Nuvraj Singh Bassi (born March 20, 1983) is a former

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

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 ...

. He was drafted 43rd overall in the

2010 CFL Draft The 2010 CFL Draft took place on Sunday, May 2, 2010 at 12:00 PM ET on TSN. 47 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA. After a number of tra ...

by the Lions. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for the

Oregon Ducks The Oregon Ducks are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Oregon, located in Eugene. The Ducks compete at the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level as a member of the Pac-12 Conference. ...

. He previously played 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 ...

and

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 ...

Professional career

Nuvraj was drafted by 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 ...

in the fifth round (43rd overall) in the 2005 CFL Draft and spent the year on the team's practice roster. He did not re-sign with the Lions for the 2006 season and spent two years out of football. He signed with the

in 2008 and was on their practice roster for two years, alternating between the offensive line and defensive line. After his release from by the Roughriders, he signed with the

for the 2010 season. He was signed to the Lions' practice roster in July 2011. He was released by the Lions on October 25, 2011.

Personal life

Bassi's parents are Kalvinder and Inderjit Bassi, and he has one brother and one sister. Nuvraj comes from a sports family, and they were very supportive of their son’s prospects. Nuvraj Bassi made history as the first Sikh in the

(CFL), when he made his June CFL debut as a member of the Grey Cup Champion

References

* * * * * 1983 births Living people Canadian football defensive linemen Canadian Sikhs Montreal Alouettes players Oregon Ducks football players Canadian football people from Vancouver Players of Canadian football from British Columbia Canadian people of Indian descent {{Canadianfootball-defensive-lineman-stub