Kienan LaFrance (born May 16, 1991) is a 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 ...

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 ...

for 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 ...

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 made his professional debut for the

Ottawa Redblacks The Ottawa Redblacks (officially stylized as REDBLACKS) ( French: Le Rouge et Noir d'Ottawa) are a professional Canadian football team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The team plays in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Startin ...

, where he won the

104th Grey Cup The 104th Grey Cup (branded as the 104th Grey Cup presented by Shaw for sponsorship reasons) was a Canadian football game that was played on November 27, 2016, between the Calgary Stampeders and the Ottawa Redblacks, that decided the champion for ...

in 2016, and has also been a member of 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 ...

Professional career

Ottawa Redblacks

LaFrance was drafted in the sixth round, 45th overall by the

in the 2015 CFL Draft. He was officially signed on May 25, 2015. After minimal usage his rookie season, LaFrance developed into a rotational player on offense and special teams, especially when starting running back

William Powell William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 – March 5, 1984) was an American actor. A major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the ''The Thin Man (film), Thin Man'' series based on the Nick and Nora Cha ...

was lost to injury. On November 20, 2016 in the postseason, LaFrance rushed for 157 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown to send the Redblacks back to 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 ...

for the second straight season. Ottawa went on to win the Grey Cup, with LaFrance as the game's leading rusher with 42 yards on 11 carries, and also pitching in 31 receiving yards.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

On February 14, 2017, LaFrance signed with the

(CFL). He dressed in 13 regular games and started six of them, recording 68 carries for 273 rushing yards and two touchdowns, as well as 14 catches for 119 receiving yards and one touchdown. He was released by the team on February 1, 2018 the day before the Roughriders were to pay LaFrance a $20,000 bonus as part of the final year of his contract; the original 2-year deal would have compensated LaFrance roughly $110,000 total per year.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

On February 13, 2018, it was announced that LaFrance had signed with the

. It was a one-year contract for about $80,000. LaFrance provided insurance as a backup to Andrew Harris, who had helped recruit LaFrance to join Winnipeg. LaFrance scored 2 rushing touchdowns in 2018, in two separate games against Montreal.

Saskatchewan Roughriders (II)

After fulfilling his contract with Winnipeg, LaFrance rejoined the Roughriders for the 2019 season. LaFrance saw limited usage on offense, but was a notable contributor on special teams by making 15 tackles. He also caught a pass from punter

Jon Ryan Jonathan Robert Ryan (born November 26, 1981) is a retired Canadian professional football punter. He played college football for the University of Regina Rams, and began his professional career with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL) after being ...

on a fake punt, but the play was negated due to a coaching clerical error. LaFrance continued to mostly contribute on special teams during the 2021 season, and on December 22, 2021 was rewarded with a two-year contract extension.

Career statistics

References

External links

Kienan LaFrance bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:LaFrance, Kienan 1991 births Living people Canadian football running backs Ottawa Redblacks players Saskatchewan Roughriders players Players of Canadian football from Manitoba Canadian football people from Winnipeg Winnipeg Blue Bombers players