Thomas J. Stancil (born June 11, 1982) is a
strong-side linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...
who played for the
Saskatchewan Roughriders 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 ...
.
Stancil was signed as a
free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...
by Saskatchewan in 2005 as a backup to
Jackie Mitchell
Virne Beatrice "Jackie" Mitchell Gilbert (August 29, 1913 – January 7, 1987) was one of the first female pitchers in professional baseball history. She was 17 years old when she pitched for the Chattanooga Lookouts Class AA minor league b ...
, the incumbent starter at the time. However, injuries to Mitchell allowed Stancil to showcase his skills as the starter midway through 2005, and the Roughriders awarded him the starting position in 2006 while moving Mitchell to the
free safety
Safety is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free safety and the strong safety. Their dut ...
position. He however injured his knee early in the 2006 season, missing the remainder of the season. He played for
Boston College
Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...
during his collegiate years.
He was released by the Riders on May 31, 2008, but was picked up by the
BC Lions in July. In his time with the Saskatchewan Riders, during his rookie season he was runner-up for Defensive Rookie of the Year(2005).
[https://riderville.com ]
References
Saskatchewan Roughriders players
People from Bensalem Township, Pennsylvania
Players of American football from Bucks County, Pennsylvania
1982 births
Living people
Canadian football linebackers
Boston College Eagles football players
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