Tanner Gaskill-Cadwallader (born June 24, 1997) is a 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 ...

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 ...

for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 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 ...

(CFL).

Amateur career

Western Mustangs

Cadwallader first played

U Sports 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 ...

with the

Western Mustangs The Western Mustangs are the athletic teams that represent Western University in London, Ontario, Canada. The school's athletic program supports 46 varsity teams. Their mascot is a Mustang named J.W. and the school colours are purple and white. ...

in 2015, joining the team as a wide receiver. However, he was only with the Mustangs for one year as he sought a transfer to be closer to home with his mother, Delia, who was sick with cancer.

Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks

In 2017, Cadwallader joined the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks and changed positions to

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

. He played in 13 regular season games for the Golden Hawks over three season where he had 22 solo tackles, two assisted tackles, three interceptions, and two sacks. He also played in the 2016 Yates Cup championship win over the Western Mustangs and the following

Mitchell Bowl The Mitchell Bowl is one of the two semifinal bowls of U Sports football, Canada's national competition for university teams that play Canadian football. It is held in the more westerly location of the two semifinal venues. The winner of this game ...

loss to the Laval Rouge et Or. He graduated from Wilfrid Laurier and did not play again for the Golden Hawks for a fourth year, despite retaining playing eligibility.

Bologna Warriors

As a European import due to his parents being from the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, Cadwallader was able to play for the Bologna Warriors of the

Italian Football League Italian Football League (IFL) is the top level American football league in Italy established in 1980. History In the 1970's teams formed and played in Italy. In 1980 the first official American football league in Italy was established and crow ...

in spring 2019.

London Beefeaters

Cadwallader joined the

London Beefeaters The London Beefeaters are a Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) team located in London, Ontario. They play in the Ontario Football Conference (OFC) which is part of the CJFL, and compete annually for the national title known as the Canadian Bo ...

of the

Canadian Junior Football League The Canadian Junior Football League (CJFL) is a national Major Junior Canadian football league consisting of 19 teams playing in five provinces across Canada. The teams compete annually for the Canadian Bowl. Many CJFL players move on to profess ...

for the 2019 season. He was named a CJFL All-Star after recording 16 tackles, two assisted tackles, three interceptions with one touchdown, and two sacks.

Professional career

Cadwallader was drafted in the seventh round, 64th overall, by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the

2020 CFL Draft The 2020 CFL Draft took place on April 30, 2020 at 8:00 pm ET and was broadcast on TSN and RDS.. 73 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian Universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCA ...

but did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the

2020 CFL season The 2020 CFL season would have been the 67th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it would have been the 63rd season of the Canadian Football League. It was originally scheduled to begin on June 11; on April 7, the start of the s ...

. Instead, it was announced on January 12, 2021, that he had signed with the team to his rookie contract. He made the team's active roster following training camp in

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

and played in his first career professional game on August 5, 2021, against the

Hamilton Tiger-Cats The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a professional Canadian football team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Tim Hortons Fiel ...

. Cadwallader played in all 14 regular season games where he had one defensive tackle, eight special teams tackles, and one forced fumble. He made his post-season debut that year as he played in the West Final against the Saskatchewan Roughriders where he had one forced fumble. He also played in his first

Grey Cup The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...

game where he had three special teams tackles as the Blue Bombers defeated the Tiger-Cats to win the

108th Grey Cup The 108th Grey Cup decided the Canadian Football League (CFL) championship for the 2021 season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 season was cancelled and the start of the 2021 season was delayed, pushing the game to December 12, 2021. The ...

championship.

Personal life

Cadwallader's mother, Delia, died of cancer in May 2017. He has three older brothers.

References

External links

Winnipeg Blue Bombers biocfl.ca bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cadwallader, Tanner 1997 births Living people Canadian football linebackers Canadian Junior Football League players Players of Canadian football from Ontario People from Halton Hills Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks football players Winnipeg Blue Bombers players