John Edward Avery, Jr. (born January 11, 1976) 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 ...

and

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

player. He last played 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 ...

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 ...

, but also played with the

National Football League 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 ...

(

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

and

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...

) and the

XFL XFL may refer to: Sports * XFL (2001), a defunct American football league that played its only season in 2001 * XFL (2020), a professional American football league Vehicles * Bell XFL Airabonita, a 1940 U.S. Navy experimental interceptor aircra ...

(

Chicago Enforcers The Chicago Enforcers were a short-lived American football team based at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. This team was part of the failed XFL begun by Vince McMahon of WWE World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American ...

College career

Avery attended and played football at

Asheville High School Asheville High School is a public high school located in Asheville, North Carolina, United States and is one of two secondary schools in the Asheville City Schools system. Designed by Douglas Ellington, construction of the original building began ...

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...

and, following graduation, continued his playing career at

Northwest Mississippi Community College Northwest Mississippi Community College is a public community college in Senatobia, Mississippi. It was founded in 1928. As of August 2008, Northwest's enrollment exceeds 7,100 students. There are approximately 3,000 students on the Senatobia ca ...

Senatobia, Mississippi Senatobia is a city in, and the county seat of, Tate County, Mississippi, United States, and is the 16th largest municipality in the Memphis Metropolitan Area. The population was 8,165 at the 2010 census. Senatobia is the home of Northwest Miss ...

. After two years at Northwest Mississippi Community College, Avery enrolled at the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment. ...

. In 1996, he started five games at

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

, rushing 181 times for 788 yards and 5 touchdowns, 16 receptions for 99 yards and 17 kickoff returns for 473 yards and touchdowns. In 1997, Avery started nine games for the Rebels, including the

Motor City Bowl The Little Caesars Pizza Bowl (known as the Motor City Bowl until 2009) was a post-season college football bowl game that was played annually from 1997 to 2013. The first five games (1997–2001) were played at the Pontiac Silverdome in Pontiac, ...

. During his final season with the Rebels, Avery totaled 166 carries for 862 yards and 7 touchdowns, added 13 receptions for 113 yards, 8 punt returns for 46 yards, and returned 13 kickoffs for 315 yards and one touchdown. In 1997, he was a finalist for the

Conerly Trophy The C Spire Conerly Trophy is an award given annually to the best college football player in the state of Mississippi by the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame. Voting Sixty media representatives from across Mississippi determine the Trophy recipie ...

Professional career

Miami Dolphins

Avery was selected by the

in the 1st round (29th overall) of the

1998 NFL Draft The 1998 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 18–19, 1998, at the Theater at M ...

Denver Broncos

Avery was traded to the

from the Dolphins in exchange for wide receiver

Marcus Nash Marcus DeLando Nash (born February 1, 1976) is a retired American football wide receiver, formerly of the Dallas Desperados of the Arena Football League. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos 30th overall in the 1998 NFL Draft. He played colleg ...

on September 21, 1999. Avery saw limited action with Denver and was released in training camp the following season.

Chicago Enforcers

In 2001, Avery started 10 games for the

of the

. He led the short-lived XFL in rushing with 800 yards (on 150 carries for a 5.3 yard average), rushed for five touchdowns, and also caught 17 passes for 297 yards and two touchdowns. Avery wore the No. 20 in the XFL, but in the Enforcers' first game of the season against the Orlando Rage he was forced to wear No. 22 for the second half because his jersey was ripped early in the game. After the conclusion of the XFL's 2001 season, Avery attended the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

training camp but suffered a

hamstring In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury. In quadrupeds, ...

injury and was subsequently released.

Edmonton Eskimos

Avery's most successful year in professional football, to date, was

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

. He signed with 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 ...

on April 26, 2002. Avery finished the season with 229 carries for 1,448 yards (6.3 yd. avg.) and nine touchdowns. Avery started the season as the second string running back behind incumbent starter Ronald Williams: as a result, he was used sparingly in the first four games of the season. When Williams was injured in a week 4 game in Saskatchewan, Avery assumed the starting halfback position. He never looked back, winning the

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 ...

rushing title by almost 300 yards. He scored two touchdowns in the Western Division Finals, leading the Eskimos to a victory and setting the team up for a home appearance 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 ...

Championship at

Commonwealth Stadium Commonwealth Stadium is an open-air, multipurpose stadium located in the McCauley neighbourhood of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It has a seating capacity of 56,302, making it the largest open-air stadium in Canada. Primarily used for Canadian fo ...

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

. However, Avery suffered a leg injury in the West Final, which limited his effectiveness in the Grey Cup despite his best efforts. The Eskimos came up short in the

game at the hands of 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 ...

, losing 25–16, but Avery finished the season a winner of the

Eddie James Memorial Trophy The Eddie James Memorial Trophy is a Canadian Football League trophy, awarded to the leading rusher in the West Division. Unlike other CFL trophies, there is no equivalent for the East Division. The award is named after Eddie James, a former r ...

(as the Western Division's leading rusher) and a CFL All-Star.

Minnesota Vikings

Avery signed as a free agent with the

on February 13, 2003. He played six games with one rush for 0 yards and 2 receptions, and returned 16 kickoffs for 346 yards, for a 21.6 yard average. Avery was placed on the Vikings injured reserved list with a knee injury on October 24, 2003.

