Tori Gurley (born Norristorius Gurley on November 22, 1987) is a
player who is currently a free agent, having most recently been a member of 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 ...
organization, 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). 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 ...
at
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
, where he helped lead the Gamecocks to their first SEC East title and first SEC championship game appearance in 2010.
He is from
Rock Hill, South Carolina
Rock Hill is the largest city in York County, South Carolina and the fifth-largest city in the state. It is also the fourth-largest city of the Charlotte metropolitan area, behind Charlotte, Concord, and Gastonia (all located in North Carolina, ...
and attended
Rock Hill High School where he led the Bearcats to state championships in football and basketball as a senior. Through 2010 and 12 games, Gurley's career statistics at South Carolina were 824 receiving yards with 6 touchdowns and 70 receptions. In Gurley's last season for the Gamecocks he set a school record for having no dropped passes during the 2010 season.
Personal life
As a two-sport athlete in high school, in Gurley's senior year he led
Rock Hill High School to 2006 state championships in basketball and football. He originally committed to the University of North Carolina to play both football and basketball. When Gurley went to South Carolina, he changed his last name from Childers to Gurley in honor of his late father, who was 42 when he died in 2007.
Prep school
Gurley attended New Hampton Prep School in New Hampshire for one year; he played both football and basketball. In his one year at New Hampton he caught 40 passes for 700 yards and 12 touchdowns and averaged 10 points and 8 rebounds a game in basketball.
College career
Freshman
As a
redshirt
Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi
* Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after b ...
freshman in 2009, he made his collegiate debut against NC State where he caught four passes for 34 yards. Gurley known more as a physical possession wide receiver had three touchdown catches called back due to penalties during just his first two college starts. He caught his first career touchdown pass, a six-yard strike, from
Stephen Garcia
Stephen Glenn Garcia (born February 15, 1988) is a former collegiate American football quarterback for the University of South Carolina. Garcia had a 20–14 record as a starter for the Gamecocks. He completed 7,597 passing yards including 47 t ...
at Georgia. Gurley caught four passes for 100 yards in the win over FAU including a career-long 44-yarder he had four catches for 60 yards against Ole Miss, caught three passes for 62 yards in the win over Vanderbilt, including a one-handed 43-yard grab with the Gamecocks on their own one-yard line, caught four passes for 50 yards against Tennessee, caught two passes for 50 yards, including a 14-yard TD against Clemson. He played in all 13 games making five starts and was ranked fourth on the team with 31 catches, 440 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Sophomore
Gurley turned 2010 into another solid campaign, where he was the second leading receiver behind
Alshon Jeffery
Alshon Jeffery (born February 14, 1990) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at South Carolina, and was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. As a member of the ...
. He helped lead the Gamecocks to a 9-3 record and a SEC East Division Championship. His most notable efforts came in a win at
Vanderbilt where he tied a school record with 14 receptions (112 yards).
Professional career
NFL career
Green Bay Packers
Gurley was signed by the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
as an
undrafted 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 ...
on July 25, 2011. He was later signed to the practice squad.
Gurley was offered a spot of the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...
active 53-man roster towards the end of the 2011 regular season, but declined the offer, choosing to remain on the Green Bay practice squad.
Gurley was released by the
Green Bay Packers
The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...
on August 31, 2012.
Minnesota Vikings
Gurley was signed onto the
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansion ...
practice squad on September 1, 2012, but released later that month.
Oakland Raiders
Gurley was signed to the
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...
practice squad on September 25, 2012.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Gurley was signed to the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...
practice squad on October 17, 2012.
San Diego Chargers
Gurley was signed to the
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team that played in San Diego from 1961 until the end of the 2016 season, before relocating to Los Angeles, where the franchise had played its inaugural 1960 season. The team is now ...
practice squad but subsequently released in November 2012.
Cleveland Browns
On May 23, 2013, Gurley was signed by the
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...
. He was cut on August 31, 2013, but signed to the practice squad two days later on September 2, 2013. He was signed from the practice squad on September 7, 2013, and played in two regular season games, compiling 1 reception on 2 targets for 15 yards. He was waived on September 17, 2013 and re-signed to their practice squad the next day. On October 18, 2013, Gurley was again signed from the practice squad and played on October 20 against his former team, the Green Bay Packers. He was waived again on October 22 and then re-signed to the practice squad on October 29. He was released again on May 19, 2014.
Buffalo Bills
Gurley signed with the
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
during the 2014 offseason, but was released by the team on August 25, 2014.
CFL career
Toronto Argonauts
On June 3, 2015, Gurley signed with the
Toronto Argonauts
The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...
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 ...
. Gurley finished the
2015 CFL season
The 2015 CFL season was the 62nd season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 58th Canadian Football League season. The Edmonton Eskimos won the 103rd Grey Cup on November 29, defeating the Ottawa Redblacks 26–20 in Winnipeg ...
with 793 yards on 58 receptions and was the league leader in touchdown receptions with 10. In his second season in the CFL Gurley played in 10 of the Argos first 14 games, missing some with injury and others for team discipline. Following a Week 15 loss the Argos front office decided to release four of their wide receivers on the same day including Tori Gurley. Reports suggest the four wide receivers were not committed to the Argos and had been a source of division in the locker room for some time. In 10 games for the Argos Gurley caught 36 passes for 509 yards with 5 touchdowns.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Three days after being let go by Toronto the
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 Fiel ...
(CFL) announced the signing of Gurley. Gurley played in two games for the Bombers to close out the 2016 season, catching 4 passes for 62 yards.
Ottawa Redblacks
As a free agent, Gurley signed a contract 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 ...
(CFL) on May 4, 2017. He was subsequently released by the organization on June 18, 2017 during final cuts after their two preseason games.
Career statistics
CFL receiving stats
References
External links
CFL profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gurley, Tori
1987 births
Living people
American football wide receivers
Canadian football wide receivers
Cleveland Browns players
Ottawa Redblacks players
South Carolina Gamecocks football players
Toronto Argonauts players
Winnipeg Blue Bombers players
Sportspeople from Rock Hill, South Carolina
Players of American football from South Carolina
African-American players of American football
African-American players of Canadian football
Rock Hill High School (South Carolina) alumni
21st-century African-American sportspeople
20th-century African-American people