Leo Ezerins (born August 10, 1956) was a linebacker who played ten seasons in 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 ...

for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 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 ...

Background

Ezerins is a graduate of Whitworth College in Spokane, Washington graduating with a BA in Economics and Business. He was a conference all-star four times and an NAIA All American. His head coach was CFL legend, Hugh Campbell. A gifted athlete he was also a three-time Canadian Champion Speed Skating Champion, Provincial High School basketball All-Star twice and played on the Isaac Brock Provincial Little League Championship team and the Winnipeg Hawkeyes Juvenile Little Grey Cup Championship team.

Professional career

Ezerins is currently the all-time interception leader for Canadian linebackers and fifth overall for all

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 ...

linebackers with 25 interceptions. He also has 23 receptions as a tight end. He was an integral member of the Tiger-Cats 1986

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 ...

winning team. He recovered the first fumble of the game caused by

Grover Covington Grover Covington (born March 25, 1956) is a former Canadian Football League defensive end for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Professional career Covington's career began in 1981 as a free agent signin ...

which set the pace for an incredible defensive onslaught of the heavily favored

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 ...

. That year, he was named a CFL Eastern All-Star.

Awards

*Named – #46 Globe and Mail Sports Power 50 – 2011 *Named – Honorary Member Princess Patricia Canadian Light Infantry – 2011 *Named- Leo Ezerins Award – Isaac Brock Community Center, Winnipeg, MB - 2010

Life After Retirement

Ezerins is the poster boy for a University Health Network study on the effect of head hits on CFL players to be studied for long term concussion effects. Ezerins helps promote concussion awareness for all sports.

Personal

A Winnipeg native, Ezerins now calls Hamilton Home with his life partner Sandra Shields. He has two adult children, Katie and Dillon. Recently he was named to the Globe and Mail's Power 50, a Member of the 100th Grey Cup Steering Committee, Honorary Member of the PPCLI Foundation, Member of the Canadian Sports Concussion Research Project (Chaired by Dr. Charles Tator), a nominee to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats All Time Team and Manitoba Football Hall of Fame inductee.

References

External links

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ezerins, Leo Winnipeg Blue Bombers players Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Canadian football linebackers Players of Canadian football from Manitoba Canadian football people from Winnipeg 1956 births Living people Whitworth Pirates football players