Toronto Argonauts

Avery was signed by the CFL's

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

. Avery did not play in the Argos' two pre-season games, but he made his Toronto debut in Week 1 against 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 ...

. Avery rushed 8 times for 22 yards and caught 5 passes for 27 yards in that game. In Week 8, he met his former club,

, for the first time ever, and scored his first two touchdowns as an Argonaut. Avery started in the

Labour Day Classic The Labour Day Classic (french: Classique de la fête du travail, branded as OK Tire Labour Day Weekend for sponsorship reasons) is a week of the Canadian Football League (CFL) schedule played over the Labour Day weekend (which includes the firs ...

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 ...

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

in Week 12, and rushed for 110 yards (his first 100-yard running game as an Argonaut) on 17 carries and 1 touchdown, including his longest career CFL run – 74 yards. Avery did not suit up in Week 20 against

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

because of a knee injury. In the 2004 Eastern Division

Semi-Final A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...

, Avery started at running back for the Argos, rushed 13 times for 32 yards (longest gain: 19 yards), and caught 1 pass for −5 yards against the

at Toronto's

SkyDome Rogers Centre (originally SkyDome) is a multi-purpose retractable roof stadium in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated at the base of the CN Tower near the northern shore of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989 on the former Railway Lands, i ...

(won by Toronto, 24–6). In the Eastern Final at

, Avery recorded his first career win against the Alouettes in a 26–18

Argos Argos most often refers to: * Argos, Peloponnese, a city in Argolis, Greece ** Ancient Argos, the ancient city * Argos (retailer), a catalogue retailer operating in the United Kingdom and Ireland Argos or ARGOS may also refer to: Businesses ...

' triumph. Avery spent most of game blocking but was handed the ball 6 times in the second half and raced for 34 yards, including the game winning romp of 25 yards for an Argos' touchdown. At the

92nd Grey Cup The 92nd Grey Cup game took place on November 21, 2004, at Frank Clair Stadium in Ottawa, Ontario. The game decided the championship of the 2004 Canadian Football League season. The Toronto Argonauts defeated the BC Lions 27–19. This is the fi ...

Championship, Avery started at running back for the Argonauts, rushed 11 times for 75 yards (longest gain: 26 yards), and caught 4 passes for 24 yards (longest gain: 10 yards) to help the Argos win their 15th

Championship in team history with a 27–19 triumph over 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 ...

. This Grey Cup championship also marked the first championship at any level for Avery. In the 2005 season, Avery missed both Toronto pre-season games due to an adductor injury. Avery started 13 of 15 games at running back for the Argonauts before suffering a season-ending

injury against 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 ...

in Week 15. In Week 5 against the Alouettes, Avery caught the game-winning touchdown on a 14-yard reception from Argos'

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 ...

Damon Allen Damon L. Allen (born July 29, 1963) is a former professional quarterback who played in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is currently fourth in all-time professional football passing yards and second in all-time CFL passing yards after he ...

. The following week against the

, Avery generated 148 all-purpose yards in 34–27 win. In the 2005 Labour Day classic against Hamilton, he generated 90 yards rushing. In Week 11, Avery started at running back and generated 123 all-purpose yards and 1 touchdown against

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

. In his season-ending game against the

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 ...

, Avery caught the Argos’ first touchdown pass of the game before leaving in the second quarter with the hamstring injury. The 2006 season began with former NFL running back

Ricky Williams Errick Miron (born Errick Lynne Williams Jr.; May 21, 1977) is an American former football running back who played 11 seasons in the National Football League (NFL) and one season in the Canadian Football League (CFL). After playing baseball an ...

making a highly publicized move to the

Argonauts The Argonauts (; Ancient Greek: ) were a band of heroes in Greek mythology, who in the years before the Trojan War (around 1300 BC) accompanied Jason to Colchis in his quest to find the Golden Fleece. Their name comes from their ship, '' Argo'', ...

as a result of an off-season signing (and Williams' NFL suspension for violating the league's drug policy). The star import's presence bumped Avery further down the Argos' running back depth chart, but Williams' broken arm in a July 22 win over Saskatchewan left the door open for Avery. Prior to his scheduled return to the starting lineup against the

in Week 7, Avery suffered a leg injury in practice which delayed his comeback for another two weeks. On August 12, 2006, Avery made his 2006 debut against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Hamilton rushing for 74 yards on 13 carries while also catching two receptions for 31 yards. The following week against the Montreal Alouettes at home, Avery ran for 94 yards on 21 carries while scoring a touchdown. On January 31, 2008, contract ended with the Argonauts. Armbar Athletics In 2014, Avery joined the Hamilton Touch Football League in Hamilton ON Canada. Avery played as a member of Armbar Athletics (former division champions). Avery retired after one season.

Career statistics

External links

Archive of Avery's bio from the Toronto Argonauts' Official WebsiteProfile at NRL.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Avery, John 1976 births Living people American football running backs Canadian football running backs Denver Broncos players Edmonton Elks players Miami Dolphins players Minnesota Vikings players Northwest Mississippi Rangers football players Ole Miss Rebels football players Toronto Argonauts players Chicago Enforcers players Sportspeople from Asheville, North Carolina Players of American football from Richmond, Virginia Players of Canadian football from Virginia