Michael Joseph Klassen (born March 20, 1991) 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 ...

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

. He was drafted in the fourth round, 32nd overall by 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 ...

in the

2013 CFL Draft The 2013 CFL season, 2013 CFL Draft took place on Monday, May 6, 2013 at 12:00 PM ET on The Sports Network, TSN. 60 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian Interuniversity Sport, Canadian Universities across the country, as w ...

and signed with the team on May 27, 2013. 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

Calgary Dinos The Calgary Dinos are the athletic teams that represent the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada. They were known as the "Dinosaurs" but usually referred to as the "Dinos" until 1999, when the name was officially shortened. Some of its venue ...

Professional career

Montreal Alouettes

A fourth round pick in the 2013 CFL draft, Klassen played four seasons for the

, appearing in 54 games, accumulating 48 defensive tackles, eight quarterback sacks and five special teams tackles. After signing a new deal following the 2016 season he was released by the Alouettes on May 27, 2017, before the start of training camp.

Calgary Stampeders

Michael Klassen signed with his hometown

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-old ...

four days after being released by Montreal. He spent one season with the Stampeders, playing in eight games.

Ottawa Redblacks

Klassen signed with 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 ...

as a free agent on February 20, 2018 to a one-year contract. After setting new career highs with 28 defensive tackles and four sacks he and the Redblacks agreed to a two-year contract extension on February 8, 2019. He was placed on the retired list on December 18, 2019.

References

External links

Ottawa Redblacks bio
1991 births Living people Players of Canadian football from Alberta Canadian football defensive linemen Calgary Dinos football players Calgary Stampeders players Montreal Alouettes players Ottawa Redblacks players Sportspeople from Calgary {{Canadianfootball-defensive-lineman-stub