Marwan Hage ( ar, مروان حاج, ''Marwān Ḥāja'') (born September 14, 1981) is a former offensive lineman who played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 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 ...

. Hage played college football for the

Colorado Buffaloes The Colorado Buffaloes are the athletic teams that represent the University of Colorado. The university sponsors 17 varsity sports teams. Both the men's and women's teams are called the Buffaloes (Buffs for short) or, rarely, the Golden Buffalo ...

. He emigrated from Beirut, Lebanon to

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

in 1990. Participated in the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

' 2004 training camp. During his retirement announcement in 2014, Hage revealed that he would become the owner of two

Tim Hortons Tim Hortons Inc., commonly nicknamed Tim's, or Timmie's is a Canadian multinational coffeehouse and restaurant chain. Based in Toronto, Tim Hortons serves coffee, doughnuts, and other fast-food items. It is Canada's largest quick-service res ...

franchises in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Professional career

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Hage was selected by the Tiger-Cats in second round of the

2004 CFL Draft The 2004 CFL Draft took place on Wednesday, April 28, 2004. 53 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian Universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA. Of the 53 draft selections, 35 players ...

. In 2006, he founded the Hage's Heroes program which sends under-privileged children to Hamilton Tiger-Cats home games. In 2009, he was awarded the

Tom Pate Memorial Award Tom Pate Memorial Award, selected annually by the Canadian Football League Players' Association, is awarded to a player with outstanding sportsmanship and someone who has made a significant contribution to his team, his community and Association. T ...

for his contributions to the Hamilton community. He was named a CFL East All-Star in 2007 and a CFLPA (Canadian Football League Players Association) All-Star in 2007 and 2008. He also won the Leo Dandurand Trophy in 2010 as the Most Outstanding Lineman in the East Division. During the final game played at

Ivor Wynne Stadium Ivor Wynne Stadium (formerly Civic Stadium) was a Canadian football stadium located at the corner of Balsam and Beechwood avenues, two blocks west of Gage Avenue North in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The stadium was the home of the Hamilton Tiger ...

, Hage was named to the All-Time Hamilton Tiger-Cats Team. He also was a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 2013 East Division championship team and played in the 2013 Grey Cup.

Ottawa Redblacks

He was acquired by 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). Starting ...

in the third round of the 2013 CFL Expansion Draft. Instead of playing for the RedBlacks, Hage announced his retirement on April 14, 2014. On Tuesday, May 13, his playing rights were acquired by the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-o ...

along with the first overall selection in the 2014 CFL Draft in exchange for Jon Gott.

Politics

Hage ran for the Conservative Party of Canada nomination in Hamilton East—Stoney Creek for the 2019 Canadian federal election, but was not the party's nominee that year.

References

1981 births Living people Canadian football offensive linemen American football offensive linemen Canadian people of Lebanese descent Colorado Buffaloes football players Jacksonville Jaguars players Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Ottawa Redblacks players Sportspeople from Beirut Canadian football people from Montreal Lebanese players of American football Lebanese players of Canadian football Canadian sportsperson-politicians Sportspeople of Lebanese descent Players of American football from Quebec {{Canadianfootball-offensive-lineman-stub