Nick Arakgi (born August 9, 1955) is a former professional

Canadian football Canadian football () is a 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 scoring area ( ...

star receiver 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 ...

. In a nine-season career, Arakgi played for the

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (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 East Division of the Canad ...

Montreal Concordes The Montreal Alouettes ( 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 East Division of the Cana ...

, and

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 Fie ...

and made three All-Star teams.

Early years

Arakgi was born in Cairo, Egypt and graduated from

Bishop's University Bishop's University (french: Université Bishop's) is a small English-language liberal arts university in Lennoxville, a borough of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. The founder of the institution was the Anglican Bishop of Quebec, George Mountain, w ...

Sherbrooke Sherbrooke ( ; ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François and Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territory equivalent to a regional cou ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

in 1978, where he played CIS football for the

Bishop's Gaiters The Bishop's Gaiters is the men's and women's athletic teams that represent Bishop's University in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. The name Gaiter is a nickname used to refer to garments worn over the shoe and lower pants leg, worn by Anglican bishops ...

. In 1978, he was selected as the Gaiters' Most Valuable Player as well as receiving the Sid Hart Trophy as the top Male Athlete of the Year at Bishop's. He was inducted into the Bishop's University Wall of Distinction in 2004.

Professional career

He began a 7-year career with the

(and the

) in 1979, playing a total of 110 regular season games and the 67th Grey Cup game. He caught 327 passes in Montreal, with 89 of those coming in 1982. He was an all star in 1982, 1984, and 1985, and added the CFL's Most Outstanding Canadian Award in the

1984 CFL season The 1984 CFL season is considered to be the 31st season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 27th Canadian Football League season. CFL News in 1984 The CFL granted a conditional expansion team to the city of Halifax, ...

. He suffered a broken neck bone in the 1986 preseason and did not play that year, but returned for the

1987 CFL season The 1987 CFL season is considered to be the 34th season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 30th Canadian Football League season. CFL News in 1987 The Canadian Football League celebrated the 75th Annual Grey Cup game ...

to play for the

, catching 43 more passes and winning 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 ...

in recognition of his comeback. Arakgi finished his football career with 370 receptions, 27 touchdowns, and 4,865 receiving yards.

After football

, he was a general manager with CBS Outdoor Advertising, and served on the Board of Directors for the Out of Home Marketing Association. He resides 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 ...

. Arakgi has three children (one of whom,

Jason Arakgi Jason Arakgi (born May 12, 1985) is a former Canadian football Linebacker for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played CIS football for the McMaster Marauders. Professional career Arakgi was drafted in the 3rd round of the ...

, played for 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 seas ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Arakgi, Nick 1955 births Canadian Football League Most Outstanding Canadian Award winners Living people Sportspeople from Cairo Canadian football slotbacks Montreal Alouettes players Montreal Concordes players Winnipeg Blue Bombers players Egyptian emigrants to Canada Egyptian players of Canadian football