division champion BC Lions to decide the champion of the Canadian Football League in the 2011 season. The Lions defeated the Bl ...

victory over the

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West division. They play their home games at IG Fiel ...

. He played in 72 regular season games for the Lions, starting in seven, where he had 42 defensive tackles, 61 special teams tackles, and three interceptions.

Toronto Argonauts

On February 15, 2013, the first day of CFL

free agency In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

, Yurichuk signed with the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

. He earned the

Jake Gaudaur Veterans' Trophy The Jake Gaudaur Veterans' Trophy is presented annually to the Canadian Football League (CFL) player " who best demonstrates the attributes of Canada's veterans in times of war, peace and military conflict." The award was first presented in 2010, a ...

in 2014. He played in four seasons for the Argonauts where he dressed in 72 games, starting in five, and recorded 38 defensive tackles, 61 special teams tackles, and one interception. He became a free agent upon the expiry of his contract on February 14, 2017.

References

External links

Bishop's Gaiters bioToronto Argonauts bio

BC Lions bio
1986 births Living people Bishop's Gaiters football players Canadian football linebackers Players of Canadian football from Ontario Toronto Argonauts {{Canadianfootball-linebacker-stub